Ripeness

• Eggplant typically take about 80 days to grow mature enough to harvest, according to Veggie Harvest. A ripe eggplant fruit has a shiny or glossy skin. Gardeners who use too much fertilizer on their eggplant may see fruits develop later than usual.
  
  

Method

• Veggie Harvest suggests that gardeners should harvest eggplant as soon as it shows signs of ripeness, but they should not attempt to pull the fruit off of its woody stem. Instead, the harvester should cut the stem with sharp scissors to remove the eggplant safely. Harvesters may find some eggplant unfit for harvest. Eggplant fruits with dull skins or brown seeds, for instance, have grown overripe.
  
  

Storage of Harvest

• Once harvested, eggplant fruits have a limited shelf life, deteriorating quickly. Harvesters should store eggplants in a cool area, but even cooled eggplants do not last long. Cooks should prepare the fruits for eating as soon as possible.