Cape Gooseberry, Physalis peruviana
The primary time I encountered and tasted a cape gooseberry was on the Sonoma backyard of Peter and Louise Hassen (a multidisciplinary artist and the founding father of Sonoma Apothecary, respectively). Pondering at first that Lousie was handing me a tomatillo, I virtually politely mentioned “No, thanks.” Fortunately I didn’t. I peeled away the brown husk, bit into the orange orb, and was pleasantly shocked. Instantly I questioned the place this edible plant has been my entire life.
Please preserve studying to be taught extra about this underused edible.
Pictures by Marie Viljoen.
Native to Brazil, Cape gooseberry can be referred to as floor cherry and goldenberry, amongst different names. Its frequent identify is definitely derived from South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, the place the fruit was very talked-about after rising there within the early nineteenth century. This explains why my buddy Louise has it in her backyard. “I develop it as a result of it jogs my memory of my childhood in South Africa. They had been quite common there and the fruit was made right into a yummy jam,” she tells me.
This small 1- to 3-foot tall shrub is notable for its small orange fruit that’s roughly the identical measurement as a grape or a cherry tomato. Like its cousins the tomatillo and Chinese language lantern, the fruit is delicately wrapped in a skinny protecting papery husk. Peel this away and also you discover a tropical tasting orange shock. I discovered the flavour each candy and tart on the similar time, like for those who put a pineapple and a tomato in a blender. “I eat them after I’m gardening as a snack, and I prefer to put them on a dessert plate as an edible ornament,” shares Louise.
Thought-about an annual the place frost happens and a perennial elsewhere, this fast-growing shrub is self-fruitful, however you may assist the pollination half by flippantly taping the stems behind the flowers. “Cape gooseberries reseed simply, however they take a very long time to mature and fruit. I often don’t have a lot time earlier than the primary frost comes alongside,” says Louise. She provides that this 12 months she goes to attempt to discover a big nursery-grown begin in order that she will be able to benefit from the fruits of her labor longer.
Cheat Sheet
- Very adaptable to being grown in a big pot or container.
- Add to your vegetable backyard or develop on a patio with different edibles.
- May be loved uncooked, in desserts or salads, or in jams, jellies or chutneys. Additionally, you may strive them dried.
- Remember, underripe gooseberries could also be poisonous. You’ll know the fruit is ripe when the stem holding the tan husk is brown.
- If saved of their husk, cape gooseberries will be saved for a number of weeks.
- Bees are frequent guests.
Hold It Alive
- Plant in full solar and in a heat however not blazing scorching spot.
- Shield from frost, or for those who dwell under USDA 10, take into account this plant like an annual.
- A wee bit thirsty main as much as fruit ripening time.
- Tolerates most varieties of soil and requires little to no fertilizer.
- May be susceptible to the identical pests and afflictions as tomatoes. Professional Tip: Rotate your crops yearly to forestall build-up of illnesses that assault nightshade crops.
- Self-pollinating and simple to propagate from seed.
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