Author Topic: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?  (Read 6679 times)

KarenRei

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Heya.  My Physalis peruviana are now ripening here and I've sampled my first couple.  I find the flavor too much along the lines of "acidic tomato" to just eat out of hand.  Any suggestions for good uses for them?  :)

BTW, for anyone considering it: they grow incredibly well indoors.  They took off in size, flowered and fruited fine without pollinators, and seemed immune to any of the pest problems I've had at varying points in time (spider mites, scale, etc).  They did most of their growing in the winter, which here in Iceland means almost no natural sunlight coming in through the window.  Downsides: they drink up the water like crazy (they don't need a big pot, but I'd recommend one so you don't have to flood the thing every other day!) and they shed leaves (especially if you don't water often enough ;) ).  Their aggressive growth habit can also lead them to outgrow and thus shade adjacent plants. 
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

CoPlantNut

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2013, 12:50:51 PM »
I also agree that they can be ideal indoor plants; they produce like crazy with little work, though I found them to be very susceptible to spider mites if not kept in humid conditions.

My suggestion would be to let them ripen more.  Usually when they fall off the plant they are still a bit acidic, but leaving them in a dry, warmish place for a few more days with the husk on brings out more sweetness, at least with the variety I have.

They are good dehydrated as well.

   Kevin

fruitlovers

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2013, 06:23:53 PM »
Hi Karen, these are a very popular fruit here where they are called Poha berries. Poha jam is most popular use for them here and is excellent. But Kevin is right and they are excellent out of hand if fully ripened. They should be completely orange before eating anyways as green fruits have toxic solanine and should NOT be eaten. Fully ripe fruits also excellent in fruit salads.
I think Kevin is also right about spider mites. You've just been lucky so far!
« Last Edit: June 18, 2013, 06:25:29 PM by fruitlovers »
Oscar

KarenRei

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2013, 07:41:16 AM »
I really don't think I've been lucky on spider mites, in that I've had *lots* of stuff get spider mites, they've had more than ample opportunity!  But who knows.  All I can say is apart from the watering needs and leaf litter, they're a breeze.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!  I'll let them dry out a bit more and see how it changes the flavor (I've even seen dried ones for sale at the grocery store here, so that makes sense) and maybe try a jam.  :)
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fruitlovers

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2013, 08:03:14 PM »
The covering around the seed (calyx?) should be totally brown and the fruits inside totally orange before eating.  When fully ripe they are very tasty. :P
Oscar

KarenRei

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2013, 10:46:11 AM »
The covering around the seed (calyx?) should be totally brown and the fruits inside totally orange before eating.  When fully ripe they are very tasty. :P

The one I tried (totally brown, totally orange, and fell willingly from the plant) was too tomatoey/acid for me to describe as a tasty out-of-hand fruit.  But I'll be trying other stuff with more of them when I get a chance (I've got quite a good number drying).

BTW, I got a kick out of this - someone apparently took notice of my plant grow and blogged about it:

http://eirikurjonsson.is/taugaeitrun-i-hafanarfirdi/

Of course, it was more the humorous signs that I put up (suggesting that the place was a reckless genetic engineering company breeding walking neurotoxic carnivorous plants) that drew notice....
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

fruitlovers

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2013, 06:19:08 PM »
Do you know about FFS (First Fruit Syndrome)? Quite often first fruit produced by a plant is not of best quality. Seems like young plants don't have enough of a resource bank yet to put their all into their first fruits.
Oscar

KarenRei

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2013, 10:15:50 PM »
I tried another fresh one today and it was the same.  Okay flavor at first, but becoming all too tomatoey/acidic and then just simply undesirable at the end.  Not bitter or anything, just not anything I would describe as at all a good out-of-hand eating fruit.
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

fruitlovers

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2013, 10:21:02 PM »
I tried another fresh one today and it was the same.  Okay flavor at first, but becoming all too tomatoey/acidic and then just simply undesirable at the end.  Not bitter or anything, just not anything I would describe as at all a good out-of-hand eating fruit.

It could also be the cultivar. Are they seeds you got from me? Some are quite bigger and better tasting than others. Not all pohas are created equal.  ;)
Oscar

KarenRei

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2013, 07:44:52 AM »
I tried another fresh one today and it was the same.  Okay flavor at first, but becoming all too tomatoey/acidic and then just simply undesirable at the end.  Not bitter or anything, just not anything I would describe as at all a good out-of-hand eating fruit.

It could also be the cultivar. Are they seeds you got from me? Some are quite bigger and better tasting than others. Not all pohas are created equal.  ;)

Haha, if only your seeds grew that fast!  ;)  No, they're from various store fruit.  But then again, if I remember right, I wasn't fond of the store fruit out of hand either.  I just figured that, like most tropical fruit here in Iceland, it was some combination of picked too early or starting to go bad (usually the only way to get good tropical fruit here, apart from a few ones that ship well, is to grow it yourself or bring it back fresh from overseas). 

Hmm, what do you think it would cost to send a couple *fruits* in a manner that they'd get here quick enough and intact enough to still be able to get a good sense of how they should taste?  Then I'd know whether the problem is my plants or my tastebuds.
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

CoPlantNut

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2013, 12:22:42 PM »
Haha, if only your seeds grew that fast!  ;)  No, they're from various store fruit.  But then again, if I remember right, I wasn't fond of the store fruit out of hand either.  I just figured that, like most tropical fruit here in Iceland, it was some combination of picked too early or starting to go bad (usually the only way to get good tropical fruit here, apart from a few ones that ship well, is to grow it yourself or bring it back fresh from overseas). 

Hmm, what do you think it would cost to send a couple *fruits* in a manner that they'd get here quick enough and intact enough to still be able to get a good sense of how they should taste?  Then I'd know whether the problem is my plants or my tastebuds.

I've tasted several varieties, and some are much better than others.

The good news for this fruit is that it keeps fairly well; I don't think a week in the mail would be a problem, but I don't know how much that would cost.  Will Iceland actually let you send fresh fruit in the mail?  There are direct Denver to Reykjavík flights now so in theory 1-day shipping should be cheap, right?  :)

BTW, I got a kick out of this - someone apparently took notice of my plant grow and blogged about it:

http://eirikurjonsson.is/taugaeitrun-i-hafanarfirdi/

Of course, it was more the humorous signs that I put up (suggesting that the place was a reckless genetic engineering company breeding walking neurotoxic carnivorous plants) that drew notice....

The tentacles on your sign were a nice touch.

   Kevin
« Last Edit: June 23, 2013, 12:29:24 PM by CoPlantNut »

KarenRei

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #11 on: June 23, 2013, 02:48:41 PM »
Haha, if only your seeds grew that fast!  ;)  No, they're from various store fruit.  But then again, if I remember right, I wasn't fond of the store fruit out of hand either.  I just figured that, like most tropical fruit here in Iceland, it was some combination of picked too early or starting to go bad (usually the only way to get good tropical fruit here, apart from a few ones that ship well, is to grow it yourself or bring it back fresh from overseas). 

Hmm, what do you think it would cost to send a couple *fruits* in a manner that they'd get here quick enough and intact enough to still be able to get a good sense of how they should taste?  Then I'd know whether the problem is my plants or my tastebuds.

I've tasted several varieties, and some are much better than others.

The good news for this fruit is that it keeps fairly well; I don't think a week in the mail would be a problem, but I don't know how much that would cost.  Will Iceland actually let you send fresh fruit in the mail?  There are direct Denver to Reykjavík flights now so in theory 1-day shipping should be cheap, right?  :)

BTW, I got a kick out of this - someone apparently took notice of my plant grow and blogged about it:

http://eirikurjonsson.is/taugaeitrun-i-hafanarfirdi/

Of course, it was more the humorous signs that I put up (suggesting that the place was a reckless genetic engineering company breeding walking neurotoxic carnivorous plants) that drew notice....

The tentacles on your sign were a nice touch.

   Kevin

They don't stop fresh fruit when people fly here, so I don't think they'd do it with the post.  Hopefully  ;)  Could I maybe pay you to try?  If they're better, I could scrap the current plants and replace them with seedlings from the seeds from your fruits.  :)

The best part was all the little details I set up, deliberately making them look like they weren't for the public to see, but were possible to see anyway.  Like the sign warning employees that they must wash their hands to prevent unwanted DNA insertion ("If you cause an outbreak, you pay to clean it up!), a note chiding people for putting genetically-engineered plans in the display window instead of the electrified pen, and an ongoing powerpoint presentation with a bunch of slides like "Safety /  * Genetic engineering is a safe process. / * There are few risks associated with modifying plants. / * We don't believe the plants will hunt children. / * All due precautions are taken".  ;)
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fruitlovers

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2013, 01:52:35 AM »
I tried another fresh one today and it was the same.  Okay flavor at first, but becoming all too tomatoey/acidic and then just simply undesirable at the end.  Not bitter or anything, just not anything I would describe as at all a good out-of-hand eating fruit.

It could also be the cultivar. Are they seeds you got from me? Some are quite bigger and better tasting than others. Not all pohas are created equal.  ;)

Haha, if only your seeds grew that fast!  ;)  No, they're from various store fruit.  But then again, if I remember right, I wasn't fond of the store fruit out of hand either.  I just figured that, like most tropical fruit here in Iceland, it was some combination of picked too early or starting to go bad (usually the only way to get good tropical fruit here, apart from a few ones that ship well, is to grow it yourself or bring it back fresh from overseas). 

Hmm, what do you think it would cost to send a couple *fruits* in a manner that they'd get here quick enough and intact enough to still be able to get a good sense of how they should taste?  Then I'd know whether the problem is my plants or my tastebuds.

Totally verbotten to send fruits in the mail out of Hawaii.
Oscar

KarenRei

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #13 on: June 26, 2013, 05:17:16 AM »
Hmm, interesting - maybe the problem is just my tastebuds.  My boyfriend and I were moving yesterday, along with help from his mother, his sister, and one of our friends.  He saw the fruit fallen on the floor as we were moving the plants and asked if he could taste one.  I tried to warn him, because I know he's a very picky eater.  His reaction was just the opposite of what I expected - he thought it was delicious, sort of like a cross between bilberry (blueberry) and something else he couldn't describe.  Then he started giving them to the other people who were with.  Everybody loved them.  One said it's like a fresh "aðalbláber" ("prime blueberry", the variety of bilberry that grows wild in the Westfjords)

So I guess the problem is just me!
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fruitlovers

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #14 on: June 26, 2013, 05:49:23 AM »
Here it's a pretty widely liked fruit. But there's always the odd one out.  ;)
Oscar

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Re: Suggestions for Physalis peruviana / cape gooseberry / goldenberry?
« Reply #15 on: July 24, 2013, 11:44:17 PM »
I made a cake filling out of goldenberries and some buddha's hand rind once. It was a surprisingly good with chocolate cake, despite the odd combination. I just simmered the mashed fruits with some sugar and water.
Or just dip them in chocolate like you would a strawberry, its very tasty like that.
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