Cape gooseberries, a.k.a. ground cherries

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:04:30p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it zxcvbob?

Quoted message said:

Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.

I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?

Best regards,
Bob

It wasn't me, but I'd sure like to know where I could get some. When we
still lived in NE OH I found some once at a farmer's market. Made some of
the most delicious preserves I've ever eaten. The flavor actually reminded
me a bit of fig preserves.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

"zxcvbob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last night,
but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.

I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?

Best regards,
Bob

Don't remember who it was. She had bought seeds and wanted some
recipes/uses for the fruit.
Janet

zxcvbob said:

Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.

I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?

Best regards,
Bob

Yes Bob, I asked about these. Every year I put one new fruit or veggie
in to try. I picked up a pack of seeds for ground cherries. I've never
heard of them before so was asking how to use them. To my understanding
they are related to tomatoes and are used in preserves and pies. I've
found one recipe for a pie. These are totally new to me, so it will be
an experiment trying to figure out how to use them. I've been
researching looking for recipes. What I really wanted to know is if
this is a [censored] fruit or not?

--
There is a thief amongst us who likes to steal other posters pics and
post them as their own. This constitutes copyright infringement and
theft of intellectual property. This is contrary to DMCA of 1998
punishable by law. The same thief likes to harass other posters and is
an internet stalker. This thief likes to use intimidation to harass
other posters on rfc.

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:04:30p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it zxcvbob?

Quoted message said:

Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.

I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?

Best regards,
Bob

It wasn't me, but I'd sure like to know where I could get some. When we
still lived in NE OH I found some once at a farmer's market. Made some of
the most delicious preserves I've ever eaten. The flavor actually reminded
me a bit of fig preserves.

Interesting! So they taste somewhat like figs? I'm growing them for
the first time this year and really am not sure what to do with them.
I've been collecting recipes but there isn't a lot out there either.

--
There is a thief amongst us who likes to steal other posters pics and
post them as their own. This constitutes copyright infringement and
theft of intellectual property. This is contrary to DMCA of 1998
punishable by law. The same thief likes to harass other posters and is
an internet stalker. This thief likes to use intimidation to harass
other posters on rfc.

Janet Bostwick said:

"zxcvbob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last night,
but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.

I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?

Best regards,
Bob

Don't remember who it was. She had bought seeds and wanted some
recipes/uses for the fruit.
Janet

'twas me Janet. I posted requesting info. I likely should have posted
over on rec.gardens.edible. I thought some here would know how to use
them but got no replies. I've since done a little research and have a
couple of recipes to try. The outcome of these recipes will determine
if I grow them the following year.

--
There is a thief amongst us who likes to steal other posters pics and
post them as their own. This constitutes copyright infringement and
theft of intellectual property. This is contrary to DMCA of 1998
punishable by law. The same thief likes to harass other posters and is
an internet stalker. This thief likes to use intimidation to harass
other posters on rfc.

Janet Bostwick said:

"zxcvbob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last night,
but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.

I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?

Best regards,
Bob

Don't remember who it was. She had bought seeds and wanted some
recipes/uses for the fruit.
Janet

I haven't tried this recipe. It looks to me like it'd need some lemon
juice or citric acid.

I didn't get enough ground cherries until very late in the season, after
we had lost interest in them (nobody liked them all that much.) They
had a pleasant taste, but kind of bland, with a little bit of a tomato
taste. Grow them like tomatoes, but plant them a little closer together
and let them sprawl. If I plant them again I'll direct-sow them as soon
as the ground is warm and then thin/transplant to at least a foot apart.

Cape Gooseberry Jam

Cape gooseberries are the little round pale yellow-green fruits that
have a little dried paper lantern around them when they are ripe. Don't
use this recipe for regular gooseberries as the sugar proportions
are different.

6 lb husked cape gooseberries
4 1/2 lb sugar
1 US pint water

[censored] the gooseberries with a large needle and layer in a large pot with
the sugar. Pour the water over the top. Boil gently until it reaches
setting point. Jar as you will.

--

(Barb's probably gonna get me for that "jar as you will" part)

Best regards,
Bob

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:41:12p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it ~patches~?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:04:30p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
zxcvbob?

Quoted message said:

Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.

I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?

Best regards,
Bob

It wasn't me, but I'd sure like to know where I could get some. When
we still lived in NE OH I found some once at a farmer's market. Made
some of the most delicious preserves I've ever eaten. The flavor
actually reminded me a bit of fig preserves.

Interesting! So they taste somewhat like figs? I'm growing them for
the first time this year and really am not sure what to do with them.
I've been collecting recipes but there isn't a lot out there either.

When they're raw they're quite [censored], much like a green tomato. I made the
preserves without added pectin, just sugar and lemons. When they're cooked
in the preserve, they become transluscent. Some but not all of them burst
and release their tiny seeds.

In the following recipe, I did not grate the lemon rind. I sliced the
lemons, removed seeds, and cooked with the ground cherries and sugar. I
removed most of the lemon slices before putting in jars.

Ground Cherry Jam

8 cups ground cherries (husked)
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2 lemons; grated rind & juice

Husk and wash the ground cherries carefully. Measure the sugar and water
into a large kettle. Bring to a full rolling boil, and boil for 2 minutes.

Add the cherries, lemon rinds, and juice. Bring to a full rolling boil
again, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with a
clean towel, and let stand overnight. (in the refrigerator)

Next day, return to the heat, and again bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook
gently until transparent (about 15 minutes). Immediately pour into hot,
sterilized glasses seal at once.

Adapted from a recipe for Ground Cherry Jam from Unusual Vegetables:
Something New for This Year's Garden

*A note about Ground Cherries: When making jam or preserves treat them as
you would cranberries. Do not crush or pop the berries but let them do so
on their own while cooking.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:38:48p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it ~patches~?

Quoted message said:

zxcvbob said:

Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.

I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?

Best regards,
Bob

Yes Bob, I asked about these. Every year I put one new fruit or veggie
in to try. I picked up a pack of seeds for ground cherries. I've never
heard of them before so was asking how to use them. To my understanding
they are related to tomatoes and are used in preserves and pies. I've
found one recipe for a pie. These are totally new to me, so it will be
an experiment trying to figure out how to use them. I've been
researching looking for recipes. What I really wanted to know is if
this is a [censored] fruit or not?

Yes, they are quite [censored], like green tomatoes or cranberries. Not
something you would eat without some sugar. See my other post for recipe.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:38:48p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it ~patches~?

Quoted message said:

zxcvbob said:

Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.

I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?

Best regards,
Bob

Yes Bob, I asked about these. Every year I put one new fruit or veggie
in to try. I picked up a pack of seeds for ground cherries. I've never
heard of them before so was asking how to use them. To my understanding
they are related to tomatoes and are used in preserves and pies. I've
found one recipe for a pie. These are totally new to me, so it will be
an experiment trying to figure out how to use them. I've been
researching looking for recipes. What I really wanted to know is if
this is a [censored] fruit or not?

Yes, they are quite [censored], like green tomatoes or cranberries. Not
something you would eat without some sugar. See my other post for recipe.

If they were "quite [censored]" they weren't ripe. The ones I grew were never
as [censored] as a cranberry, and they were quite sweet and subacid (is that
the right word? less acid than a red table grape) when fully ripe. If
you were cooking with them, you'd want a mixture of fully ripe and
almost-sort-of-ripe ones.

BTW, ground cherries are self-fruiting. Tomatillos are self-sterile and
require at least 2 plants for pollenation.

Bob

~patches~ said:

'twas me Janet. I posted requesting info. I likely should have posted
over on rec.gardens.edible. I thought some here would know how to use
them but got no replies. I've since done a little research and have a
couple of recipes to try. The outcome of these recipes will determine
if I grow them the following year.

You'll grow them next year whether you want to or not. They self-seed
like crazy, although they don't get invasive about it.

Wayne's recipe with the lemon slices looks a lot better than the one I
posted.

Bob

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 09:02:56p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it zxcvbob?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:38:48p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
~patches~?

Quoted message said:

zxcvbob wrote:

>Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
>night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.
>
>I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?
>
>Best regards,
>Bob

Yes Bob, I asked about these. Every year I put one new fruit or veggie
in to try. I picked up a pack of seeds for ground cherries. I've
never heard of them before so was asking how to use them. To my
understanding they are related to tomatoes and are used in preserves
and pies. I've found one recipe for a pie. These are totally new to
me, so it will be an experiment trying to figure out how to use them.
I've been researching looking for recipes. What I really wanted to
know is if this is a [censored] fruit or not?

Yes, they are quite [censored], like green tomatoes or cranberries. Not
something you would eat without some sugar. See my other post for
recipe.

If they were "quite [censored]" they weren't ripe. The ones I grew were never
as [censored] as a cranberry, and they were quite sweet and subacid (is that
the right word? less acid than a red table grape) when fully ripe. If
you were cooking with them, you'd want a mixture of fully ripe and
almost-sort-of-ripe ones.

You may be right. Somewhat like regular gooseberries, some were green and
some were pinkish red. Obviously a difference in degree of ripeness. I
may have only tasted a green one raw, and it was [censored]. Unfortunately, that
was my one and only encounter with them, but the results were delicious.

Quoted message said:

BTW, ground cherries are self-fruiting. Tomatillos are self-sterile and
require at least 2 plants for pollenation.

I doubt they would grow well in AZ. :-(

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 09:02:56p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it zxcvbob?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:38:48p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
~patches~?

>zxcvbob wrote:
>
>
>
>>Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
>>night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.
>>
>>I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?
>>
>>Best regards,
>>Bob
>
>Yes Bob, I asked about these. Every year I put one new fruit or veggie
>in to try. I picked up a pack of seeds for ground cherries. I've
>never heard of them before so was asking how to use them. To my
>understanding they are related to tomatoes and are used in preserves
>and pies. I've found one recipe for a pie. These are totally new to
>me, so it will be an experiment trying to figure out how to use them.
>I've been researching looking for recipes. What I really wanted to
>know is if this is a [censored] fruit or not?

Yes, they are quite [censored], like green tomatoes or cranberries. Not
something you would eat without some sugar. See my other post for
recipe.

If they were "quite [censored]" they weren't ripe. The ones I grew were never
as [censored] as a cranberry, and they were quite sweet and subacid (is that
the right word? less acid than a red table grape) when fully ripe. If
you were cooking with them, you'd want a mixture of fully ripe and
almost-sort-of-ripe ones.

You may be right. Somewhat like regular gooseberries, some were green and
some were pinkish red. Obviously a difference in degree of ripeness. I
may have only tasted a green one raw, and it was [censored]. Unfortunately, that
was my one and only encounter with them, but the results were delicious.

Quoted message said:

BTW, ground cherries are self-fruiting. Tomatillos are self-sterile and
require at least 2 plants for pollenation.

I doubt they would grow well in AZ. :-(

Are you sure we are talking about the same plant? Cape gooseberries are
very closely related to tomatillos. The fruit looks the same, but a lot
smaller. The plants grow about 3 feet in diameter and maybe almost 2
feet tall, hugging the ground. Tomatillo plants look about the same but
grow upright (until they fall over)

They should grow splendidly in AZ, unless you are out in the desert
flats somewhere, or up on a 8700' mountain where it never gets warm.

Bob

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 09:39:40p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it zxcvbob?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 09:02:56p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
zxcvbob?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:38:48p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
>~patches~?
>
>
>
>>zxcvbob wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
>>>night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.
>>>
>>>I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?
>>>
>>>Best regards,
>>>Bob
>>
>>Yes Bob, I asked about these. Every year I put one new fruit or
>>veggie in to try. I picked up a pack of seeds for ground cherries.
>>I've never heard of them before so was asking how to use them. To my
>>understanding they are related to tomatoes and are used in preserves
>>and pies. I've found one recipe for a pie. These are totally new to
>>me, so it will be an experiment trying to figure out how to use them.
>>I've been researching looking for recipes. What I really wanted to
>>know is if this is a [censored] fruit or not?
>
>
>Yes, they are quite [censored], like green tomatoes or cranberries. Not
>something you would eat without some sugar. See my other post for
>recipe.
>

If they were "quite [censored]" they weren't ripe. The ones I grew were
never as [censored] as a cranberry, and they were quite sweet and subacid (is
that the right word? less acid than a red table grape) when fully
ripe. If you were cooking with them, you'd want a mixture of fully
ripe and almost-sort-of-ripe ones.

You may be right. Somewhat like regular gooseberries, some were green
and some were pinkish red. Obviously a difference in degree of
ripeness. I may have only tasted a green one raw, and it was [censored].
Unfortunately, that was my one and only encounter with them, but the
results were delicious.

Quoted message said:

BTW, ground cherries are self-fruiting. Tomatillos are self-sterile
and require at least 2 plants for pollenation.

I doubt they would grow well in AZ. :-(

Are you sure we are talking about the same plant? Cape gooseberries are
very closely related to tomatillos. The fruit looks the same, but a lot
smaller. The plants grow about 3 feet in diameter and maybe almost 2
feet tall, hugging the ground. Tomatillo plants look about the same but
grow upright (until they fall over)

They should grow splendidly in AZ, unless you are out in the desert
flats somewhere, or up on a 8700' mountain where it never gets warm.

Yes, we're talking about the same thing, although I've never actually seen
them growing. We are quite literally out in the desert, however. I
suppose with sufficient irrigation they might grow here, but it might be a
herculean effort. :-) We'd have a huge amount of work to do, as our
"soil" is very compacted and coverd by 3 inches of decomposed granite.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:41:12p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it ~patches~?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 03 Apr 2006 08:04:30p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
zxcvbob?

>Did someone ask about these recently? I thought I saw a post last
>night, but now I can't find it amidst all the noise.
>
>I've grown them in my garden before. What did you want to know?
>
>Best regards,
>Bob
>

It wasn't me, but I'd sure like to know where I could get some. When
we still lived in NE OH I found some once at a farmer's market. Made
some of the most delicious preserves I've ever eaten. The flavor
actually reminded me a bit of fig preserves.

Interesting! So they taste somewhat like figs? I'm growing them for
the first time this year and really am not sure what to do with them.
I've been collecting recipes but there isn't a lot out there either.

When they're raw they're quite [censored], much like a green tomato. I made the
preserves without added pectin, just sugar and lemons. When they're cooked
in the preserve, they become transluscent. Some but not all of them burst
and release their tiny seeds.

In the following recipe, I did not grate the lemon rind. I sliced the
lemons, removed seeds, and cooked with the ground cherries and sugar. I
removed most of the lemon slices before putting in jars.

Ground Cherry Jam

8 cups ground cherries (husked)
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2 lemons; grated rind & juice

Husk and wash the ground cherries carefully. Measure the sugar and water
into a large kettle. Bring to a full rolling boil, and boil for 2 minutes.

Add the cherries, lemon rinds, and juice. Bring to a full rolling boil
again, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with a
clean towel, and let stand overnight. (in the refrigerator)

Next day, return to the heat, and again bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook
gently until transparent (about 15 minutes). Immediately pour into hot,
sterilized glasses seal at once.

Adapted from a recipe for Ground Cherry Jam from Unusual Vegetables:
Something New for This Year's Garden

*A note about Ground Cherries: When making jam or preserves treat them as
you would cranberries. Do not crush or pop the berries but let them do so
on their own while cooking.

Thanks so much Wayne. I've saved the recipe to use when the ground
cherries are ready this year. I'll let you know the results.

--
Theft of someone's intellectual property including digital images is
copyright infringement contrary to DMCA of 1998. There is a thief
amongst us who likes to harass other posters. Some here condone this
behaviour. Shame on you!

On Tue 04 Apr 2006 06:14:54a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it ~patches~?

Quoted message said:

Thanks so much Wayne. I've saved the recipe to use when the ground
cherries are ready this year. I'll let you know the results.

You're very welcome! I'll be anxious to know how yours turned out. I think
you'll really like the preserves.

--
Wayne Boatwright Õ¿Õ¬
________________________________________

Okay, okay, I take it back! UnScrew you!