Ground Cherries

[Mariam]

This plant seems familiar, I believe I recall my aunt growing a plant with paper shells like this plant. Thanks for sharing all this info. I might look around at my local garden centers, to see if I can find seeds/plants. I like the look of unusual plants. Do you know if you can make jelly with it?

 

[Meowmie]

Yes, you can make jelly and jam with it, pie, anything you can make with other berries, just do make sure you are getting the ground cherries and not the ornamental paper lanterns or another variety that is poisonous and be sure to let the fruit mature... harvest from the ground, after they fall, and when the paper has turned brown.

 

[headfullofbees]

No, they don't taste like cherries. It is so hard to describe the flavor. It's sweet, yet a bit savory, too.

Like pineapple steeped in bleach.

 

[Meowmie]

Absolutely not! While I can't guarantee everyone will like them, everyone that has tried them that I know likes them a lot. They taste much more like a berry than a cherry.

 

[Phil]

Hi Gata, my parents have had delicious very edible cape gooseberries around their garden in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia for decades. We ate them as kids and my kids now gorge on them whenever we go to visit. They taste amazing. I will try to get a photo but they look very much like the ones that Claudine posted above except not nearly as orange on the outside... But certainly very orange inside when we eat them.
I have started to grow them in our backyard now but the leaves are losing their colour as per my picture and I don't know why... Any ideas or help anyone can give me would be fantastic.
My parents have found they seem to grow everywhere and have become a bit of a weed popping up all around the house at often poor soil, unkept places rather than veggie beds. But they taste so amazing that the first thing we do when visiting is work our way around the house looking for ripe ones!
I hope you or someone can give me advice on why the leaves are going this colour and then falling off. They get a fair amount of water which I had thought was the problem. Thanks Phil

claudine - My pleasure - and pleased to hear that I was able to ease your confusion Thats the name I was trying to think of - " michunka " - I remember you mentioning it once before and thinking that it was a really lovely name for these plants


Meowmie - Although I appreciate that you are very familiar with the edible variety of Physalis and have clearly been growing it for some time.
As Physalis Peruviana is not a commonly grown fruit in many parts of the world and as most Physalis are universally grown for their ornamental value - rather than for their fruit - plus the fact that many of these plants look very similar - felt it better for people to be safe rather than sorry - which is why I posted the toxicity warning - particularly as there are many people who have never even heard of Ground Cherries, Cape Gooseberries or Inca Berries - let alone grown them.

Gata

 

[Durgan]

I grow about six plants each year. My zone 5 is marginal, since the plants require a warm climate and a long season.
Here is my experience.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?WXDUB 4 October 2011 Ground Cherry. (Physalis Pruinosa) aka Aunt Molly Ground Cherry
Three pounds of ground cherries were picked from two plants. The cleaned weight is 2.5 pounds. They may be eaten raw or cooked. I prefer them cooked. They have a most pleasant taste similar to cooked peaches. They take a long season, so I start the seedlings indoors. They are prolific self seeders also. Any berries indicating green should be discarded, since they contain solanine. The same substance indicated by potatoes turning green when exposed to light.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?ZHJPX 25 July 2011 Physalis pruinosa (Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry)
A ground cherry plant will produce probably a six quart basket or more in a good year. I have two plants and picked a few cherries today. The fruit falls off the plant when ripe, and apparently it ripens a bit more laying on the ground. The fruit has a pleasant taste and if cooked lightly tastes almost exactly like stewed peaches. I usually eat the fruit raw. The plant needs a long season and needs plenty of Sun for maximum production. Any green shown on the fruit indicates unripe fruit and the taste is sort of tart and unpleasant. The green also indicates solanine, which should be avoided, the green on potato tubers. The membrane covering the fruit is seen on several plants like the Chinese Lantern, which is edible, but the fruit must be very ripe.

Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry)
Posted on October 23, 2013 by Durgan
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?MRXNZ 13 November 2013 Cape Gooseberry Pictures were taken to indicate the large quantity of fruit not matured even after about eleven months of growth. This indicates to me this plants needs a long growing season with no frost, certainly for economical commercial growing.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?OAQLP 3 November 2013 Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry)
Frost has affected the plants. There are many green fruit which will not ripen prior to a hard freeze. The season in Zone 5 is probably not long enough to grow efficiently. The Summer season need be exceptionally warm. The ripe ones are large and still in pristine condition.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?LBXEL 23 October 2013 Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry)
Plants still producing fruit after about five frosts over the last six weeks. This fruit, one pound, was plucked from the branches not off the ground. Plants are still producing flowers.There appears to be no frost damage and the quality of the fruit is excellent and all ripe.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?MVCKQ 6 Septrmber 2013 Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry)
The Cape gooseberry was ready to pick. The fruit is very sparse but of good quality.Quantity of fruit makes growing of marginal utility. The fruit falls to the ground when ripe but sort of clings until the last moment.The screens were not deployed, since the quantity of fruit was so low. The fruit must be approaching orange colour to be utilized. If green tinge the fruit has too much solanine for consumption and is bitter.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BCIXX 16 May 2013 Physalis peruviana Planted outdoors
Five Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry) plants were placed outdoors. The planting area was mulched and a stake supplied for some support. Some plants are in blossom. Fibre glass screens were made to collect the fruit when it falls off the plants.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?IUMLB 18 April 2013 Hardening Off Physalis peruviana (Ground Cherry). The process of hardening off my five Cape Gooseberry plants has begun. The plants are growing well.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KFMJB 4 March 2013 Potting up.Physalis peruviana The five plants were moved to larger pots. This is probably the last move until planted outside at the end of May depending upon the growth.The plants will be kept in the greenhouse until planted out.Pictures depict the method.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?RWFYX 25 February 2013 Physalis peruviana
Photos indicating growth after 39 days. The plants are healthy and strong.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?HOAEC 2 February 2013 Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry) plants growing well.
Five plants are thriving. When it warms up they will be placed in the outdoor greenhouse.The bags tend to keep the moisture level high. At this stage watering is done to achieve bottom watering by placing the pots in a container of water as required.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XOYYZ 16 January 2013 Physalis peruviana
Required are five or six plants. Germination is slow and erratic judging from past experience in my zone 5. These plants are slow growing and require a long season. They will be planted outdoors about the end of May. Of all the ground cherries, this has the largest fruit and the bushes are more upright, also the fruit tends to stay on the bush until picked. These plants were started on 27 December 2012, and about 30% of the seeds were viable.