Cape Gooseberries

[Jelliebabe]

Anyone growing these this year? Mine are flowering and I can see the little cases starting to form! YAY

How long does it take from this stage until they are ready to eat? Will it be obvious when to pick them? do they look the same as in the shops?

Sorry V Excited

[Paulieb]

Hi first time growing for this year too, so can't give you too much information I'm afraid.

However I have read that at the green stage they're poisonous, and you need to wait till they go brown and dry. I think its fairly normal to wait for them to drop off the plant.

[greasyfire]

Had seedlings, then cat trampled them and now bought one single plant. I find the fruit unusual and you either love it or hate it. I love it sugar or some other fruit. This is my first year but i would say just a bit longer than a tomato

[Alison]

Don't grow cape gooseberries but they look at a similar developement to my tomatillos. I don't end to harvest them until late summer / autumn when the paper bits have gone dry and the fruits are nicely swollen but cape gooseberries may be different. Don't know anything about the poisonous thing as with tomatillos you can pick them whenever but I prefer them to be juicier.

[kingkano]

Long time yet. Its fairly obvious when they are ripening. The skins go papery and brown (hence the other name - chinese lanterns). Almost see thru sometimes webby. Should see the orange fruits inside.

[Jelliebabe]

Cooooool so like when you buy them = brown papery outer and orange on the inside! CANT WAIT! I've been told they are prolific and I have FOUR!

[ginger ninger]

FOUR ...my goodness, you'll be swamped out with them . I love them dipped in chocolate then put in the fridge to harden. Or you could try making jam with them

CAPE GOOSEBERRY JAM

INGREDIENTS

700g of cape gooseberrys
Juice of half a lemon
500 g sugar (I used jam sugar)
1 big apple

METHOD

1. Wash the freshly picked fruit and place in a large saucepan with a little water and the lemon juice. Bring the fruit to a gentle boil.

2. When the fruit is simmering add the apple, cut and cored but not peeled (the peel contain pectin, which will help your jam set) and the sugar.

3. Stir often and cook for 30 minutes, then blend with a hand blender.

4. Cook for 10 more minutes, at this point the jam should start setting (check by picking up a little with a metal spoon).

5. Place the hot jam in sterilised jars, dried in the oven. Either seal the jars with wax discs & cellophane covers or screw top jar's. I use screw tops jar's. I jar the jam when it's still very hot, that way it draw's the top in and gives a good seal.

Properly sterilised jars will keep for over a year

[Vagetarian]

Don't grow cape gooseberries but they look at a similar developement to my tomatillos.

Both are a kind of Physalis so they are very closely related.

I've no experience with growing either myself but would like to say that I only discovered Physalis a month or so ago in the supermarket. I saved and sowed a lot of the seed and now have roughly 300 seedlings. I'm going to grow out the fastest seedling and hope for maybe one fruit this year but realistically aim to overwinter for next year. Anyone is welcome to the other 299.