![]() ![]() Starting in individual cells (at least 2- x 2-inch) is much preferred to letting them inter-root in seedling flats. While I should view the glass as half-full and forget about that part of the crop that wasn’t, I nevertheless have to wonder what one might do to reduce all that waste.įor one thing you can and should start them plenty early – at least as early as tomatoes – and baby them after setting out to minimize transplant shock. No matter how well you care for them and no matter how heavily they yield, the first frost always finds them loaded with unripe fruit, often much more than you’ve picked before then. They aren’t picky about fertility however, a humus-rich soil, even if low in nitrogen, is a natural buffer against drought. But while ground cherries welcome heat, they do not bear up well under drought, especially in their earlier growth, and unlike tomatoes they are not quick to snap back from a temporary wilt. Tropical crops, such as basil and Malabar spinach, seem to be so adapted to hot humidity that they totally lose it toward the other end of the weather spectrum. Like most of the Solanums, ground cherries have zilch tolerance for frost in fact a good chill sends them into stress mode. They’re also known as “husk tomatoes” (they are distant cousins of tomatoes), Cape gooseberries (they are related to real gooseberries in common name only, and “Cape” derives from their importation into Britain from South Africa) and poha (Hawai’ian for ground cherries). Ground cherries (no kin to true cherries) look much like small, yellow-orange cherry tomatoes wrapped in a loose, protective, papery sheath. They are nearly all of New World origin and thus, like tomatoes and peppers, were unknown to Europeans before the 16th century. ixocarpa), which are the basis of “salsa verde,” and the ornamental Chinese lanterns (P. However the genus also includes tomatillos (P. They are quite the sweetest member of the family, often with a strong suggestion of pineapple flavor.Īctually, the genus Physalis (which means “bladder” – I assume in reference to the papery sheath enclosing the fruit) includes a number of species that collectively are called ground cherries, the most common being P. But even for that use alone, they’re far too delightful to ignore. Granted they don’t lend themselves as well to mixing with other vegetables for me they seem to work best as a fresh, raw snack. Yet one of its most taste-tempting members – the ground cherry (Physalis peruviana) – is generally overlooked. Some of the Solanum plant family figure large in the food culture of many nations try to picture a cuisine without tomatoes, peppers or eggplant (all right, Welsh you got me there). When ground cherries turn from green to yellow-orange, they are ready to be removed from their husks and enjoyed. Ground cherries on the ground, ripe and ready for harvest. The author harvests ground cherries from under a V-shaped trellis, which allows the fruits to drop to the ground while supporting the foliage.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |