Everything there is to Love about Cape Gooseberries
by Jane Chitty
Cape Gooseberry is the name given to this plant that I grew up with when spending many years living in Africa. But this delicious little fruit has other names too!
Depending on where you live, they are known by all these different names – ground cherry, poha berry, strawberry tomato, husk tomato, gooseberry tomato, Peruvian Cape gooseberry, purple ground cherry and of course the proper name of Physalis edulis.
This small, smooth round fruit is wrapped in a papery case that resembles a Chinese lantern. They have a delicate sweet-sour taste – sort of a cross between a gooseberry and a cherry tomato.
I always imagined they needed a semi tropical climate in which to flourish but a couple of years ago, we tried growing some on our English allotment with its temperate climate - and they did well. Where one or two fruits had dropped onto the ground and become buried, they even self seeded the next summer.
Cape Gooseberries have a lovely taste and I have not come across anyone who does not like them. They are considered to be one of nature's most snackable fruits!
How to grow your own Cape Gooseberries
If you have a sunny spot in your garden or back yard, you too could grow your own. Cape Gooseberries are part of the Solanaceae family and similar to their husked cousins, tomatillos. And they grow a lot like their other cousins, tomatoes.
These frost-tender plants need a long growing season. For those of you in the U.S., that’s USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4 or above.
It is comparatively easy to start them from seed, planting them indoors or in a greenhouse around six to eight weeks before you intend to transplant them outside - once all risk of frost has passed. Sow seeds a ¼” deep in a well-draining potting soil mix. For an extra boost mix in a little compost. The seeds should germinate within five to eight days.
The seedlings can take a little while to get off to a good start, so be patient with them! Keeping their soil warm will help so put the seedling pots somewhere nice and warm if possible. A layer of plastic wrap or similar over the top of the seedlings to hold in moisture and heat until they sprout will be very helpful.
Cape Gooseberries are very happy in a large container. I have an old oil drum cut down to a third of the size which is the perfect fit. While they do need to be watered regularly, they are not especially thirsty plants and prefer a well drained soil.
As they are sun loving, place your container in the sunniest place and you will get the best possible crop if their initial soil is rich and full of plenty of compost. Plant the seedlings deep in the rich soil, making sure to leave at least three sets of leaves above the ground.
As they can get leggy, stake them early on in their development.
Possible pests and diseases?
Cape Gooseberries are generally healthy with few issues of disease or pests.
Harvesting
Depending on the variety you choose, you will usually begin to see fruit between sixty five to ninety days after being transplanted. Cut down to ground level once you have harvested all the fruit and you may be lucky in that they will come up again next year.
Pick and enjoy!
Cape gooseberries make excellent jams, jellies and purées, can be used in exotic fruit salads, pavlovas or roulades, or simmered in water with a little sugar and used in fruit pies or crumbles.
The fruit itself is a pretty orange-gold colour and can be unwrapped and eaten as is, or dipped in melted chocolate and served after dinner with coffee.
Sources
whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=17.(Accessed October, 2021).
Written by Jane Chitty

Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.
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