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Can anyone tell me when Cape Gooseberries are ripe? I've heard that you should wait until the fruit falls off the plant.  Is this right?  Only some of the 'lanterns' have turned brown and papery looking and I'd hate them to rot.

G xx

I don't wait until they fall off. Just carefully make a little tear in the papery bit and if the fruit is orange it's ripe!

Thanks, Jenny, off to try that now and will let you know.   ;D

G xx 

Right.  Went out, checked, picked it and ate it. Delicious!   ;D

G  xx



Cape Gooseberry 'Edulis'



and the plant it came from

You are meant to wait, they won't rot, they keep for ages in the skin. But I couldn't wait either and I ate two today, so yummy.   I counted up 15 husks, i don't know if I'll get any more now. How's your plant doing?

I lived in SA and these grew like a weed in our enormous garden. Pick them as soon as the husk goes papery and light brown (like in your picture) for best sweet flavour. They do keep for ages if left in the husk, but, they can develop a slight chemically taste as they get very ripe. If you pick them when the fruit is yellow but still sharp not sweet (husks will normally be yellow & not papery yet), they are very much like english gooseberries in flavour, ideal for tangy pies and crumbles. I'm going to be growing them next year, I'm hoping that with a bit of protection I can persuade the plant to be a perennial like they are in SA.

I'm surprised you say they are like English Gooseberries, I haven't found that. I'm from Aust. and like you in SA we grow them like weeds, just pick and eat or absolutely delic as jam.  I'm hoping to grow enough to have jam next year. I'll cut mine back at the end of the season and keep them in the greenhouse.

Quote from: Aussie Chick on September 12, 2005, 09:08:13
I'm surprised you say they are like English Gooseberries, I haven't found that. .

when ripe they're not, I meant that that when slightly unripe they have a similar sharp flavour. they look nothing like the hairy english varieties.

Oh I see. I haven't tried them unripe.  ;)

Hi Aussie Chick.  I have three plants, all of which I stopped at about 5-6 feet high.  One plant has about 30 fruits (Peruviana), the other two about a dozen each (Peruviana and Edulis).  And like you, I'm going to try and over-winter them in the mini greenhouse.   :D

G xx

As a complete novice I had a go at growing them 2 years ago as they are so expensive in the shops and had great success.  :)

So I tried them again last year but when I stripped out the green house in the autumn, as they were still flowering I didn't have the heart to ditch them and I left them there over winter.

This spring they went mad again and have been picking them since about June.

Gummy

Did you cut them back at all?

I have grown them for the last 3 years outdoors but they have never got to the 'ripe' stage. Each year I have had to start again from scratch as the haven't lasted the winter so I presume they haven't had a long enough growing season. :(
Can I transfer them to pots for over wintering? I don't have a Green house to keep them in though or will it be sufficient to cover them with manure and fleece after I have pruned them?