Vegetable physalis is, unfortunately, not a common inhabitant of our gardens. This vegetable is grown by rare enthusiasts, but the fruits of the Mexican tomato - as vegetable physalis is often called - are extremely healthy and tasty. They are used to prepare caviar, vegetable stew, add to first courses, salt and pickle, make candied fruits and make jam. And growing it is no more difficult than other members of the nightshade family, for example, eggplants or tomatoes.
Due to the content of pectin substances and a balanced ratio of acid and sugars, ripe physalis fruits are considered a valuable dietary product. We will tell you how to collect, preserve and prepare the harvest of this vegetable, which is currently less widespread than it deserves.
The name of this plant comes from the greek word “physalis”, meaning “bubble” or “swelling”, because its fruits are located inside the original overgrown calyx, very reminiscent of a chinese paper lantern. Physalis is a relative of the tomatoes so familiar to us, as well as peppers, eggplants and potatoes.
Most often, the vegetable physalis is called the Mexican tomato, because its homeland is Mexico. Tomatillo (or tomatillo) is also known as dog cherry, field cherry, bubble cherry, Mexican strawberry, bush plum, although all these names can also refer to other members of the physalis genus.
Growing edible physalis
Physalis can be classified as a non-capricious plant. It is shade-tolerant, which allows it to be grown between rows of other crops. Undemanding to soil composition, grows on all soils, with the exception of highly acidic, saline and waterlogged ones.
Physalis vegetable is moderately moisture-loving and drought-resistant. He is not afraid of the Colorado potato beetle and very rarely suffers from late blight and other pests and diseases. However, its seedlings are unfriendly; germination can, especially in cold weather or with a clear lack of moisture, take several weeks.
The fruits of physalis vegetable do not ripen at the same time, so the crop is harvested as it ripens. It is better to collect fruits in dry weather so that they are stored better and longer. When harvesting in rainy weather, it is necessary to clear the fruits from their covers and dry them, spreading them in a thin layer on paper.
After which you can plant vegetable physalis
The predecessors of physalis can be any vegetable crops, except nightshade crops. Since planting a plant will take away those infections that have been accumulated, for example, on tomatoes or eggplants. Although, physalis is especially resistant to pests and diseases.
The best predecessors for vegetable physalis are cabbage and cucumbers. Prepare an area for planting this crop and apply fertilizer in the same way as for tomatoes.
Sowing vegetable physalis in the ground
In our country, physalis vegetable can be grown both through seedlings and by direct sowing in open ground. With the seedling method, seedlings appear 7-10 days after sowing the seeds. The seedlings are kept in boxes for 25-30 days from the moment of emergence. The process of growing physalis seedlings is exactly the same as for tomatoes.
Mexican physalis seedlings are planted in open ground in the second half of May-June. Vegetable physalis seedlings are planted by maintaining a distance between plants in a row of 40-90 cm (depending on the variety) and a distance between rows of 70 cm.
When sowing directly in open ground, use a slightly smaller distance in the row and sow to a depth of 1-2.5 cm, depending on the soil and its moisture, 4-7 seeds each, followed by thinning. The plant has small seeds, they are checked for germination by pouring them into a bowl with salted water. All those seeds that float can be thrown away, and those that lie at the bottom can be planted in pre-prepared soil.
Healthy plants removed during thinning can be replanted (deepened somewhat during planting) and are able to take root again. After sowing or planting, the area is well watered.
Watering vegetable physalis
The seedlings are watered well, but not fanatically, otherwise the sprouts may get blackleg. You can sow the seeds directly on the ridge and after abundant watering, cover the entire ridge with insulation, for example, film for greenhouses.
Growing vegetable physalis should be watered only in hot, dry weather.
Soil for vegetable physalis
The soil for planting seeds must be loose and fertile. Therefore, we dig up the ridge allocated for planting and sprinkle it with ash and rotted humus. The place should be sunny, as physalis does not grow in the shade.
Caring for the edible vegetable physalis
Caring for vegetable physalis consists of weeding, hilling, loosening and fertilizing (in case of weak development or yellowing of leaves in the second half of June, and then after 10-15 days they are fed with urea, potassium sulfate and superphosphate at 5-10, 10-15 and 20- 25 grams per 1 sq. m, respectively, or a solution of bird droppings or mullein 1:12). If necessary, the plants are tied up.
Although in our country, in amateur gardening, in addition to vegetables, strawberry, peruvian and ornamental physalis are also grown, it is the vegetable physalis that is of particular value as an additional vegetable crop.
Actually, all care for physalis comes down to weeding and rare watering. When the fruits ripen, watering should be stopped so that they are not watery. The plant does not require pinching, since the more branches, the more fruits the leaves grow in the axils.
Ripening begins from the lower tier of the fruit. When ripe, if not picked, they may fall to the ground. This does not spoil the appearance of the fruits; you can collect them and cook the dishes that you like.
How to clean and store vegetable physalis
Vegetable physalis fruits are collected gradually, about once a week: first, fallen and ripe ones, and then well-developed green ones.
The main thing is to have time to collect the fruits before frost, since frozen fruits are poorly stored.
Do not pick fruits after rain or until the dew has dried. Before storing physalis, the berries need to be dried. Physalis, harvested in dry sunny weather, is stored better. To ensure that physalis spoils less during storage, try not to damage the fruits when harvesting.
Undamaged fruits better retain the substances that determine the taste and aroma of each variety.
It is best to store physalis in a cool, dry place, in small boxes with ventilation holes or lattice boxes that can hold no more than 3 kg of berries. At a temperature of +12-14°C, ripe fruits last 1-2 months.
Unripe but healthy physalis fruits can be stored longer, sometimes until spring. At higher temperatures, fruits ripen faster and spoil faster: at a temperature of +25-30°C, ripening takes 1-2 weeks.
During storage, physalis should be regularly reviewed, choosing ripe fruits and throwing away spoiled ones.
What to cook from physalis fruits: recipes
Physalis fruits are consumed both fresh and canned. They can be used in the preparation of various dishes in combination with paprika, tomatoes and coriander; marmalade, preserves, jam, as well as for decorating cakes and pastries.
But, no matter what recipe you choose, before cooking, you will have to blanch the vegetable physalis berries in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to remove sticky and waxy substances from them. In addition, this treatment will remove the unpleasant odor and bitter taste from the berries.
The fruits of physalis vegetable have a delicate consistency and, unlike tomatoes, do not leak when pressed, this provides the widest opportunity for their fresh consumption and for various types of culinary processing.
The Mexican tomato is one of the most important and indispensable fruits in the cuisine of the peoples of Central America. Its unique, slightly lemony flavor is one of the most important flavor notes in the most famous and popular Mexican dishes, such as tacos, burritos and enchiladas.
Physalis salted
- Physalis – 1 kg
- Dill - 30 g
- Horseradish root - 4 g
- Garlic – 3 g
- Red capsicum – 1 g
- Salt - 60 g
- Water - 1 liter
You can add blackcurrant leaves, tarragon, basil, mint, parsley, celery at the rate of no more than 50 grams of aromatic spices per 1 kg of physalis.
How to cook:
- Place prepared ripe fruits along with spices in jars.
- Pour in brine (60 g of salt per 1 liter of water).
- Cover the jars with a clean cloth and leave to ferment for 7-10 days at room temperature.
- Remove any mold that appears during fermentation.
- When the brine tastes sour, drain, boil, pour back into the jars and roll up.
- Store rolled jars in the basement or refrigerator.
Physalis pickled
- Physalis vegetable – 1 kg
- For the marinade: for 1 liter of water - 50 g sugar, 40 g salt, 10 g 80% acetic acid, a pinch of cinnamon, 5-8 clove buds, 4 allspice peas, bay leaf.
How to cook:
- Place ripe physalis fruits in boiling water for 1 minute, then cool and place tightly in sterilized 0.5 liter jars.
- Pour in hot marinade mixture.
- Cover with a boiled lid and sterilize for 10 minutes from the moment the water boils in the pan.
- Then roll up, turn upside down, cover with a towel and leave until completely cool.
- The product is ready for use in a month.
- Can be stored at room temperature.
Physalis caviar
- Physalis vegetable – 500 g
- Onions - 200 g
- Carrots – 200 g
- White roots (parsley, parsnip) - 100 g
- Salt, sugar, ground black pepper, bay leaf, chopped garlic, dill and parsley - to taste.
How to cook:
- Peel and chop the vegetables.
- Fry each separately in vegetable oil and then mix.
- Add salt, sugar, ground black pepper, bay leaf, finely chopped garlic, dill and parsley to taste.
- Heat again, stirring thoroughly.
- Serve cooled.
Physalis and zucchini jam
- Physalis vegetable – 500 g
- Zucchini - 1 kg
- Sugar - 900 g
- A few cloves or pieces of ginger for flavor.
If you replace the zucchini with pumpkin in this recipe, the jam will be even sweeter.
How to cook:
- Peel the physalis from its covers, wash it with warm water to remove the waxy coating and cut small fruits in half, and large ones into 4 parts.
- Peel and seed the zucchini and cut into cubes. Place the prepared fruit mixture in an enamel bowl and pour hot sugar syrup.
- Wait until the syrup cools down.
- Next, cook the jam in several stages to keep the fruits intact.
- For flavor, add a few cloves or pieces of ginger to the jam before the last stage of cooking.
- Pour the finished jam into jars, close the lids, and store in the refrigerator.
Physalis jam
- Physalis vegetable – 1 kg
- Sugar - 1.2 kg
- Water - 0.5 l
How to cook:
- Blanch the prepared physalis fruits in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain in a colander to drain, and place in a saucepan.
- Prepare sugar syrup at the rate of 500 g of sugar per 0.5 liter of water: heat until the sugar dissolves and boil for 3-4 minutes. Without cooling, pour it over the fruits in the pan.
- Leave the fruits in the syrup for 3-4 hours.
- Then add another 500 g of dry granulated sugar to the pan for each kilogram of fruit and, stirring gently, heat until all the sugar is completely dissolved and cook at low boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and leave to soak for 5-6 hours. Then add another 100-200 grams of sugar for each kilogram of fruit and boil for 10-15 minutes.
- The jam is ready when the syrup flows from the spoon in a thick stream, and a drop of syrup does not spread on the plate.
- Pour the jam into jars, close the lids and pasteurize in a saucepan with hot water for 15-20 minutes.
- If the jam is not intended for long-term storage, you can cool it and pour it into sterilized jars. But in this case it must be stored in the refrigerator.
