Hello!
Today we will talk about a plant, the fruits of which can be edible and inedible.
In turn, edible fruits can be both vegetables and berries.
This is a physalis plant.
Its fruits belong to the vast family of nightshades, which also includes the well-known and common
peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes.
Physalis ordinary got its name from the Greek word, translated as "bubble".
The name is very eloquent - each fruit is in an individual package formed of five sepals.
They have a dense structure and are glued together until the fruit ripens, then they
become thinner and diverge into a pointed flower when the berry reaches ripeness.
Physalis is 85% water.
Dietary fiber 1.9%.
The fruit also contains organic acids, a carotenoid pigment (which determines the color of the
fruit), pectins, and lycopene (an antioxidant).
The calorie content of physalis per 100 grams of fruit, depending on the type of plant,
is 32-55 kcal.
Physalis is subdivided into an annual weed, and cultivated as a perennial.
Depending on the type of plant and the level of sugar content, the fruit takes on the taste
of a fruit, a berry, or a vegetable.
How do you know that you have food physalis in front of you?
Very simply, decorative fruits, as they ripen, acquire a rich, brightly poisonous color.
The decorative physalis has large beautiful lanterns with small berries inside.
Eating such a bitter fruit without suspecting something was wrong is almost unrealistic.
The fruits are not suitable for cooking, but are used only to decorate an apartment or
garden.
Edible physalis looks much more modest than decorative.
It has a large fruit that resembles a small tomato.
There are many varieties of physalis that are used for food, but in Russia, the most
often grown vegetable type of gluten-fruited physalis (like a Mexican tomato) with a sour
taste.
This variety is not very picky about light, can grow in shaded areas and withstand frost.
Of all berry physalis, the champion of taste is Peruvian physalis, Columbus variety.
Its relatively medium-sized, rounded, thin-skinned fruits are bright orange.
Berries have a sweet or sweet and sour taste.
Berries are located on bushes up to 20 cm high.
Fruits are eaten fresh, they are also used to make jam, compotes, candied fruits.
Originally from South America, physalis first spread to all warm regions of the planet.
Later, varieties were bred, adapted to lower temperatures and less sun.
The period of flowering and fruiting in different conditions is not the same.
The plant blooms in May-August, forms a harvest in June-November.
In European countries, the fruits of the Peruvian physalis are called the golden berry.
And in Latin America, in their homeland, they are usually called by names such as uchuva,
uvilla or aguaimanto.
Physalis is not a particularly whimsical plant, and grows well in almost any soil, except
for acidic and too wet.
Sour and sandy soils must be limed before planting (2.5-3 kg per 10 m2).
Sandy ones would also be good to fertilize in the spring with humus and mineral components.
Fresh manure only contributes to the growth of tops, but the process of forming the fruit
itself slows down.
Landing in open ground is carried out in the first - second decade of May.
Each hole is fertilized with humus and 1 teaspoon of ash.
The planting pattern is 50 by 70 cm.
The best time for planting is in the afternoon, just before planting, the soil should be watered
and added with herbicides.
Smaller seedlings should be deepened into the hole until the first leaf, and then watered.
Large seedlings are planted in the hole a little deeper in an inclined position, they
should first be watered.
You should also add mineral fertilizers so that the plant grows faster.
The most comfortable temperature for plant growth is from 13 to 18 degrees Celsius.
Peruvian Physalis does not tolerate frost well.
The first time after planting is associated with the formation of the root system, so
it is very important to water well.
From the second half of June, the plant requires feeding every two weeks.
When growing physalis, pinching should be done.
This is not a whim, but a necessary measure.
Otherwise, the development of the bushes will go into greenery, and there will be a minimum
of flowers and, accordingly, fruits.
In order to avoid this, it is necessary to remove in time additional shoots growing at
the forks between existing branches.
As it grows, the Peruvian physalis grows into a branched bush with a height of one to one
and a half meters.
To prevent the bushes from spreading along the ground under the weight of the fruits,
they are tied up with a rope.
To do this, first, two-meter posts are buried in the ground.
Several branches at the base of the bush are tied with a rope to a post set in the ground.
If the bushes actively go up, it makes sense to tie them up a second time, at a higher
level.
This will help the plants withstand strong winds and form smoother shrubs.
With the beginning of the flowering of physalis, small yellow flowers appear on the bushes,
drooping down, like bells.
They are very fragile - however, like the whole plant.
Delicate petals can fall off from a light touch, so it's best to try not to touch them.
During the flowering period, it is necessary to water the wells of physalis abundantly
so that as many strong fruits as possible are tied on the bushes.
It is best to use drip irrigation.
With drip irrigation, the water is slowly, drop by drop, fed directly to the plant roots.
Thus, the soil remains uniformly moist throughout the growing season, the plants are relieved
of stress that occurs during the drying out of the beds, while water is significantly
saved.
The golden berry ripens approximately 6 months after planting in the ground and bears fruit
throughout the year.
The fruits begin to ripen from the bottom, then along the periphery of the bush.
To determine whether the berry is ready for harvesting, it is enough to visually assess
the external condition.
These are coloring and dried out covers.
Harvest by hand using scissors.
Ripe physalis fruits fall off, and in dry weather they can stay on the ground for up
to a week.
After rain or dew, do not harvest the fruits, as they will require additional drying.
Harvested in dry sunny weather, fruits are stored better.
In the process of harvesting, attention should be paid to the quality of the harvested fruit.
Therefore, the fruits are regularly checked and spoiled fruits are removed.
Physalis fruits are encased and ripen at different times, so the harvest should be done once
a week.
First, the fallen and ripe fruits are collected, and then the well-developed green ones.
Physalis is well stored, but when collecting, you still need to try not to damage the fruit.
The whole fruit retains all the pectin substances that determine the nutritional and taste qualities
of a particular variety.
With good agricultural technology and on fertile soils, physalis is capable of producing up
to 12 kg of fruits from one bush.
Physalis cannot be grown after tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes.
They are related crops, and they suffer from the same diseases and pests.
In this case, physalis plants develop poorly also due to unilateral depletion of the soil.
The best predecessors of physalis: pumpkin, cabbage, legumes and root vegetables.
It is especially good to place physalis after cucumbers and cabbage grown on fresh manure.
Even if unripe fruits were collected, then with proper storage, they can safely last
until spring, the main thing is to regularly inspect them and select spoiled specimens.
where Colombia is ranked first.
The main export deliveries of Peruvian physalis from Colombia are carried out to Germany,
Holland, Switzerland and Belgium.
For packaging and sending physalis for export, only the freshest fruits are used.
In the factory, the fruit is pre-selected, and in trading companies they are classified
by size and degree of ripeness, which can be differentiated according to the requirements
of the importer.
Operators open each fruit cup to ensure that only fruit and cups that are free of disease
and pests, damage and dirt are exported.
When processing physalis, product manufacturers take into account that the calyx fruit contains
70% pulp, 23.6% seeds and rind, and 6.4% calyx.
Therefore, the main products are frozen or pasteurized pulp (natural or sweetened) with
and without seeds, drinks (nectars and soft drinks) with different recipes, partially
dehydrated physalis, whole, by direct osmosis in the form of snacks (no additives or covered
with chocolate or other products), canned physalis
in syrups, sauces and compotes and concentrates in the form of jams, sandwiches or sweets.
For health and market reasons, the cups are forcibly dehydrated with air at 18 to 24 ° C
for about six hours or more, depending on the moisture content.
Then the fruits are packed in plastic baskets with a fruit weight of 100 to 150 grams.
Vegetable varieties are included in salads and vegetable soups as tomatoes.
The fruits are canned, salted, pickled, used as a side dish for meat and fish dishes, and
processed into caviar.
Berry species are suitable for making jam, jam, compote, jelly, marmalade, juice, sauce.
They can be dried, dried.
The berries are suitable for filling with pies.
Physalis is rightly considered a medicinal plant.
Its fruits have a diuretic, choleretic, hemostatic, antiseptic and analgesic effect.
They are used for rheumatism, diseases of the respiratory system, dropsy, gout, purulent
inflammation of the urinary pelvis and urinary tract, lichen and other diseases.
Also, the fruits help with diabetes mellitus.
Berries regulate blood glucose levels.
Physalis helps to prevent cataracts, lens opacity, night blindness.
The carotene contained in fruits has a positive effect on the condition of the eyes, and potassium
has a beneficial effect on the work of the heart.
Calcium, which is part of the fruit, is involved in strengthening
bones, teeth, making hair and nails healthy.
Also, pemphigus berries resist cancer, slow down the growth of tumors, cleanse the body
after radiation and chemical therapy.