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Garden Fruit and Berries

Garden Fruit and Berries

(Solanum sp.) Solanaceous fruits like cocona, pepino melon, and huckleberry may have varying appearances, but they all belong to the nightshade family. Solanaceous berries are closely related to tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, and they largely have the same growing needs. Solanum fruit are heat loving and detest the cold. The Latin name of the family solanaceae translates to "sun loving," and indeed all garden berries prefer to grow in full sun. Germinating solanums will require a heat mat or very warm, sunny area as the ideal germination temperature is 78-85F. Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost date. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep. Seeds will germinate in 7-21 days. Keep seeds reliably watered until they germinate. Spacing will depend on the exact solanum that you grow. Typically between 12-24 inches apart is best. Provide rich, well-draining soil and regular watering.

Alpine Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) Wild or alpine strawberries are native to Europe and have been appreciated since the Stone Age. The fruit is small compared to modern cultivated types, but the intense flavor tends to be very rich, and they are super sweet. Germination of the tiny seeds is actually easy in proper conditions. Growth may start out slowly, as the seeds are so tiny, but the plants are very hardy. A harvest may be had the first year from an extra-early indoor sowing. Cold stratification speeds germination. Ideal germination temperature is 65-75F. Surface sow seeds and cover with a very fine sprinkling of soil as light aids germination. Alternatively you can direct sow the seeds right around the time of last frost. Though they seldom make runners, wild strawberries may be multiplied easily by dividing the plants in fall or spring. They also are ever-bearing, yielding throughout the season. The berries are very high in vitamin C and other antioxidants, and they taste so good!

COOK IT! Strawberry Recipes HERE

GROW IT! Strawberry Growing Tips HERE

Astonishing Alpine Strawberries Blog HERE

Alexandria Alpine Strawberry (Pelleted Seed)
GR221

Rating:

93%

12 Reviews

(Fragaria vesca) Deep scarlet, egg-shaped fruit weighs two to three grams each. Everbearer that yields the first season from an early planting. A very productive alpine sort, sweet and flavorful.

Ashwagandha Garden Berry
GR138

Rating:

100%

2 Reviews

Indian native plant that is indispensable in Ayurvedic medicine. Widely employed to ward off anxiety and as a sleep aid. The roots are the part that is traditionally used, being available the second year from planting, except in long-season, hot-summer areas, where they may be harvested the first year. The berries look like tiny tomatillos (to which they are indeed related) but are not considered edible, although they have been employed as a rennet substitute in cheese-making. Often referred to as Indian Ginseng because of the many beneficial uses ascribed to it for centuries.

Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry
GR132

Rating:

90%

70 Reviews

65 days. Polish heirloom variety has an unusually fine flavor—very sweet with a nice hint of tartness. 1/2-3/4-inch fruit is enclosed in a papery husk which drops to the ground when fully ripe. High pectin content makes this one an excellent choice for pies and preserves.

Black Goji Berry (Black Wolfberry)
GR159

Rating:

64%

16 Reviews

(Black Wolfberry) This spectacular super food is native throughout Central Asia. The black goji berry is very rarely found in Western cuisine but has long been celebrated in the Himalayan region as a powerful medicinal and health food. The black goji is known to be more healthful and potent than the more widely known red goji, and we find the flavor sweeter. The tasty, inky black berries are exceptionally high in antioxidants and are said to boost the immune system and improve circulation. Thanks to their ability to fight free radicals, they have been hailed as a food to promote healthy, graceful aging. The potent berries create an outstanding blue color when steeped or added to foods. These tasty berries are quickly becoming a popular super fruit added to smoothies and brewed into tea. The dried berries are great in granola and muffins or snacked on alone; you can also eat the berries fresh off the plant. Steep the berries into a beautiful blue tea; adding a few drops of lemon will turn the tea a lovely purple/pink color. Gardeners will be pleased to know this exciting berry is highly prolific and easy to grow! Plants thrive in zones 5-10. It grows as a shrub reaching 4-6 feet in height, and the plants are self fertile. The fruit ripens from summer through early fall.

Chichiquelite Huckleberry
GR102

Rating:

75%

16 Reviews

Sweet purple berries are great fresh or cooked. They are much like Wonderberry but are larger in size and give heavier yields. Very easy cultivation.

Chinese Lantern Gigantea
GR125

Rating:

54%

14 Reviews

(Physalis franchetii) Amaze your friends and neighbors! Great as a fresh-cut flower or dried for craft projects. The berries inside the husk are edible when fully ripe; cook similar to a regular ground cherry. Fun to grow.

Rating:

76%

5 Reviews

An easy-to-grow fruit from the Amazon Jungle! A distant relative of eggplant, cocona is commonly found growing in the Peruvian Amazon. Baker Creek Seed hunters Shannon McCabe and Deb Vlietstra found these at a jungle market in Iquitos, Peru. The fruit averages 2 inches across with a vivid yellow to red color. The flesh is totally unique, sour and sweet with a distinctly creamy texture. Locals use it to add a tangy kick to sweet juice blends. Fruit is also diced into relishes and served with yuca empanadas. Locals tout the fruit as a healthy diabetic-friendly food. Cocona performed very well at Baker Creek this season. This is an excellent greenhouse plant in cooler climates. We start seeds indoors Feb 1 and harvest fruit by Sept. in our Missouri gardens.

Dwarf Tamarillo
GR136

Rating:

70%

21 Reviews

(Cyphomandra abutiloides) Miniature version of the regular Tamarillo, and a close relative. But this one ripens smaller fruit in clusters. When fully ripe, each fruit is a deep golden-orange. Very sweet, fruity, tropical flavor, with overtones of pineapple—dwarf tamarillos are superb for juicing, whipped into smoothies, or eaten out of hand. The foliage is very fragrant, and at all stages the plants are very lovely and ornamental! This South American native produced well in our Missouri garden, but may need greenhouse cultivation in the North. In frost-free conditions, it eventually grows into a small tree. Super delicious and easy to grow!

Garden Huckleberry
GR103

Rating:

82%

36 Reviews

(Solanum melanocerasum) An antioxidant rich garden berry that undergoes the most miraculous flavor transformation when cooked and just lightly sweetened! There is a stark contrast between eating the berries raw and cooked and sweetened state. The raw ripe berries have a tart flavor, similar to tomatillo, yummy for savory snacking and salsas. The cooked and lightly sweetened berries are reminiscent of blackberry or gooseberry. The garden huckleberry is native to Africa and is a solanaceous berry in the tomato family. The intense purple black hue of the berries indicates high levels of the antioxidant anthocyanin. We adore this nutritious, quick maturing annual which produces masses of fruit in a short season. For very best flavor it is important to harvest at the correct stage. Berries will be a shiny, green to black when under-mature; at this stage the flavor will be unpleasant and the berries may be slightly poisonous. The berries mature to a dull black color and should be slightly soft to the touch; at this point the berries are perfect to eat and quite tasty. The truly spectacular flavor of these berries is revealed when the berries are cooked and sweetened; this brings out a fruity, blackberry-like flavor that is simply sublime. We have seen these berries re-imagined into delectable jams, pies, syrups and fillings--easily one of the most rewarding fruit crops to grow!

Golden Alexandria Strawberry
GR224

Rating:

0%

The perfect patio strawberry, looks amazing in mixed plantings. The high contrast of gilded foliage against scarlet red berries makes this regal alpine type strawberry a superb edible ornamental. The golden foliage looks excellent planted in the border, especially against traditional forest green alpine varieties. These tidy plants are a uniform size and do not produce runners. A heavy producer of super sweet fruit. Everbearing variety, often fruits in the first year, hardy from zones 5-10 and reseeds easily.

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Ground Cherry (Strawberry Husk Tomato)
GR101

Rating:

90%

85 Reviews

70 days. Huge yields of tart-sweet berries. This is the common type used by the Pilgrims; excellent for pies, jams, preserves of all kinds and also delicious fresh. The fruit grows inside a paper-like husk (the same as tomatillos). Grow it the same as you would tomatoes.

Litchi Tomato or Morelle De Balbis
GR112

Rating:

74%

48 Reviews

(S. sisymbriifolium) The most intriguing garden berry we have ever seen, and with superb creamy and mild cherry flavor. A totally unique fruit, it is delightful to imagine litchi tomato into myriad culinary interpretations from mock cherry pies to chutneys and pickles. Its Latin name is Solanum sisymbriifolium, but it goes by many aliases, Vila Vila in Latin America, litchi tomato in the U.S and in France, Morelle de Balbis. It is a favorite fruit here at Baker Creek and has even been seen growing in the home garden of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. While the alien like plants may seem like a new innovation, litchi tomato was celebrated in seed catalogs of antiquity as an exotic and delicious fruit. The 1896 Wilson’s Seed Farm catalog featured a plant referred to as (Solanum anthrophagorum) it was described as a bright red fruit that lends well to pies and sauces. The Wilson’s catalog also told of the fruit being used as a condiment for a cannibals meal of human flesh in Fiji. Botanists believe the litchi tomato to be native to South America, yet early accounts mention it as a plant growing in the islands of the South Pacific. Large plants grow to 5’ and are covered with thorns; sweet red fruit and large white flowers. Lovely to look at, but be careful with the thorns! The fruit is about the size of a cherry and taste like a cherry crossed with a tomato. A very pretty and attractive plant that originated in South America, but has been naturalized in many countries. You can grow litchi tomato just as you would grow regular tomatoes.

Mango Melon (Vine Peach)
OML115

Rating:

73%

8 Reviews

Grow your own delicious fruit for pies in 70 days! Fruit taste of honeydew melon and peach when cooked in desserts. The 3-inch fruit is the size of a peach, with a yellow rind and fruity-tasting white flesh. This variety was very popular in Victorian times for making sweet pickles, pies, and preserves. Developed in China and introduced into America in the 1880s. You can find easy recipes for melon pie online.

Naranjilla
GR104

Rating:

81%

30 Reviews

(Solanum quitoense) A very unique fruit from the Andes. Delicious sweet-and-sour taste, orange flavor; 2-inch fruit is round and yellow-orange in color, perfect for making delicious juice. In 1760, Mr. J. de Santa Gertrudis Siera called it “nectar of the gods” and “the most delicious that I have tasted in the world.” This plant takes at least 6 months to bear and is quite attractive as a potted plant. This year we started plants indoors about Feb. 1 and started to harvest fruit by mid-September in the garden.

New Hanover Ground Cherry
WWE195

Rating:

83%

6 Reviews

Ground cherries are close relatives of tomatillos, considered a type of “husk tomato.” The flavor is often more tangy than sweet, and tastes more like a vegetable than a fruit, but not the New Hanover: it’s sweet, fruity, and addictive. It can be hard to save seeds from these because you’ll want to eat every fruit! Preserved by the late Katie Hoffman Slonaker (1903-1983) in New Hanover, Pennsylvania, until becoming a part of the Roughwood Seed Collection; this variety is likely to become popular once again. We think it tastes better than common cultivars. At a tasting held by the American Institute of Wine and Food, it beat all other ground cherries tested!

Orange Master Pomegranate
GR113

Rating:

100%

8 Reviews

Bonsai Pomegranates! Here is an extra-dwarf pomegranate that’s perfect for small containers. Early-flowering plants are good for bonsai. This small, ornamental fruit will take light frosts but should be grown indoors in cool climates. We have had a plant for years and are always amazed at the amount of flowers and fruit it produces. Easy to care for and requires less water than most plants.

Otricoli Orange Berry
GR131

Rating:

68%

15 Reviews

(Solanum nigrum) 70 days. Here’s a most unusual nightshade plant, collected originally by the Gettles in Umbria, Italy, in the ancient Roman site of Ocriculum. It was found growing along the Tiber River, growing with the common black nightshade, (S. nigrum). Plants reach 2-3 feet tall, having typical nightshade leaves and white flowers. The small berries have a lot of visual interest being a bright orange—not at all the dark purple that you might expect. At maturity the plants are covered in clusters of brilliant orange! This species has been used as food for millenia, use only ripe fruit for eating.

Pepino Melon
GR117

Rating:

69%

16 Reviews

(Solanum muricatum) One of our all-time favorite fruits! This eggplant relative produces fruit that ranges in size from a chicken egg to a large goose egg, with a cream-colored rind that often has beautiful purple stripes. It has a sweet, mild flesh that is very melon-like. Use fresh or cooked. Beautiful, glossy ornamental plants require a fairly long season and are grown like eggplants. We had an abundant crop of these delectable fruits this past season here in Missouri. This fun plant can be grown indoors. Pepinos are popular in Peru, New Zealand and Australia and have just recently started to become common in U.S. markets. This plant is native to the Andes Mountain region.

Pink Banana
GR124

Rating:

64%

23 Reviews

(Musa velutina) Lovely, small banana plants produce the most stunning, glowing, brilliant pink banana you will ever see. They are edible, but very seedy. Plants have large leaves that grow up to 24 inches long and add a wonderful tropical effect to your yard or patio. This species is relatively hardy, taking a few degrees of frost fairly well. Ripe fruit will start to split open when ready to eat. Showy and fun to grow! Can be hard to germinate, but is then easy to grow.

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Regina Alpine Strawberry
GR223

Rating:

91%

11 Reviews

(Fragaria vesca) (Also known as Reine des Vallees) Intensely red, sweet and very richly flavored. Fruit is wide-shouldered and much larger than most alpine types. Heavy cropper that yields all summer. This standard European variety is seldom seen in America, but deserves much wider recognition here. Sumptuous!

Scarlet Goji Berry
GR109

Rating:

88%

5 Reviews

(Scarlet Wolfberry) Chinese native perennial shrub with slender stems growing up to 6.5-13 feet high if not pruned. From June to September, the shrub is decorated with pale violet, fragrant flowers. The fruit will then appear till the first frost and is rich in vitamins, trace elements, antioxidants, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. This superfruit traditionally has been used to help improve eyesight, inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol, regulate the digestive system, to reduce inflammation, and is said to slow the aging process. Naturally drought tolerant, highly disease and insect resistant, and tolerates temps down to -18 F. The tender fruit appears in two years, and a mature plant can produce almost 7 lbs of berries under good conditions by the third year. Add the fruit to tonic, soups, rice or herbal tea. The tender shoots and leaves are used as a leaf vegetable and are cooked 15 minutes in soup. May interfere with blood thinners and other medications metabolized by the liver.

Schwartzenbeeren Blackberries
GR133

Rating:

89%

18 Reviews

These have an incredible sweet-taste, similar to real blackberries. Attractive 2- to 3-foot plants yield clusters of pea-sized black berries. Brought to Kansas by Volga German immigrants about 1875, and still appreciated by their descendants, who grow and use them in such traditional recipes as Kuchen, Maultaschen, Klump and Knebel. Eat only fully ripe, dark blue-black berries.

Strawberry Spinach
GR107

Rating:

79%

32 Reviews

(Chenopodium capitatum) An old-fashioned plant that is poised for a comeback! Native to moist mountain valleys of North America, but also popular in Europe dating back to the 1600s. Plants are fascinating; the arrow shaped leaves remind us that it is a relative of spinach and the flavor and nutritional profile are reminiscent of spinach as well. Perhaps most intriguing quality is its small bright red berries! Young under ripe berries will be mild in flavor and appropriate for salads and savory applications, allow the berries to fully ripen to a deep crimson for juicy sweet flavor. We find the ripe berries to have a watermelon-berry flavor, addictive for snacking and irresistible for deserts. Like its spinach cousin, the leaves are high in oxalates so those with sensitivities to oxalates should take note. The delicious edible berries contain small seeds that in very large quantity may haves some toxic effects, but are considered perfectly safe when consumed in relative moderation. The very easy to grow and adaptable plants grow in a similar fashion to their wild cousin, lambsquarter. The original seeds for this particular variety were found in a monastery garden in Europe.

White Soul Alpine Strawberry
GR129

Rating:

91%

24 Reviews

(Fragaria vesca) An improved form of species Alpine Strawberry, White Soul reaches only to about 6 inches in height and yields small white to cream colored, aromatic fruit over a very long season. Similar to “Yellow Wonder”.

Wonderberry
GR105

Rating:

79%

62 Reviews

(Solanum burbankii) 75 days. Developed by Luther Burbank. Tasty, small, blue-purple fruit good fresh or cooked. Small plants produce good yields in about 75 days. An historic heirloom that is easy to grow.

Yellow Wonder Wild Strawberry
GR122

Rating:

85%

32 Reviews

This creamy yellow-fruited variety is a favorite of many in Europe. The small fruit is very tasty and unique looking. Many prefer the taste of this yellow-fruited type to the more common red strawberry. These are served in only the finest restaurants and are easy to grow from seed!

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