My youngest was outside playing wild animal and picking sunberry, a small solanum berry that tastes somewhat like you would expect a blue coloured berry to taste like with a twist of tomato. It can be eaten raw but is supposed to be even better cooked. This was her idea of the perfect 'pose.' The sunberry is to the right of the picture. The plant in front is dame's rocket.
Before, I run off to the celebrations, here's what I'm harvesting. Solanum fruits are still coming in strong such as tomato, perennial ground cherry and self seeded sunberry.
Self seeded Red Ursa kale and Bietina chard.
The greens haven't stopped and those biennials that were self seeded babies in the spring are really coming into their own now such as kale and chard. The annuals like magenta spreen and orach have spectacularly bolted to towers up to 8 feet tall.
Many seeds, including edibles which brings me to my latest riff - seed saving tips, and the seed bouquet contest.
8 comments:
I never knew there was a perennial ground cherry. I didn't think any ground cherry could survive in the north through the winter.
I've never heard of sunberries. It's so nice to learn new things from each of your posts. Your daughter is a cutie, posing for her mom's blog. :)
Thyme, let me know if you would like to try some seeds.
Daphne: There are a few that are most commonly referenced in agricultural pages as 'weeds.' The one I have is clammy groundcherry. I was skeptical about taste but was happily surprised to find them as good as annual grouncherries though it could be my clone which I sourced locally. A lot people have their annual grouncherries reappear but I have yet to be so lucky. The perennial physalia comes up quite early in the spring (and can be a host to several solanum pests but they are vigorous so it's not a huge problem and they may act as a trap crop... I'm still observing to see if this is the case. It seems to be so for the somewhat obnoxious chinese lantern physalia which incidentally is considered edible by some. I say yuck but once again, it might be my clone).
Sunberries are not something I am familiar with. Now I am going to have to go do some research on them! Happy Labor Day!
L.o.V.e. the "no longer can wear white comment"... still laughing!
I found a volunteer growing in the flower bed that looks just like your sunberry. I thought it was American Nightshade (solanum americanum) or Glossy Nightshade. I also thought it was poisonous and didn't dare taste it (although I was tempted !) Are they one and the same ?
Awww! Break the rules! Wear white! I'm not sure there is any such thing as rules anymore anyway!
Cute kid pic! She looks to be about the same age/size as my little girl! With the same pretty hair, except your LO's is all curled up! Pretty!
Sunberry looks A LOT like small wild solanum berries. Here is a thread on it on Homegrown Goodness:
http://alanbishop.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=tomatoes&action=display&thread=4652
I can't tell the difference so only eat the ones that I am fairly sure volunteered near the originals which is no guarantee of course ;)
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