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Garden
Huckleberry
Solanum melanocerasum
80 days — Although a lot of companies
are stating that this is a "new" plant variety,
it has been cultivated for at least decades. An interesting looking plant,
similar to tomato plants with pepper-like leaves.
They reach about 3 feet in height and produce hundreds of
1/2 inch to 3/4 inch dark purple, almost black,
fruit. Grows with very little effort. |
Click
picture for a pie recipe from 1943 |
| Harvest
when the fruit turns from glossy to dull. They have
little flavor raw and only used cooked into pies and
preserves and can be canned and frozen for later use in
recipes. Although they do not have a strong taste,
some people may not care for them while others will love
them. |
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 Ground
Cherry, Cossack Pineapple
(Physalis pruinosa)
60 to 80 days — This is an Eastern
European cousin of the Mexican tomatillo. The plants reach
about 12 inches in height and spread into a bush of about 24
inches in diameter. Loaded with small (about ½
inch in diameter) fruit, in husks, that have a pineapple flavor
and are good in pies or for jams. |
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 Red
Currant
Tomato
(Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium)
70 to 80 days — Very productive,
sprawling plants that yield lots of ½ inch fruit that are
flavorful, tangy, and interesting in salads & preserves. Up to
10% of these plants may produce golden-yellow fruit. Note that
although these are a different species, they will readily cross
with other tomatoes. If you are saving seed, isolate these
plants. |
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Toma
Verde Tomatillo
(Physalis
ixocarpa)
70 days — Very popular, but
sometimes rare in the supermarket. The two to three ounce fruits
are used in salsa or picante dishes. Harvest when fruits
are green and before turning yellow. Remove the thin husk
before using or consuming.
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Click
picture for a recipe for Salsa Verde
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 Purple Tomatillo
(Physalis ixocarpa)
70 days — Identical to 'Toma Verde' in plant
structure except that the plants and leaves have purplish veins.
The obvious difference is that the fruits ripen to dark purple.
Can be used interchangeably in recipes with the green variety.
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