Many of you have more than once come across branches for sale with closed buds of an orange hue, similar to flowers and containing an exotic berry inside. But not everyone knows what kind of plant this is and how to use it. This agricultural crop is called "Common Physalis". The plant grows in America, Africa, Mexico, as well as in the Caucasus and some regions of Russia. Most often used as a decorative element. Some varieties of physalis are used for preparing various dishes as a healthy food additive. In this article you will learn about the types and properties of this amazing plant, how to grow it and what can be prepared from it.
Description
The fruit of physalis is shaped like a small tomato and belongs to the nightshade crops. It may be orange, red, yellow or green. The plant's bud looks like a bell, and its name means "bubble" in ancient Greek. And indeed, the flower’s petals, swollen from the inside and fused upward, look like a Chinese paper lantern. Biologists consider physalis a berry. A significant argument for this statement is the high sugar content in fruits.
By the way, not all varieties of physalis are edible. Vegetable and Peruvian (berry) varieties are suitable for consumption. Common physalis is used for decorative purposes, since its berries are not edible. They have a bitter taste and, in addition, can be poisonous.
Popular varieties
There are more than a hundred species of this representative of the nightshade genus in the world. Before people became aware of the beneficial qualities of physalis, it was considered a wild and weed plant. They began to cultivate and grow berries in our region at the beginning of the century before last. The most common varieties that do not require complex care are considered to be berry and vegetable crops, as well as some ornamental types of shrubs.
Physalis vulgaris
This is a perennial decorative plant species, reaching a height of more than half a meter. The bush has many “lantern” flowers in red, yellow or orange. It is grown in garden plots and front gardens as a decoration. The common physalis begins to bloom at the end of spring, and the berries ripen only in September. This species differs from the edible crop in its rather bright and juicy coloring. It is unpretentious to calcareous soil and resistant to cold climates, so it takes root well in Russia. The most popular common physalis is the Franche variety, from which original compositions are created for decorating rooms and houses.
Sweet fruits
An annual crop that loves warmth and is sensitive to sudden climate changes is the Peruvian physalis. During flowering, the bushes are covered with small and sweet fruits, which can be eaten immediately. Physalis berries differ in taste and are divided into several varieties:
- marmalade;
- dessert;
- strawberry;
- pineapple
Peruvian varieties are consumed both fresh and processed. It is dried, prepared into jam, jam and marshmallows, and added to baked goods. Physalis juice is mixed into sauces for fish and meat dishes.
Vegetable physalis variety
These shrubs are perennial and unpretentious to soil composition. The fruits of these plant species are quite large and contain a lot of useful substances for the body. The taste is not as aromatic and tasty as that of berry varieties, and yet, preserves, jams, sauces, and caviar are also prepared from vegetable physalis. Vegetable fruit can be colored not only bright orange. But green physalis, and yellow, and even purple can grow. more resistant to weather changes and even ready for slight frosts. They are little susceptible to disease and are immune to the effects of various small pests. The most common varieties are “Confectioner” and “Korolek”. Mainly used in culinary baking.
Is the plant useful?
Physalis has all the beneficial properties thanks to its unique composition, which includes:
- pectins;
- alkaloids;
- glucose;
- acids;
- phytoncides;
- antioxidants;
- vitamins A, B, C;
- tannins;
- tannin and other elements no less useful for the body.
Having a low calorie content, the fruits are recommended to be consumed during diets. The plant is also used in folk medicine as a diuretic, choleretic and anti-inflammatory agent. With its help you can get rid of edema and normalize kidney function. Consuming physalis strengthens the body's immune forces. In addition, pectin, which is part of the berry, improves intestinal motility, solving the problem of constipation.
For respiratory diseases, physalis helps get rid of phlegm. Also, its use helps reduce headaches and joint pain. But people with high stomach acidity and allergies to the fruits of the plant should avoid using them.
Cultivation
Bushes are propagated by seed or seedlings. It depends on the plant variety and the climatic conditions of the area. Ornamental physalis seeds only need to be placed in the soil once. This plant is perennial and reproduces independently. For the first sowing, you should select the highest quality seeds. Before planting, they are placed in a solution with salt and mixed. The material that floats to the surface is removed, as this is a sign of its deterioration. Seeds ready for planting are disinfected and dried.
To get a good harvest on time, growing vegetable physalis must begin by calculating the sowing time. Seedlings are prepared approximately 6-7 weeks before placing them in the ground. The crop grows best in a sunny area, bears fruit well and does not lose its nutritional properties. It is better not to plant physalis in place of related crops, such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplants - after these vegetables, the soil is usually severely depleted, giving up all the necessary minerals to its predecessors. As for sowing, due to the crop’s unpretentiousness to weather conditions, seeds can be placed in the soil both in late autumn and early spring. It is recommended to sow thickly so that the sprouts are strong.
Recipes
After growing and collecting, the question arises about what can be prepared from physalis. Let's look at several popular recipes using this product.
Since physalis is considered a berry, dishes are prepared accordingly. For example, jam. To prepare it you will need ripe fruits. They need to be peeled, washed thoroughly and placed in sugar syrup (use half the required sand for a certain amount of water). The mass should boil for about 5 minutes, then cool for 5-6 hours. After this, put the jam on the fire and add sugar in the same volume. Stir the mixture for 10 minutes, then repeat the procedure. At the last stage, the jam needs to be reheated, brought to a boil and boiled for 15 minutes. Completely cooled jam should be placed in the prepared container, distributing the berries and syrup evenly. Store the finished food in a cool place. To make jam (per 1 kg of fruit) you will need the same amount of sugar and half a liter of clean water.
You can also make a very tasty marshmallow from physalis. Before cooking, the berries are peeled, washed, blanched and cut into pieces. Then one kilogram of fruit is covered with half a kilogram of granulated sugar and left for 2-3 hours until the juice is released. After this, the mass is boiled for 10 minutes, rubbed through a sieve onto a baking sheet and placed in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Then the baked sheet of berry mass is laid out on parchment paper and dried. The finished marshmallow can be rolled up and stored in the refrigerator for several months, cutting off a few slices as needed.
Physalis can also be used to prepare stews. In addition to 500 grams of berries, you will need 200 g of carrots and onions, 50 g of celery, 100 ml of vegetable oil. Add seasonings such as salt, pepper, garlic and bay to taste. Mix all ingredients and fry until cooked. Serve the dish slightly chilled.
Now you know everything about physalis: what can be prepared from this fruit, what types of it are known and how the plant is grown.
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How to determine whether physalis is ripe and what you recommend preparing from it - answers from 7dach experts. ru
How to determine whether physalis is ripe? and what do you recommend cooking from it? — answers from 7dach experts. ru
Discussion in our VKontakte group:
Irina Gromchenko: Readiness is determined by taste. If the fruits are soft like ripe tomatoes, do not taste astringent, but are pleasantly sour, then they are ready. I made jam from them, but the skins had to be removed, like peppers, otherwise they interfere with the jam. You can also preserve tomatoes along with zucchini and cucumbers, I really liked it. In jam, physalis behaves like a fruit, and in pickling, it behaves like a tomato.
Anna Frizyuk: the boxes dry out completely, but it ripens even when picked, the main thing is not to gut the “cases”) Eat it fresh)) they also make jam from it. but I had sweet ones, they tasted like strawberries
Lyudmila Konopleva: I grew vegetables. Then, for many years it sprouted by self-sowing. It loves manure and humus; it grows well and bears fruit on them. The yellowish covers dry out and burst. The fruit changes color from green to yellow or purple. Before use, wash off the bitterness from the fruit with warm water.
You can participate in the discussion by going to the page in our VKontakte group.
Common physalis (vesicle, dog cherry, marunka) is a perennial plant from the nightshade family, 50-100 cm high. The underground shoots of physalis are creeping, woody, and branching. Its stems are erect. angular-curved. The leaves are opposite, thin, ovate, entire, slightly toothed.
The flowers are solitary, white or cream-colored, located in the axils of the leaves. The calyx is campanulate, with triangular or lanceolate teeth. The fruit is a spherical, juicy, orange or red berry, enclosed in a fiery orange, swollen, vesicular berry. an almost spherical calyx, thanks to which the plant got its name physalis from the Greek word “physo”, which means swollen. The plant blooms in May - August. The fruits ripen in June - September. It grows everywhere in light forests, among bushes, on forest edges, and in ravines.
Physalis is widespread in Bulgaria and Iraq. Cultivated in Russia, the Baltic states, the Caucasus, Central Asia and other regions.
Nutritional value per 100 grams:
Useful properties of physalis
Physalis fruits contain 10% dry matter and up to 4.5% sugar. 0.7-1.4% organic acids (mainly citric acid, as well as malic, tartaric and succinic), bitter substance, traces of a non-toxic alkaloid, 45-100 mg of ascorbic acid, 0.1 carotene, up to 0.45/about pectin and other gelling agents substances, red dye physalin, minerals, phytoncides and up to 2.5% proteins.
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.
Physalis fruits are used fresh in food. Before use, they must be doused with boiling water to remove the waxy sticky coating. Ripe fruits are recommended as a dietary product. They are sweet and sour, with a specific bitterness. They are added to salads, vegetable soups and canned vegetables. Boiled fruits are used as a seasoning for main courses; baked fruits are first passed through a meat grinder, and then caviar is prepared from them. From the fruits of physalis you can make jam, prepare juices, and dry them.
The fruits, fruit juice and roots are used for medicinal purposes. The roots are harvested in the fall.
Alkaloids were found in the roots: tegloidine, 3-tigloploxytropane, cushygrin, tropine, pseudotropine. The leaves contain carotenoids: alpha-carotene, physoxanthin, lutein, beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, zeaxanthin ester, lutein ester; steroids: sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, cholesterol, isofucosterol; phenolcarboxylic acids and their derivatives: chlorogenic; flavonoids: luteolin, luteolin 7-beta-D-glucoside. Carbohydrates and related compounds are found in fruits: sugars, pectin; organic acids, carotenoids: alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, and in the seeds - fatty oil (14.86%). In addition, ascorbic acid, tannins, macro- and microelements, and carotene were found in the fruits.
The fruits of Physalis vulgaris have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, analgesic, hemostatic, diuretic, and choleretic effects.
A decoction or water infusion of the fruit is taken for urolithiasis, cystitis, hepatitis, bronchitis, intermittent fever, edema, ascites, rheumatism, gout, and bruises.
Fresh fruits and juice are used for dermatoses, respiratory diseases, gonorrhea, dysentery, and hypertension.
In folk medicine of Central Asia, physalis fruits are widely used in the treatment of anemia, hypertension, and are also recommended for people suffering from senile constipation. For this purpose, patients are recommended to eat fresh fruits - 5-10 pieces 2-3 times a day before meals. Patients suffering from hypertension benefit from tea made from dried leaves and fruit caps.
In Bulgarian folk medicine, a decoction of physalis fruits is used for rheumatism, gout, jaundice, hemorrhages, gastrointestinal colic, as a diuretic for difficulty urinating and in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Physalis fruits are useful for cholecystitis.
Tajiks of Garma boil fresh juice and pulp from the fruits of physalis mixed with milk over low heat and give it to children to treat sore throat, laryngitis and stomatitis. The Tabibs claim that if a patient with laryngitis is given this mixture 3-4 times a day every day
3-4 tablespoons for 4-5 days, complete recovery occurs, and periodic intake of this mixture prevents relapses.
According to the literature, physalis fruits were used for diseases of the digestive tract, respiratory system and endocrine system.
Ibn Sina believed that the medicinal properties of the fruits and leaves of physalis are similar to those of nightshade. He recommended consuming fresh fruits for bronchial asthma, inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, jaundice, for the treatment of ulcers, and urinary tract diseases.
In modern medicine, physalis fruits are used as a multivitamin and dietary remedy for patients with hypoacid gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic cholecystitis, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Only ripe fruits should be used. It is recommended to consume small fruits 10-15 pieces at a time, and large ones - 4-8 pieces 10-15 minutes before meals. Patients with high acidity of gastric juice should consume a 2-fold smaller dose immediately before meals, gradually increasing the number of berries to 8-15 as they feel better.
In homeopathy, physalis fruits are used for urolithiasis.
Ointment from the fruits of physalis is used externally for inflammatory processes, as an anesthetic, for rheumatic and gouty pain and as a wound healing agent that enhances tissue regeneration. The juice of the fruit is used in Crimean folk medicine for lichen.
Ripe physalis fruits are consumed fresh as fruit. They are used for canning, making sauces, jams, candied fruits, marinades, and pickles. They can be pickled and added to
Physalis is the younger brother of the tomato. It entered our territory at the same time as tomatoes, but did not become widespread. And this is unfair, because the fruits of this plant are very tasty.
They also have diuretic, choleretic, hemostatic and analgesic properties, therefore they are widely used in folk medicine in Central and South America.
What types of physalis are there?
Food physalises are divided into South American and Mexican, depending on the place of origin. South American ones have small, sweet, aromatic berries. In our country, this form is represented by varieties of strawberry and Peruvian physalis.
Strawberry physalis is popularly known as earthen cranberry and raisinberry. Its berries are sweet, rich in vitamins, and children love them fresh.
Peruvian physalis is sweet and sour, with a pineapple smell; there are forms with a slight orange smell. True, it is late-ripening: the berries begin to ripen only in the second half of September.
Varieties of Mexican (vegetable) physalis are cold-resistant, drought-resistant, less light-loving than the closest relatives of physalis - tomatoes. The weight of the fruit reaches 50-60 g, and each bush contains from 50 to 500 fruits.
How to grow it
The same areas are suitable for physalis as for tomatoes. Its predecessors should also not contain nightshades, otherwise soil depletion and diseases cannot be avoided. Physalis reproduces by seeds. They can be sown directly into the ground, but in the middle zone it is better to grow physalis through. Moreover, the seeds of varietal berry physalis are sometimes difficult to find, their range is small and there is confusion with the names of many species and varieties.
When growing physalis, take into account its size and ripening time. For example, Peruvian physalis is a tall plant (up to 2 m), heat- and light-loving. It takes 130-140 days from germination to the first harvest, so its seeds are sown for seedlings in February. The plant is transferred to a permanent place (preferably in a film greenhouse) at the end of May. When picking and planting, it is advisable to bury the seedlings to the bottom leaf. Physalis seedlings are planted in open ground after the end of frost, a week before or simultaneously with planting tomato seedlings. At this time, the age of the seedlings is 55-60 days from sowing the seeds.
We take proper care
During the growing season, the soil is kept loose and clean.
Physalis is grown without pinching or pinching: the more the plants branch, the more fruits they produce. Fruits are harvested right up to the first frost, since the plants can withstand temperatures down to 2 degrees below zero and continue to bear fruit even at zero temperatures.
Harvesting Physalis
The ripening of fruits in physalis begins from the lower tiers of plants: the higher the fruits are located, the younger and later they ripen.
Ripening is determined by the drying and lightening of the caps, as well as by the aromatic smell and color of the fruit, characteristic of a given variety. Ripe fruits usually fall off. If the weather is dry, then they are stored on the ground without spoiling, especially strawberry and Peruvian physalis, whose caps are much larger than the berries. In damp weather, larvae and worms penetrate inside the covers, damaging the fruits.
Before frost, you can harvest the fruits along with the plants. They are hung in a dry room or stacked with the tops of the branches inward and the roots outward. After 1-2 weeks, the plants are examined and ripe fruits are collected from them.
How to preserve physalis in winter
Healthy fruits, untouched by frost, are stored in a dry, ventilated place in small lattice boxes or on a rack in a layer of no more than 15 cm. In this form, at a temperature of 1 to 4 degrees, unripe fruits can be stored all winter, mature ones - 1-2 months. During storage, fruits are periodically monitored, selecting all ripened ones and removing diseased ones.
How to use in cooking
The fruits of the Mexican physalis are added to first courses, vegetable caviar is prepared from them and is widely used for canning, in particular for preparing canned carrots in tomato sauce.
Physalis fruits can be salted and pickled, like cucumbers and tomatoes, and also added to cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage when canning. For better salting, the fruits need to be pricked. Mexican physalis is also used to make jam and candied fruits.
Strawberry and physalis are mainly used for making preserves, jams, jams, candied fruits, compotes, jelly, and candies. It can be dried and used as raisins for filling pies and making puddings.
Before preparing dishes or canning, fruits are inspected, sorted, and spoiled ones are removed. Then the caps are removed from the fruits and the fruits are blanched for 2-3 minutes in boiling water. This blanching removes sticky and waxy substances from the surface of the fruit. Treated fruits lose their unpleasant odor and bitter taste.
Physalis - pickled and salted
Physalis can be added to cabbage when fermenting it or salted, like cucumbers and tomatoes.
For 1 kg of physalis, take 30 g of dill, 4 g of horseradish root, 3 g of garlic, 1 g of red capsicum. You can also use blackcurrant leaf, tarragon, mint leaf, parsley, celery and other aromatic additives, but be sure to follow one condition: the total weight of spices should not exceed 50 g per 1 kg of physalis fruit.
Pour the spiced fruits placed in jars with brine (60 g of salt per 1 liter of water). Cover the jars with a clean cloth and leave for 7-10 days at room temperature to ferment. Remove any mold that appears during fermentation. After the acid has accumulated, which should be palpable, drain the brine, boil it, pour it back into the jars and seal them. Place the cooled, sealed jars in the refrigerator for storage.
Based on materials from the magazine “Garden, vegetable garden - breadwinner and healer”
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