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When to harvest physalis fruits
Physalis is known for its healing properties. It is most useful and edible when fully ripe. When should physalis be harvested to get the most out of it? How to store and consume fruits correctly? Let’s figure it out.
The time when you need to collect physalis can be determined by its shell
It is sometimes difficult to determine maturity by the color of the fruit. The color directly depends on the variety and varies from green to purple-red. Therefore, you need to be guided by more reliable signs.
How to determine when to pick physalis fruits
You can accurately determine the degree of ripeness of the fruits by their “wrapper”. As the fruit ripens, it dries up, in a fully ripe physalis, the cover is completely dry, the leaves open and may even crumble. Also, the pronounced aroma of the fruit speaks of biological ripeness.
If the fruits began to crumble from the bush, this is a sure sign of their maturity; on dry ground, they can lie for several days and not deteriorate.
It is best to remove the fruit in dry weather. If the “wrapper” of the berries is raw, it will quickly deteriorate, so immediately after picking it must be torn off.
Dry leaves can not be torn off, but stored with them.
If you focus on the timing, then on average, fruit ripeness occurs two months after planting seedlings in the ground. If physalis is grown in a seedless way, then you can start harvesting the fruits 12 weeks after germination.
With the onset of frost, you need to remove all the berries, even if they are not yet fully ripe. They will reach in a warm room in 1-2 weeks. Or you can dig up the bushes completely and hang them upside down in the shed: this way all the fruits will ripen evenly and quickly.
How to store physalis correctly
Physalis is stored in boxes or cardboard boxes with ventilation holes, no more than 3 kg each.
Physalis storage rules:
- when collecting, you need to try to keep the berries intact;
- you need to send well-dried fruits for storage;
- during the storage period, physalis needs to be sorted out several times, removing spoiled berries;
- fully ripe fruits are best eaten immediately or transferred to the refrigerator.
Physalis will be stored in a cool room (no more than 15 ° C) for up to 2 months if the fruits are ripe, up to 4 months if not fully ripe.
Wash physalis just before eating. The fruits are covered with a sticky protective substance that must be washed off with hot water or even blanched in boiling water. Otherwise, they will taste bitter and astringent.
Knowing when to pick physalis and how to store it correctly, you can provide yourself with a supply of these valuable berries for the whole winter.