Quite often you can hear: “My physalis is almost all still green. And it’s not very ripe, it tastes astringent. And what should I do with him now? This is typical for many gardeners (especially beginners) who undertake to grow physalis. They try a fresh fruit, don’t like the taste, and don’t plant it next year.

But this fruit is not used like that - to take it as it is and eat it. This vegetable is used fresh mainly for preparing salads, vinaigrettes, soups, vegetable caviar with carrots, etc. The fruits of Mexican and strawberry physalis are also used unripe or for preparing compotes, pickles, and various marinades. They make wonderful jam, prepare marshmallows, marmalade, jam, marmalade, and jelly. By the way, this is the only vegetable crop whose fruits have jelly properties, which is especially valued in the confectionery industry. Physalis gives these products a beautiful orange-red hue. And in terms of its nutritional value and chemical composition, physalis is valued higher than many varieties of tomatoes and, not to mention. For example, the fruits of Mexican physalis contain 6.5-12 percent dry matter, 2.5-6 percent sugars, a lot of crude protein, pectin substances, ascorbic and citric acids, and tannins. And if you take the so-called strawberry physalis, then it contains even more of all this. Suffice it to say that it has twice the amount of sugars as strawberries.

And physalis has found application in folk medicine. It has many useful properties. It is recommended as a diuretic for kidney and bladder stones. Inflammatory processes of the respiratory tract, stomach, and intestines are also treated with decoctions of physalis fruits.

If you want to use it in a fresh, so to speak natural form - please. It will not harm in any way, on the contrary, it is very useful, and as I mentioned, it is used in folk medicine to treat certain ailments. However, do not rush to eat it right away in the garden, so as not to really be disappointed in the valuable product. You need to know that the surface of still young and already ripe physalis fruits is always covered with a sticky, sticky, oily thin film with an unpleasant astringent taste. Therefore, before eating or preparing dishes, these fruits, without removing the wrapper, must be poured with boiling water and boiled for three to five minutes. Next, they are thrown into a colander and cleared of covers. After this treatment (the film with the tart taste is washed off), the physalis fruits have a completely different taste and aroma. For pickling, according to numerous reviews, physalis is even better than tomatoes.

Collection and storage of physalis

It is better to collect it at the time of biological ripeness, when the fruits acquire a characteristic color and have an aromatic smell. The color of the fruit depends on the variety. They can be light yellow, dark purple and even green. For example, the Ground Gribovsky variety, which is quite common in temperate latitudes, has yellow-green fruits, and “Konditersky” is simply green.

Biological ripeness can also be signaled by wrapping cases that begin to dry out and crumble. You can also focus on the following dates: biological maturity in most varieties occurs under favorable weather conditions approximately 60 days after planting seedlings and 80-85 days after emergence of seedlings in non-seedling Mexican physalis. Ripe fruits fall off and in dry weather they can lie on the ground for a long time without spoiling. Large unripe fruits ripen well in a warm room. Physalis can be harvested until frost. It is not advisable to collect fruits with damp covers in the morning or after rain. If you have to collect them raw, then you need to dry them and separate them from the covers, otherwise they will quickly deteriorate. Dry fruits are not cleared of their covers. On the eve of frost, you can dig up physalis with unripe fruits and hang them upside down in a barn, on a veranda, or on a glazed balcony: the fruits will gradually ripen there.

Here, perhaps, in brief, is everything that concerns useful properties, cleaning and storage. As for planting, growing and processing physalis, this is a topic for a separate discussion.

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Physalis, the beneficial properties of which are described in the article, comes from Central and South America. It came to Russia at the same time as tomatoes, but did not become widespread. Recently, interest in this fruit has increased; in addition to its excellent taste, it can bring a lot of health benefits.

Physalis is a relative of the tomato from the Solanaceae family. Often used for decorative purposes. There was an interesting custom in France: if a woman became pregnant, she presented her man with a bouquet of physalis. There are two types of edible Physalis. One is vegetable physalis or Peruvian gooseberry and strawberry physalis, which is more popular in Russia.

Physalis is a source of vitamins beneficial to humans.

Physalis contains:

  1. A large amount of vitamin C, which accelerates recovery from various infectious diseases.
  2. Nicotinic acid or vitamin PP, which regulates cholesterol levels in the blood.
  3. B vitamins necessary for the normal functioning of the central nervous system.
  4. A lot of potassium, a sodium antagonist, which helps remove excess fluid from the body, relieves swelling and lowers blood pressure.
  5. Beta-carotene and lycopene prevent prostate cancer.

In addition, the fruits contain plant fibers, they help remove toxins and harmful substances from the body and improve intestinal motility.

What diseases does physalis help with?

The juice of the fresh plant is used to treat all kinds of wounds, make lotions and compresses.


You can only eat edible physalis. The decorative flower is unsuitable and poisonous.

Physalis has medicinal properties:

  • diuretic;
  • choleretic;
  • painkillers;
  • antiseptic.

Physalis is used for the following diseases:

  • pyelonephritis;
  • Botkin's disease, cholecystitis;
  • constipation in old age;
  • rheumatism;
  • skin inflammation;
  • hypertension.

There are decorative varieties of physalis with beautiful orange lanterns. They cannot be eaten due to the high content of toxic substances.

Traditional medicine recipe

In folk medicine, physalis berries are a valuable medicine. They are used to prepare decoctions for drinking and ointments for external use.


In folk medicine, there are many useful remedies based on physalis.

To prepare the decoction, simmer dry fruits (20 g) for 10 minutes over low heat in half a liter of boiling water. Drink 50 ml up to five times a day, before meals. The decoction helps with kidney diseases, fever, rheumatism, and is used as a painkiller.

For rheumatism, you can make an ointment from physalis - dry the fruits, burn them, mix the ash with vegetable oil, and smear the sore joints.

There is another way to prepare the ointment. It will require 1 tsp. fresh, crushed physalis fruits and 2 tbsp. l. olive oil. The components are mixed, infused in a dark place for 20 days, then filtered and used for wound healing, inflammatory processes and joint pain.

How to eat physalis

The crop ripens in mid-September. You can eat it fresh or mixed with kefir, grinding the fruits using a blender. Physalis is added to meat as a seasoning. The fruits, hidden in the sheath, can be of very different colors - yellow, purple, orange.


You can prepare interesting dishes from physalis, and also use it as a seasoning.

Physalis edible can be preserved along with other fruits and vegetables, for example, plums, cucumbers, and tomatoes. They make marmalade from it, dry candied fruits, and make delicious jam (from yellow and orange fruits).

Recipe for preparing physalis for the winter (0.5 liter jar)


Marinating makes physalis more tender and preserves it for several months.

Products:

  • bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
  • black peppercorns – 3 pcs.;
  • garlic – 1 tooth;
  • physalis – 300 g;
  • water;
  • salt – 15 g;
  • sugar – 10 g.

Preparation:

  1. Place spices in the bottom of a clean half-liter jar.
  2. Sprinkle washed physalis fruits on top.
  3. Pour boiling water into the jar to the top.
  4. Pour boiling water from a jar of fruit into a saucepan, add salt and sugar.
  5. When the marinade boils, pour in the physalis again and immediately roll up the jar.
  6. Turn over until cool.

Physalis can be added to salads, squeezed out juice, used as a decoration, and prepared as delicious vegetable caviar.

Physalis caviar


Store finished caviar in the refrigerator.

Products:

  • onion – 300 g;
  • carrots – 800 g;
  • physalis – 1 kg;
  • vegetable oil for frying;
  • salt, sugar and spices - to taste.

Preparation:

  1. Grate carrots, cut physalis and onions.
  2. Fry vegetables in a frying pan in vegetable oil.
  3. Grind until pureed, adding salt, spices and sugar.

Fresh physalis vegetable with its outer shell intact can be stored for about 2 months. Strawberry physalis contains more sugar, so it spoils faster; its shelf life in a cool, dark place is 2-3 weeks. Berries peeled from the outer shell should only be kept in the refrigerator.

The benefits of physalis for weight loss

Physalis will benefit those who want to lose extra pounds. It contains dietary fiber, which helps improve intestinal motility.


Physalis fruits are low-calorie, but at the same time nutritious.

The culture contains mineral elements, vitamins, phytoncides, organic acids and other substances beneficial to health. The fruits help remove excess fluid and toxins from the body; they are low in calories (32 kcal per 100 g) and at the same time nutritious.

With premature aging of the body

Thanks to its high copper content, physalis helps maintain smooth and velvety skin and improves its structure. Eating fruits stops premature aging of tissues and removes excess pigmentation.


Physalis will help remove wrinkles.

The phytoncides contained in physalis actively resist free radicals that destroy healthy cells of the body. Regular consumption of fruits serves as a good prevention of cancer and premature aging.

Contraindications

If you are allergic to tomatoes, physalis can also cause an allergic reaction when consumed.


Physalis should be consumed in moderation and with caution.

There are other contraindications:

  • You cannot drink physalis infusions for medicinal purposes without consulting a doctor for more than 10 days;
  • It is not recommended to consume fruits during pregnancy and breastfeeding;
  • Physalis should be used with caution for diseases of the thyroid gland, gastritis and stomach ulcers.

You need to be careful when choosing physalis fruits, so as not to try decorative, inedible varieties for food.

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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.

Due to the content of pectin substances and a balanced ratio of acid and sugars, ripe physalis fruits are considered a valuable dietary product. We will tell you how to collect, preserve and prepare the harvest of this vegetable, which is currently less widespread than it deserves.

There are vegetable (Mexican) physalis, strawberry (berry) and ornamental physalis. The fruits of Physalis vegetable and berry are eaten. Physalis fruits ripen, depending on the variety and type, 80-100 days after sowing. The lower ones ripen first. They can be collected as soon as the berries acquire a characteristic color for the variety, and the covers begin to lighten and dry out. Ripe physalis fruits fall to the ground and in dry weather can lie there for 7-10 days without spoiling.

How to clean and store physalis

Physalis fruits are collected gradually, about once a week: first, fallen and ripe ones, and then well-developed green ones. The main thing is to have time to collect the fruits before frost, since frozen fruits are poorly stored. Do not pick fruits after rain or until the dew has dried. Before storing physalis, the berries need to be dried. Physalis, harvested in dry sunny weather, is stored better. To ensure that physalis spoils less during storage, try not to damage the berries when harvesting. Undamaged fruits better retain the substances that determine the taste and aroma of each variety.

It is best to store physalis in a cool, dry place, in small boxes with ventilation holes or lattice boxes that can hold no more than 3 kg of berries. At a temperature of +12-14°C, ripe fruits last 1-2 months. Unripe but healthy physalis fruits can be stored longer, sometimes until spring. At higher temperatures, fruits ripen faster and spoil faster: at a temperature of +25-30°C, ripening takes 1-2 weeks. Throughout the storage period, physalis should be regularly reviewed, selecting ripe fruits and discarding spoiled ones.

What to cook from physalis fruits

Physalis fruits are consumed both fresh and canned. They can be used in the preparation of various dishes in combination with paprika, tomatoes and coriander; marmalade, jam, jam, sweets, candied fruits, as well as for decorating cakes and pastries.

For “sweet” purposes, physalis is mainly used. It is suitable for making preserves, jams, jams, candied fruits, compotes, and jelly. It can be dried and used instead of raisins. Unlike vegetable physalis, berry fruits do not require blanching before consumption, since they do not have a sticky substance on the berries.

The fruits of vegetable physalis (it may appear under other names: Mexican physalis, Mexican physalis tomato, physalis philadelphica, tomatillos fruits) are added to first courses and are widely used for canning. They can be salted and pickled like cucumbers or tomatoes, and also added to cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage when canning. For better salting, the fruits must be pricked. However, you can also make jam or make candied fruits from vegetable physalis. But, no matter what recipe you choose, before cooking, you will have to blanch the vegetable physalis berries in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to remove sticky and waxy substances from them. In addition, this treatment will remove the unpleasant odor and bitter taste from the berries.

Composition and properties

All the benefits delivered to the body by this plant are explained by its rich composition:

Minerals (magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc);
cellulose;
fixed oils;
proteins;
organic acids (malic, tartaric, etc.);
sugar;
carbohydrates;
tannins;
vitamins C and A;
alkaloids, flavonoids.

Thanks to its composition, the benefits of physalis are undeniable, and it occupies one of the places of honor among other medicinal plants in folk recipes. As an adjuvant, healing physalis can be used to treat the genitourinary system, joints, respiratory system, hepatitis, gonorrhea, dysentery, as well as for the prevention of cancer.

But this plant is not approved for use by everyone; there are also contraindications for physalis.

Contraindications

There are few contraindications for physalis, but it should not be eaten by those who have:

Increased stomach acidity (only a few berries per day are allowed);
Hypotension or taking medications to lower blood pressure (Physalis itself reduces it);
Pregnancy and lactation (with caution, only with the permission of a doctor);
Increased need or love for coffee (possible tachycardia, headache or joint problems);
Taking diuretics (here you can’t just eat physalis in large quantities, so as not to lead the body to dehydration);
Allergy.

Everyone else is prohibited from eating unripe physalis fruits, as well as ripe berries in which the outer waxy shell has not been removed - this can cause food poisoning.

Many people, who are not yet accustomed to such an unusual fruit, are interested in how to eat vegetable physalis and how to prepare physalis in general. You can eat it just like that, and include it in cooking recipes only by removing the waxy film from the peel by blanching in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.

This will remove the harmful sticky substance and the fruit will be safe to eat. At the same time, the taste of vegetable physalis, in comparison with the aromatic and sweet strawberry one, is nothing special, only vaguely reminiscent of the taste of tomatoes (it’s not for nothing that they are “relatives” - both are from the nightshade family).

How to prepare vegetable physalis for the winter

Vegetable species of this plant, due to their slightly bitter taste, are more suitable for pickling and pickling. But you can also make amazing jam from their berries. Here are physalis vegetable recipes for the winter that are accessible to any cook.

Physalis salted

Physalis - 1 kg
Dill - 30 g
Horseradish root - 4 g
Garlic - 3 g
Red capsicum - 1 g
Salt - 60 g
Water - 1 liter

You can add black currant leaves, tarragon, basil, mint, parsley, celery at the rate of no more than 50 grams of aromatic spices per 1 kg of physalis

How to cook:

Place prepared ripe fruits along with spices in jars. Pour in brine (60 g of salt per 1 liter of water). Cover the jars with a clean cloth and leave to ferment for 7-10 days at room temperature. Remove any mold that appears during fermentation. When the brine tastes sour, drain, boil, pour back into the jars and roll up. Store rolled jars in the basement or refrigerator.

Physalis pickled

Physalis vegetable - 1 kg
For the marinade: for 1 liter of water - 50 g sugar, 40 g salt, 10 g 80% acetic acid, a pinch of cinnamon, 5-8 clove buds, 4 allspice peas, bay leaf.

How to cook:

Place ripe physalis fruits in boiling water for 1 minute, then cool and place tightly in sterilized 0.5 liter jars. Pour in hot marinade mixture. Cover with a boiled lid and sterilize for 10 minutes from the moment the water boils in the pan. Then roll up, turn upside down, cover with a towel and leave until completely cool. The product is ready for use in a month. Can be stored at room temperature.

Physalis caviar

Physalis vegetable - 500 g
Onions - 200 g
Carrots - 200 g
White roots (parsley, parsnip) - 100 g
Salt, sugar, ground black pepper, bay leaf, chopped garlic, dill and parsley - to taste.

How to cook:

Peel and chop the vegetables. Fry each separately in vegetable oil and then mix. Add salt, sugar, ground black pepper, bay leaf, finely chopped garlic, dill and parsley to taste. Heat again, stirring thoroughly. Serve cooled.

Soaked Physalis

The washed fruits should be scalded with boiling water and then dipped in cold water.
Then remove the transparent skin from each and pour into prepared jars. Pour the contents with brine consisting of 1 liter of water, 10 g of salt and 35 g of sugar. Place a pressure on top of each container, and after a week remove it and cover the jars with nylon lids. Keep refrigerated.

Physalis and zucchini jam

Physalis vegetable - 500 g
Zucchini - 1 kg
Sugar - 900 g
A few cloves or pieces of ginger for flavor

If you replace the zucchini with pumpkin in this recipe, the jam will be even sweeter.

How to cook:

Peel the physalis from its covers, wash it with warm water to remove wax deposits and cut small fruits in half, and large ones into 4 parts. Peel and seed the zucchini and cut into cubes. Place the prepared fruit mixture in an enamel bowl and pour hot sugar syrup. Wait until the syrup cools down. Next, cook the jam in several stages to keep the fruits intact. For flavor, add a few cloves or pieces of ginger to the jam before the last stage of cooking. Pour the finished jam into jars, close the lids, and store in the refrigerator.

Quince and physalis jam

Decorative quince – 10-15 pcs.
Physalis berry – 2 kg
Sugar (sand) – 1.5 kg

How to cook:

Remove the physalis berries from the lanterns, rinse thoroughly in hot water, cut into halves (or quarters) and add some sugar. Leave overnight. Wash the quince, remove the seeds, grate it, add it to the prepared berries and put it on medium heat. Boil. Cook over low heat until thickened. Place the jam into sterilized jars and close the lid tightly.

Physalis jam

Physalis vegetable - 1 kg
Sugar - 1.2 kg
Water - 0.5 l

How to cook:

Blanch the prepared physalis fruits in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain in a colander to drain, and place in a saucepan. Prepare sugar syrup at the rate of 500 g of sugar per 0.5 liter of water: heat until the sugar dissolves and boil for 3-4 minutes. Without cooling, pour it over the fruits in the pan. Leave the fruits in the syrup for 3-4 hours. Then add another 500 g of dry granulated sugar to the pan for each kilogram of fruit and, stirring gently, heat until all the sugar is completely dissolved and cook at low boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to soak for 5-6 hours. Then add another 100-200 grams of sugar for each kilogram of fruit and boil for 10-15 minutes.

The jam is ready when the syrup flows from the spoon in a thick stream, and a drop of syrup does not spread on the plate. Pour the jam into jars, close the lids and pasteurize in a saucepan with hot water for 15-20 minutes. If the jam is not intended for long-term storage, you can cool it and pour it into sterilized jars. But in this case it must be stored in the refrigerator.

Candied Physalis

From jam you can make candied fruits - candied physalis fruits. To do this, pour the prepared jam onto a sieve, let the syrup drain, and place the selected fruits on a baking sheet, cover with thick paper and dry in the oven at a temperature of 35-40°C. Can be dried in the room, without heating. Sprinkle the finished candied fruits with granulated sugar or powder. Store in glass jars with lids.

The bright lanterns of the graceful physalis never cease to attract our gaze. And this is not without reason, because the ripe fruits of this plant are edible! Moreover, they are the most valuable dietary product, but, unfortunately, few people know about this. And what a wonderful jam you get from physalis - it’s simply beyond words! To enjoy these bright fruits for as long as possible, you need to learn how to store them properly. It's time to figure out how to store physalis.

How to collect?

Physalis fruits must be collected gradually as they ripen. This is usually done about once a week. First, ripe and fallen berries are collected, and only then proceed to the collection of well-ripened green ones. It is extremely important to complete this activity before frost sets in - the fact is that frozen physalis is very poorly stored.

It is also important to know that physalis cannot always be collected - it is necessary to temporarily refrain from collecting bright fruits if the dew has not dried on them or it has recently rained. And one more nuance: physalis collected in sunny and dry weather is stored much better than fruits collected on cloudy days. And in order for the nutritious physalis to deteriorate as little as possible during storage, it is necessary to ensure that it does not receive any damage during harvesting. It is the undamaged berries that best retain their beneficial properties.

How to store?

Before storing spectacular fruits, they need to be thoroughly dried. And they should be stored in fairly cool, dry rooms. Ideally, it is recommended to place physalis in lattice boxes with a capacity of no more than 3 kg or in small boxes with ventilation holes pre-made in them. If the temperature ranges from twelve to fourteen degrees, then ripe fruits will last a month or two without much difficulty. And healthy unripe fruits are almost always stored much longer (often until spring). If the temperature exceeds the recommended values, physalis will begin to ripen faster and deteriorate much faster. For example, if the thermometer rises to twenty-five to thirty degrees, the fruits of physalis will ripen in literally one to two weeks.

Throughout the entire storage period, physalis should be systematically inspected - all spoiled fruits are thrown away, and ripened ones are placed in a separate container.

Drying physalis

Physalis is very good in dried form - its dried berries are often used instead of raisins! How to dry it?

Only well-ripened and sweet bright orange berries are pre-selected for drying. They are separated from the sepals and thoroughly washed in hot water - this is necessary not only to remove all dirt, but also to get rid of the fatty layer covering the berries. By the way, it is this layer that gives the fruit a slight bitterness and astringency.

Then the physalis is laid out in one row and dried in the sun for five days. And so that the berries dry evenly, they are systematically mixed. Then the dried fruits are transferred to the shade and finally dried. As a rule, this takes about three to four more days.

Dried physalis can be stored for no more than a year, always in a dry place and in clean paper bags.

What is prepared from physalis?

You can eat healthy physalis fresh, or you can enjoy it in the form of preserves. Ripe fruits are often used in preparing a wide variety of dishes. They go especially well with coriander, tomatoes and paprika. In addition, these bright fruits are also used as decoration for pastries and cakes.

Delicious jams are made from the pretty physalis berries and wonderful candied fruits, wonderful sweets, as well as rich jams or original marmalade are prepared. You can also find physalis in compotes or jelly. They also salt and marinate it! Be sure to pay attention to this amazing plant!