The name is confusing. Goji is definitely NOT Physalis peruviana. But the picture and the taste you described does resemble Physalis peruviana I tasted in the Pruvian mountains last year. It is called aguaymanto by the locals.

I just started some from seeds. Looking forward to the fresh fruit.

Wow! The instant I saw the close up of the berries, exposing those luscious seeds through that golden veil, I thought - Poha Jam. Years ago, I found a flat of fresh golden-husked berries at the local farmers market sitting under a vendor's table. I inquired about them and the gal behind the table said they were growing wild in their yard and wanted to see if they would sell. Obviously, if it were on TOP of the table, perhaps it would have gotten some attention. None the less, I made an offer of $5.00 for the whole flat. She smiled and handed them over. It's been the best jam I've ever made. It's a very saught after jam in Hawaii and the fresh fruit is oftened used as a garnish.
$20.00/Lb. for dried berries? Perhaps one of the best of indulgences you can give yourself.

Er....may I ask what market you found these golden gems? I'm apt to empty my pocketbook...LOL

Tootles,

Anni :-)

-Maybe in place of raisins in a chutney?
-Or perhaps in a risotto.
-Topped on a cheesecake (heavenly!).
-Another raisin substitute - Irish soda bread.
-Golden berry kugel?

And after looking online, $20/lb seems to be the median price. I don't know if I could so easily part with that much money for that small amount.....

The Ground Cherry, as you'll find it more commonly called locally, can be easily grown here in the US. It's a vining plant, related to the tomatillo, that grows from 2-3 feet, up to 6 feet tall. The berries have husks, like tomatillos, and are harvested after they fall to the ground. There are two types I've seen, 'Aunt Molly' and 'Pineapple'. Seeds are available from Pinetree Gardens and Seeds of Change.

If you look through various recipe web sites you'll find recipes for ground cherry bread, almond and ground cherry torte, ground cherry pies, and ground cherry jam and preserves.

I'm planning to grow both types next summer. Yum!

Re: kids & ants on a log.

What about the almond butter, golden berries and a cookie? Like maybe a biscotti?

well I have not paid this much for dried fruit recently but I did buy some exhorbitant (sp?) pecans recently. I handed over the money in shock.

personally I think you got the better deal. these are beautiful. sometimes i like to make dried fruit "jam" and hide it under frangipane in a fruit tart. yum.

I hope you tell us what market they come from too.

I immediately thought of goat cheese, or a slightly melted brie.

In India, where I write from, these are used fresh in salads and desserts. Fresh gooseberries make yummy fools, perfect for the hot summer we're having right now -- unfortunately, we get them in late-March, early April. Also, did you know they are a major symbol of prosperity and good luck in China and Hong Kong? Entire plants go up on sale during the Chinese New Year.

I love this fruit!
I often have business trips to Quebec City and it was there that I first discovered this tart, tomatillo like fruit that they called 'cerise de terre'. They had them fresh in the markets in the winter time, so I don't know where they were grown, perhaps in greenhouses. But they also are grown in Canada during the summer and early fall. They weren't $20 a pound fresh, but I do recall that they were, at least in winter, fairly expensive.
Fresh, they have a wonderful tart taste. Also, there is a liqueur sold there using these ground cherries.
Here's a nice pdf which shows some pictures of the fresh ones.
http://res2.agr.ca/Stjean/pdf/groundcherries04_e.pdf

I'd also like to know what market is selling them dried!
Steve

hum. I'm surprised that no one mentioned that Trader Joe's is/was selling these under the name of 'cape gooseberry' in their (duh) dried fruit section. totally tasty, and definitely in the city.

well I would say you got ripped off.

Heidi,

The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) sells Cape Gooseberry plants (and other native Peruvian grains and edibles BTW) at their annual plant sales. An outing to OAEC is very worth the trip--a beautiful shared community in west Sonoma County.

You can also come visit me in Healdsburg and eat some fresh gooseberries off our bush!

Hope all is going well.
-Donna

thanks to steve for the link showing the fresh fruit. it reminded me that i see these all the time at upscale restaurants here in dallas, used as a garnish - like there'll be a little lava cake w/ one of these on the side

Yes, Trader Joe's has these. I'm pretty sure they're waaaaaay under $20/pound. They are soooooo good! I found some in my friend's "snack drawer" and just about ate them all. I haven't even begun to think about doing other things with them besides shoving them into my face...

Would that be a "Sid" viscious interior?

If you're really talking about ground cherries, they are VERY easy to grow (turned into a WEED in part of our garden, lol) and quite wonderful!! I've never dried them, but have eaten them fresh with great delight.

Eeeek. I can't see $20 for something that, as Jennie E noted, can turn into a weed at the drop of a hat.

I've grown them; mixed them with tomato-ey things (like little yellow pear tomatos)

How about using them in an 'agro-dolce' dish?

at $20 - i would assume they came from whole foods - since they now have a "raw foods" section.

they would probably be very tasty in some moorish creation - plumped up in a tagine - or chopped into a sweet couscous or tabbouleh.

for $20, i'll stick with the classic "raisin" and then go out to eat three times at the thai cart by the university

mmmm... thai cart...

Not only are this easy to grow, they are perennial. David just got some as a gift from Hawaii. They make a wonderful sauce for pork though most of the other suggestions have been sweet.

wow... uvilla, as I called them in Ecuador, were among my most favorite fruit... I could eat them all day.
Now if you would find naranjilla...

Thanks for bringing yet another fruit memory from my "other" homeland.

Anyone know where I can get seeds?

Hello! It seems you are looking for dried "ground berries"... I'm from Paris and my parents have a bush that makes those fruits, quite acid (like lemony cranberries or red berries), but bigger than these, orange or yellow, with that sort of fragile protection wrapped around. I think that's what we call "alkékenges", "physalis", "groseille du pérou". Delicious. We use it to decorate chantilly topped cakes, or anything else needing decoration (you just eat the fruit biting in it, that's the real pleasure of eating the decorations ;-)

My old reliable "A World of Vegetable Cookery" by Alex Hawkes (1968), a botanist/cook, groups Ground Cherry with other Physalis husk tomatoes. He has "Husk Tomato Preserves" with 2# cleaned fruit, 1 1/2 c sugar, 1 lemon, juiced, with zest, 1 cup water. Cook and stir over low heat, about 1 hour. Mellow a few weeks prior to use.
This conversation should remind us that "a rose by any name" etc. And dried goji berries are fantastic!

I know this may sound a bit odd, but how about wine??? Although it is expensive with such a high price per pound, I would only make a gallon or so. Anyways, I will be off to bed.

Amanda

ah! also known as gugija cha in Korea (where the berries are brewed as a tea)...

much cheaper at the Korean market, btw!

btw, Tibetan boji berries (aka boxthorn berries, aka gugija cha)...are dark red--these don't look familiar to me! :)

In Portugal, Azores, we call it "capuchos", and we make a great jam of the fresh berries!

Do they really have them at Trader Joes? I'll have to go see for myself. I picked this bag up from Rainbow Grocery in SF.

Really great suggestions from everyone. Shuna -I love your tart idea.

Donna I'll have to come up for some fresh ones at some point and pick up plant or two at OAEC. I think some of you will be happy to know the Meyer lemon tree I adopted is doing beautifully with all sorts of new growth and buds appearing. Can't wait to see if it will fruit for me.

Why go to Rainbow instead of Whole Foods? I'm still pissed about Rainbow being anti-Jewish and anti-Semetic.

http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/20793/edition_id/426/format/html/displaystory.html

That article is from three years ago. Before you attack a well-respected business you should cite more recent references and preferably from more than one source.

Fresh Physalis are one of my favorite things, and since they go so well with dark chocolate, I'm guessing that the dried ones might too.

Mike you didn't read where I said I'm STILL pissed. I know it happened 3 years ago. So what? The fact that it was even an ISSUE there, and there IS still an anti-Jewish SENTIMENT there, means I won't be taking our money there.

I just called my Trader Joe's and they said they no longer carry them.

I just called Rainbow and they said they no longer carry the anti-Semetics [sic].

Something caribbean inspired, perhaps? I have a recipe for curried coconut rice with golden raisins, I bet these would make a delicious substitution.

Something caribbean inspired, perhaps? I have a recipe for curried coconut rice with golden raisins, I bet these would make a delicious substitution.

Fresh physalis are available at almost every greengrocer or supermarket here in Germany, but I never came across their dried buddies. 'Love to dip them in molten chocolate and finely chopped pistachios and eat them chilled. Perfect party nibbles.

Re: Goji berries

She said they were BESIDE the goji berries. That means she KNOWS they are not goji berries. Good grief!

TJ's rotates items - I suggest trying another TJ's - sometimes a product is pulled for a bit and then brought back. I have purchased these at TJ - they are terrific!

These are very common in Chinese cooking. They're probably about $5/pound, dried, in Chinese supermarkets. We put it in chicken soup with root vegetables. Also, I think we put it in red date (dried jujube) "tea." Just pour boiling water over the dates and goji, and you have a healthy, sweet drink.

I never thought they could be raisin/cranberry substitutes. I'll try it out.

Jessica "Su Good Eats" - I'm interested to know how to make that tea with those 'red dates' It sounds pretty interesting, let me know. Thanks!

For the "ants on a log"... how about rhubarb?
I know it is rather sour, but I loved eating the fresh rhubarb stems from the plant in my grandma's garden when I was little. Dunked in sugar & cinnamon, it's heavenly...
Or, if you don't insist on the "log"-character of that meal, how about pear-slices? I think a nashi-pear would be perfect for that one.

How about fennel for "goldenberries on a log" - the licorice flavor would go well in that combo.

These are so easy to grow here in the Bay Area - I posted about my battle on my blog. You can probably plant one of the dried berries and have zillions of the berries by the end of summer. I made a BBQ sauce with them one year. I still have little plants sprouting up all over the garden. I never thought to dry them - maybe I'll let one grow up and dry some. Check out Tierra Vegetables at the Ferry Plaza in the fall. A few years back Lee was my secret supplier when the chef put these on the menu.
Cheers!
Sandy

Hi Sameer,
You just pour one cup of boiling water over a couple red dates and a tablespoon of berries. Steep until the fruit becomes plump and the water turns yellowish. I suppose you could substitute regular dates if you can't find the red ones. You can also add dried chrysanthemum petals, which are available at Chinese supermarkets.