CGameProgrammer

Thanks Ventura. Can you take photos of your plant? I'd like to see what they look like at that size if you don't mind.

venturabananas

They get less attractive once they are taller than head high, because what's at eye level has fewer leaves and more bare "trunk". At least that's the case with mine. I'll post photos later.

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Richard

Here's a photo taken about 10 days ago of the Naranjilla growing outside my home in Vista, CA. It's about 4' tall, multi-trunked, and flowers year-round. Fruit sets typically occur in the summer.

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venturabananas

Yes, they are much more attractive at that height! (The "looking down on them" height.)

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Richard

I describe the flavor of mine as "citrus tomatillo". I rarely eat them fresh by themselves, but instead for salsas, salads, fruit medleys (fresh or baked in pastry), and sauces including curries and bbq sauce.

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NeedForSeed

These plants are great, although it's difficult to get them particularly big in this climate but this time I've started early so fingers crossed. I planted about 12 seeds and all of them germinated so now I've got a whole bunch of them. The majority are spineless but a couple already have huge thorns one them which will be interesting to follow.

Is it 9 months from seed to fruit or just from flowering to ripening?



Feel the fuzzyness

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venturabananas

I didn't take notes on flowering, fruit set, and ripening, but I think around 6 months from fruit set to ripe fruit is about what it has been taking for fruit set in spring.

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NeedForSeed

Oh, then it's pretty much game over for me. I'll just focus on growing huge leaves and thorns instead

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venturabananas

Here are some photos of a plant that is about 8' tall in my yard.

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CGameProgrammer

That's very impressive looking; makes me look forward to mine eventually fruiting. In your experience, at what times of the year does it produce ripe fruit?

venturabananas

Mine has had ripe fruit from summer to now. It looks like it might have them year-round in my climate, but I haven't had it long enough to know.

I think few people would want to eat them fresh, out of hand. They're just too sour. But I could see them being good in sauces and drinks, like Richard mentioned. One of my friends decided to try a martini made with some of the juice. It was quite good.

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