Page 13 - Simply Veg 1 2024

Cape Gooseberry (Peruvian groundcherry)
NOEL CAVANAGH, DUBLIN
As a relativity new member of this wonderful society NVS and still a novice but always learning, I thought I would share my latest effort on growing Cape Gooseberries.
These wonderful very tasty fruits originate from Peru, Chile and South Africa, I came across Cape Gooseberries when they were on exhibit on a bench at one of the local shows in Dublin, with just only six seeds in the packet I sowed these in mid-April and thankfully they
all germinated, I potted on when the plants where about 3 inches tall, and at the end of May two plants were placed in five gallon containers with two plants outdoors and two in my polytunnel, using good quality compost mixed with a little amount of bone meal and a few handfuls of clean sand.
The plants thrived with lots of water every day especially during the hot weather, the polytunnel plants did much better than the outdoor plants, therefore
I believe indoor growing is the best way to grow, adding potassium feed once a week, I use tomato feed for this. They will need to be supported as the plants can grow up to two metres high.
I believe it takes around 90 to 120 days from sowing to harvest time of which can be from late July until early September, the beautiful lanterns which grow over and protect the fruit will drop off to the ground when ripe, but you can also ripen the berries if you place them on a windowsill for a few days.
The reward of growing these delicious berries is well worth the effort as they contain vitamin c and you can eat them straight from the pods or use for making jam or scones, or just to add to your favourite desert i.e. with fresh cream or ice cream,
PS. I am not too concerned about 2024 gooseberry seeds as I can now save lots of seeds from this year’s harvest.
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to tip over the shallot or onion which is oversized to highlight the culprit or lay the snapped bean across the top of its colleagues instead of neatly replacing
it. Minor points I know, but not as the exhibitor intended his exhibit to be seen.
So, whose job is it to restore the exhibit, the Judge or the Steward? I would suggest it’s a bit of both.
Clearly, the more onerous jobs like retying of celery or leeks should it be necessary, is more the role of the steward on time grounds alone, but generally putting components of a dish back as you found them should not, I would have thought, be too onerous for a judge.
Whilst our guide is currently silent on the role of the steward in ensuring an exhibit is left as the exhibitor presented it. I personally believe he or she should be the ones to discharge that final duty of overseeing best presentation, being the most familiar with the entries as they were staged.
After all, it’s in everyone’s interest to ensure the show is seen at its best by the visiting public.
Barry Newman
A tiring couple of days came to an
end and the exhibits and spares, were loaded into Ian’s car for his journey to North Devon. Those still in good condition were taken to a local church to form part
of their Harvest Festival display. These were subsequently auctioned off to the congregation in aid of local charities.
Other less attractive produce including the cauliflowers, were shared between Ian’s goats and a friend’s pigs on a neighbouring farm, so nothing was wasted.
I’m delighted to confirm that all five candidates passed the exam, congratulations all!
Thank you to everyone who provided the exhibits, it’s very much appreciated.