Cape Gooseberries/Ground Cherries - any local stores carry them?

[kasiav]

Just had a lovely Gooseberry gelato over at capogiro and now want to try my hand at cooking with this tasty tart fruit. Has anyone seen them locally? Over at capogiro the flavor was noted as local and seasonal, so I'm hoping to find these at one of the farmers markets or grocery stores.

[kasiav]

finally got a response from capogiro - turns out the tag was incorrect and the cape gooseberries they are using are not local.

'Our caped gooseberries used to come from a small farm in Gap, Pa. Two years ago the farmer sold a plot of his land to a developer. This land contained quince trees and caped gooseberries. Green Meadow Farm actually asked if they could remove the quince trees to their farm and they declined opting to plow them down.

Since that time I have been unable to secure a local source that can get us the amounts that we need. We have been purchasing our quince from a ny state farm and our caped gooseberries are from the docks here locally and they are grown in everywhere from south america to california. This is their season for capes as well as fall. We are committed to purchasing locally and seasonally. If it is grown here, we only buy it here. If it is not available locally, we will still purchase produce according to its season.......If you do hear of a local farmer that can grow more than a few flats (we are talking 20 flats at a time), I would love to speak to them.'

thanks to all who gave recs for cape gooseberries around town - mystery solved, sort of!

[DougRisk]

For many weeks the Fair Food Farmstand at the Reading Terminal Market had them. Though, I cannot remember how recently I saw them.

[larbguy]

Orange Gooseberries again spotted at Iovines this morning. $3.99 a pint

[Buckethead]

I was at the Headhouse farmer's market yesteday and Three Springs fruit farm had two kinds of gooseberries, one a dark purplish color, the other more green.

[larbguy]

I've definitely seen them as recently as last week at Iovines

[kasiav]

thanks guys but i'm looking for the orange kind - Cape Gooseberries - which are apparently out of season. the green/purple ones are a completely different berry.

[yellowstone]

yes, they are unrelated. the purple or green/red gooseberries grow on a perennial bush and come into season in the summer-ish, depending on specific region. ground cherries are annual plants, related to tomatillos, and come in in the fall.

[JohnnyKBar]

Tabora Farm had green gooseberries PYO a couple years ago, as well as black currants. They should be coming in about now.
As for ground cherries, they grow like weeds, but they won't be in season until the fall.

[kasiav]

the plot thickens - at headhouse farmers market today there was one vendor selling gooseberries (1 pint /$7) but they were the green/red eurasian variety. I spoke with him a bit and he, like, givemecarbs, said that Cape Gooseberries/Grouncherries are not in season and won't be until the fall. I emailed Capogiro directly to see if they can confirm a) what type of gooseberry they use (maybe the cape gooseberry garnish was for looks only) and b) tell me where i might be able to get some.

interestingly, google led me to shoprite for cape gooseberries - their site says the snyder ave location does carry them.

[kasiav]

guess i'll wait till the fall? 2 weeks later and still no response from capogiro, other than a response to my initial email (below). perhaps this is some kind of gelato coverup!

Thank you for your interest in Capogiro Gelato Artisans.

We hate being wrong, so please give us some time to get this to the person with the right answer. Thank you for your saint-like patience.

Grazie!

[Bacchus101]

Sorry I can not help in locating Gooseberries. I do not recall seeing them in the Philadelphia area. After having a Gooseberry Fool at the Ballymaloe House in Co. Cork Ireland it is a definite favorite. I share your interest in knowing if there is a local source of a Gooseberry treat. I do know there are recipes in Darina Allen's Books for her famous Gooseberry Fool some with Elderflowers, another special seasonal item little known here except perhaps as the ingredient in St. Germain

[givemecarbs]

I thought ground cherries were harvested in the fall around these parts. That is when the ground cherry pie appears at my beloved R and S Keystone diner anyway.