Wonderberries
Return to DiscussionsI'll admit it, what attracted me to wonderberries is the legend that Luther Burbank created a new species, Solanum X burbankii. Well, the fact is, he didn't; it is a good species in itself, Solanum retroflexum. But what keeps me growing it is that I seem to remember reading that it is native to South Africa. We have so few African fruits and vegetables in this country.
Some people lose interest in it once the novelty wears off, but it has grown on me. I got the first ripe wonderberries last week, and with five plants, I expect soon to be inundated. I put them in my pancake batter in place of blueberries -- not having located a farmers'market, I don't want to buy the blueberries that come in a plastic clamshell. Plus, when I get to return to my real home, in the tropics, blueberries won't grow there.
Wonderberries aren't really a substitute for blueberries -- just as carob is a flavor in itself, not really like chocolate at all. But I like wonderberries.
Interesting! I've never tried growing them, but I've always been curious. A lot of people don't seem to be big fans of the flavor.
That might be because they are thinking of it as a sweet berry. Since making my initial post, I took some inspiration from tomatoes: they are berries, but they go better with savory dishes than sweet ones. So that's the direction I'm going with wonderberries now -- trying them out in savory dishes. After all, that's how our other nightshade crops work -- not just tomatoes, but also peppers and eggplant, all of which are also berries.