Golden berries are fruits that belong to the tomato family. Slice a golden berry in half and compare it to a slice of tomato. See the similarities?
But golden berries are a little different. These orange, tart-flavoured berries are slimy on the outside. Why are golden berries sticky?
You’ve probably wondered why golden berries are sticky at some point. Find the answer in this article as you continue to read.
Growing Golden Berries
Golden berries can be grown as an annual in cool climates. In hotter weather, they can grow as perennials for 3 to 4 years.
They should be planted in the open where they can receive at least 8 hours of full sun daily. They are large plants and need enough space to spread out and grow.
The soil should be warm, well-draining and amended with compost for a healthy plant. Water should be given 2 or 3 times when the weather is hot and 2 times when it gets cold.
It may take up to a month for golden berry seeds to sprout. When taken care of, the plant rewards your efforts with beautiful fruits.
Are You Supposed To Wash Golden Berries?
You are meant to wash golden berries before eating them. With all fruit and food generally, hygiene is of utmost importance.
Washing golden berries before eating them makes sure bacteria and dirt particles are removed.
Golden berries should be washed with clean water. Due to their sticky nature, it’s best to wash golden berries right before eating.
If you wash them without intending to consume them immediately, they will get softer and begin to spoil. This is because the sticky coating that protects the golden berries from fungus and bacteria has been washed away.
Unwanted moisture breeds microorganisms and these bring on the process of decay.
Remember golden berries have thin skin compared to other berries. To wash golden berries properly,
- Wash them one by one. If you wash a batch of them together, you risk bruising them.
- Use clean water
- Wash them gently and not vigorously. Giving a vigorous wash will crush the fruit and cause decay.
Decaying golden berries should be separated from the rest because rot easily spreads among fruit.
Should Gooseberries Be Sticky?
Cape gooseberries are fruits enclosed in a paper-like husk. The husk has the shape of an inflated lamp.
Immediately after removing the husk from the fruit, the skin feels sticky. This waxy coat is there because of the high sugar and fatty acid content of the Cape gooseberry.
The sugars present in Cape gooseberry are called pectins. Pectins are a group of natural sugars that can form gels and retain water.
Pectin is found in all plants but is particularly rich in apples, plums, golden berries and blueberries.
It is because of these pectins golden berries contain such high levels that they can be cooked into syrups to be used in pies and tarts.
The fatty acid in Cape gooseberry is linoleic acid. Together with seed oil, it enhances the stickiness of the fruit further.
Still, you must be able to tell rotting golden berries from fresh ones. Excessive mushiness resembling melting means it is spoiling.
Why are golden berries sticky? Golden berries are sticky because of their high pectin, linoleic acid and seed oil content.
Note that Cape gooseberries (golden berries) are not gooseberries (amla), although they appear the same and even share similar names.
While gooseberries have a sour acidic taste, golden berries have a sweeter, tangy flavour.
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Differences Between Gooseberry and Cape gooseberry (Golden Berry)
1. Gooseberries have lower calories than Cape gooseberries.
2. Cape gooseberries are sweeter than gooseberries which taste sour.
3. Gooseberries have significantly more Vitamin C than Cape gooseberries. Cape gooseberries have more Vitamin A.
4. Gooseberries have more Potassium
5. Goldenberries have more fibre
Can You Eat Golden Berries Raw?
Golden berries can be consumed in a multitude of ways.
Golden berries can be eaten raw as a snack or sliced and tossed into fruit salads. They can be chopped into salsas, blended into smoothies, or made into puree.
You can top yoghurt and ice cream with golden berries or dip them in sugar for dessert. Whatever works for you!
If you want a stronger immune system, consider making golden berries an addition to your diet. There’s a lot to gain.
Benefits of Eating Golden Berries:
1. It helps with weight loss
As small as they are, they can provide a huge chunk of your daily nutrient requirements and yet do not add calories.
Being low in calories means you can satisfy your sweet tooth with them and not have to worry about gaining extra pounds!
2. Diabetes management
Golden berries can be an effective food in the management of diabetes. It is the rising and falling of sugar levels in the blood that makes it such a dangerous disease.
In golden berries, some components slow the breakdown of carbohydrates into sugar. This ensures proper regulation of blood sugar levels.
3. Improves eyesight
Golden berries are high in vitamin A. Vitamin A is often recommended for boosting eyesight because it reduces stress on the eyes and macular degeneration, vision at optimum health as you age.
4. Immunity booster
Golden berries help to boost your immunity due to ascorbic acid on them. Ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C stimulates white blood cell production.
White blood cells are the bodies of little
soldiers which help to fight off infections. Vitamin C has other repair and antioxidant properties.
5. Improves kidney and liver functions
The kidney and liver functions of those who regularly eat golden berries are usually in pretty great shape. Golden berries do this by helping to remove toxins from the system.
There’s also evidence of reduced and reversed liver scarring in golden berry consumers.
6. Cholesterol Control
Linoleic acid in golden berries helps reduce the level of Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol in the blood. LDL is unhealthy cholesterol that lines the walls of the blood vessels, increasing one’s chances of hypertension and stroke.
However, when you eat golden berries make sure they are fully ripe and have no green colouration. The unripe ones are poisonous because they still contain the toxic element, Solanine, which disappears as they ripen.
Are Golden Berries Supposed To Be Sour?
It’s possible and even normal for golden berries to taste sour. Golden berries can taste sweet, they can taste sour and they can have a taste between sweet and sour.
Many people describe golden berries as having a tropical taste that is a cross between mango, pineapple and tomato.
In Summary,
Golden berries are becoming increasingly popular everywhere. Most people want to know “why are golden berries sticky?”
Golden berries get their sticky texture from a mixture of pectin, fatty acids and seed oil. Initially, when separated from their husks, they have a velvety feel which later becomes sticky after some exposure to air.
Their rise in popularity is partly due to their lovely taste and also the health benefits associated with eating them.
You can also eat them in many ways and incorporate them into a lot of recipes. Golden berries are certainly one fruit to look out for.
You can find fresh golden berries in the grocery section and dried golden berries in the snack section of your local store.
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