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    GR012

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    Sale

    Chichiquelite

    • GR012

      • Solanum melanocerasum. Not actually a tomato but a solanum cousin. Collected from Piedras Verdes, a Mayo community in Sonora, Mexico. Commonly called the garden huckleberry, the leaves are cooked (do not eat raw!) and the little black berries are edible and tasty. Delicious for pies, jellies, and jams but do require more sweeteners than other berries. Berries are 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter and produce abundantly over a long season. Do not eat unripe green berries, and do not eat raw in large quantities.  Berries are fully ripe when they turn from shiny to dull, a few weeks after first turning black.  Originated in the tropics of western Africa. From our Seed Bank Collection.

      • Approx. 350 seeds (0.1 g).
      • Limit 3 packets.
    • $4.50

    Customer Reviews

    Based on 8 reviews
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    Katelyn
    Resilient seeds and productive plants!

    I tried unsuccessfully for two years to start these in pots, and after forgetting some seed packets outside through summer heat and monsoon rains, I tossed them all into one of my garden beds to give them a final chance at growing. I'm happy to report that despite such abuse as seeds, I now successfully have multiple blooming chichiquelites in my garden bed, and the pollinators are very happy! As am I (:

    Easy to care for once established. Blooming readily, and I'm excited for the fruits to start.

    D
    Diane
    Green berries only?

    This is my second season of growing black nightshade/garden Huckleberry. I have eaten the leaves boiled like greens. They’re delicious however, the berries never turned black. They stay green.
    they grow plump and then they turn brown and fall off. Could it be a different variety or am I needing to put something else on the plant to help the berries turn? They are in full sun and seem very happy otherwise.

    S
    Silvia M
    Self sowing

    I planted once and they come back each season among the other plants. Here in the low desert they seem to germinate in fall. By late spring they do attract spider mites so watch out for those. Birds relish the fruit so you may need to cover some to get any to harvest. Tasty berries are good in baked goods or seep in vodka a few weeks for a beautiful cocktail.

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    Susan Rutman
    Invasive!

    I got some chichiquelite from a friend and at first thought it was great. Easy to grow and the fruits are delicious. But now I know that it escapes the garden setting and is invading wildlands. I was surprised to find it in the flood zone of the Santa Cruz River near Ina, nowhere near anyone's garden. Please consider NOT growing this in your garden. Native Seed/Search: Please discontinue selling the seed!

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    Tracy Rhodes
    Chichiquelite Success

    It was so interesting to grow these out this year after getting seedlings from Vilardi Gardens. I love their blueberry-tomato taste, and they're so prolific and easy to grow. I'm going to make a sugar syrup out of the berries. It'll be fun to offer people Nightshade Syrup in their cocktail or on ice cream and assure them that I'm not trying to poison them. ;-)

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