Loewen Family Heirloom

P. grisea. Prostrate growth habit. Purple pigment on stems, petioles and leaf midveins. Stems have dense downy hairs. Plants 12-20.5" tall and 63-75" wide. Fruit round, yellow at maturity. Fruit 1.4-1.7cm long and wide. Flavor moderately sweet and tart. Tomatillo-like flavor. Moderately productive and early season maturing when grown in 2014 at Heritage Farm. This variety was stewarded by Edna and her daughter, Ann Bernstein, of Minneapolis, MN. Seeds were brought to Canada in 1925 from Schoental, Russia (central Siberia) by Edna's parents, Jacob and Maria (Loewen) Regehr. It was carried to Siberia from Orenburg, Russia by Maria's parents, Gerhard and Maria Loewen, when their Mennonite community founded the town of Schoental circa 1900/1910. Used by the family for fresh eating and jam. Edna recalled that when she was a child, a basket of ripening tomatoes and ground cherries often sat on the porch late into fall and provided snacks on the way into the house. Donated to SSE in 1999 by Edna and Ann Bernstein. SSE Accession # 129793