Description
Solanum nigrum var. melanocerasu | Mexican Huckleberry
Mexican Huckleberry, also called Chichiquelite Huckleberry and Miltomato Vallisto, is an annual fruit plant that grows into a shrub with a weedy habit up to 4 ft tall. Hundreds of small, round, shiny, purple-black berries are produced throughout the summer and autumn seasons. When eaten, the raw berries are surprisingly sweet and delicious, tasting somewhat like purple grapes with a hint of tomato and blackberries (a tomato-berry flavor). The berries are considered a huckleberry, and as such, you have to wait until the entire berry cluster turns black to eat them, as with all huckleberries, you CANNOT eat the green berries. Take care not to confuse them with the wild black nightshade, especially when young.
Loves full sun- 85 F temps. Prefers well-drained soil and can grow up to 4 ft in the garden. Suitable for container growth. Originated in Africa then made its way to Mexico where it’s been growing for the last 400 years. It’s very prolific and hardy, but is not frost tolerant. In areas with no frost, it may survive as a perennial.
Start Miltomato vallisto seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost by giving them heat, humidity, and light, or can direct-sow outdoors after the last frost, however plants will not grow as large with the shorter season. Transplant outdoors into full sun after the last frost.
The profuse abundance of berries during the ongoing seasonal harvest will leave you with enough to make preserves after fresh eating. When cooked the tart flavor changes to be almost the same as blueberry. Many consider Mexican Huckleberry to be superior to Garden Huckleberry in production and flavor. Unripe green fruits of this species should never be consumed.
Sub exposure: Full sun
Mature height: 4 ft
Mature width: 2-3 ft inches
Hardiness zones: 10-12
