All the way from...

Today I was given a kind present of some physalis fruit, all the way from Colombia. The package sat on the table next to the jug of physalis stems that I brought in from the garden in January, having given up hope of either fruit or orange lanterns, and I was struck by how similar in shape, size and colour they were. So I thought I'd open one of mine and see. Amazing! Nestling inside its papery lantern was a round yellow fruit. Despite nearly poisoning myself by tasting a green one in November I ate it. It was sweet and astringent, probably very like those under their supermarket cellophane.

So I opened up my others. I found not a single other edible fruit, though quite a few desiccated ones that might have been, a month ago. How odd that the first I picked of maybe 35 should be the only fruit. And what a shame I didn't look at them earlier.