Goldenberry (uchuva)

You can offer goldenberries from about 6 months, when your baby is ready for solids. To lower the choking risk, chop them or cook them down to a sauce.

The fruit is believed to come from South America and now grows in temperate and tropical regions. Poha, topotopo, harankash, aguaymanto, ground cherry and cape gooseberry are some of its many names. Uchuva is its name in its native region. Like its relative the tomatillo, it grows and ripens inside a papery husk, which is removed before eating the golden fruit. Depending on the type, some are tangy and some sweeter. Drying makes the sourness stronger. Fresh ones are used in batidos, smoothies, desserts, jams and salads.

It is full of antioxidants. It provides vitamin C for immunity and iron uptake, fiber that keeps digestion regular, vitamin A for the eyes and a little iron.

Choose only fully ripe, yellow or orange fruit. Goldenberries that are green or not yet ripe may be poisonous.

For a young baby, chop and mix into a soft food, or cook into a sauce. As your child grows, quarter them, then smash and add to family dishes. After 24 months, halve or flatten them, and blend into batidos and smoothies. Consider whole berries after 36 months, once chewing skills have matured and at the table under supervision. Start with the halved size before that.

Jams and juices often contain sugar or sweeteners. Hold off until your child is nearer to the second birthday.

Tip: store them in the fridge in a sealed container for one to two weeks. In the freezer they last much longer. Storing them in the husk can extend shelf life.

Goldenberries are round, firm and slippery, and they are small. These traits greatly raise the choking risk.

To lower it, cook until soft and mash, or make a sauce. Stay within arm's reach during the meal. Before offering whole berries, show chewing with the molars: place a berry on your molar and say you are crushing it with your teeth. Do not give whole berries if the child is not seated at the table and supervised.

Goldenberry allergy is uncommon. Reactions to its relatives, winter cherry and angular winter cherry, have been described.

What happens far more often is a harmless red patch around the mouth during the meal, or a diaper rash caused by the fruit's acid. A rash where acidic food touched the skin is mostly a skin reaction to the acid, and real allergy is rare. Ask your pediatrician about wiping a light film of barrier cream or ointment on the face and diaper area before meals. Pure petroleum jelly and plant-based balms both work.

As with any new food, start with a small amount for the first meals and raise it if nothing happens.