In this post I share my experience growing and eating the Goji berry. Ignore all the hype of the berry being healthy and that is why you should grow them. I think they taste gross unless you prepare them. The vine is really something to experience – it is very pretty in full bloom.
Goji Berry Fun Facts
It’s always exciting to find new information about the veggies and fruits I grow in my Ohio home garden. I had no idea the beautiful Goji Berry plant I grew in my garden a few years ago was pack with so many health benefits. Some of the best ways to use the berry are listed below:
- Teas
- Soup
- Smoothies
Goji berries are a superfood because they contain chemical compounds called phytochemicals that are produced by plants. Phytochemicals in berries include polysaccharides, beta-carotene, and zeaxanthin.
Interested in growing your own Goji Berries? It’s super easy and the vine is gorgeous in any partial sunny location of your home garden. I share more at Lifeberry Goji Berries in my Home Garden. Mine is doing it’s best facing the southwest in my geodesic biodome year-round.
Growing Goji Berry In My Home Garden
The first summer I grew this plant in a larger container surrounded by some of my favorite herbs and flowers. The bees and butterflies loved the flowers of the Goji Berries. I need to look back on my Instagram and find a photo of the bloom from that summer. The berries came quickly and were surprised by their flavor right off the vine. I prefer to eat the newly harvested berries after they’ve been dried in a dehydrator just because they are healthy. They taste kind of weird even dehydrated.
In the dome, I added a wire trellis for the vine to climb and it is doing fantastic!
Let’s Connect
What do you think about Goji Berries? Have you ever tried them in a recipe? I would love to hear what you think about the berry and any additional questions you may have. Comment on this blog post for a quick response.
Happy Growing Your Own Goji,
Well, my LifeBerry goji from Stark Bros produced its first harvest for me this past autumn of 2015. I (and others) found the berries to be rather disagreeable in flavor when eaten raw, straight off the vine; bitter and medicinal with a seedy texture. From that point I used them in baking, where these issues vanished into the flavor and texture of the finished product. This coming season I expect to dehydrate much of the harvest and see where that takes us!
Great to connect Jay – I had a similar experience with the plant I grew year in Ohio in a container. I was sharing it all spring and summer on social media from the time I brought it home from the local garden center to the first bloom. It came time to eat a berry and I was surprised… it was not what I imagined. I’m glad I shared it on social media because someone introduced me to drying them! They taste awesome dried in salads and of course in smoothies. I would love to try them in bake goodies. I’ll have to look up some recipes!