I was wondering if anyone is growing Phyllanthus emblica (syn. Emblica officinalis), common name Amla or the Indian Gooseberry? It has recently been tested for antioxidant levels and been found to be second only to cloves, so I started wondering if it would worth growing here in the desert or if I should just stick to purchasing the fruit in the Indian Food Markets... Apparently for a good crop you would need multiple trees as they require cross pollination.
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Well, I've looked around at most of the ethnic stores in our area, and can't find food grade amla. Most Indian stores carry it as a hair care product, but not for consumption. I haven't seen it offered fresh either, but in a dried powder form. We ended up ordering it off the internet to add to our breakfast smoothies. There is a Florida supplier that has organic amla. I decided I don't have room for more experimental trees until our neighborhood takes back the alleys!
Anyway, it sounds like the fruit you got was Physalis Peruviana, a different fruit altogether. Also, talking about exotic fruits, we did get a Surinam Cherry from the RFG and are awaiting our first tastes of that fruit...