Thursday, July 31, 2008

Ground Cherries- II

As you may recall, I told you about our ground cherry plant a while ago. We have now been able to taste it's delights. They are hard to describe but I will do my best.

I read up on them and learned that it is best to harvest them after they have turned yellow and dropped to the ground. There has not yet been a mass dropping of cherries, more like a few each day. Which makes for a fun game for Miss D. I also must admit that if I see a yellow one and it falls off the plant when I touch it- I consider that one ripe as well! :)


As promised, they are covered in a papery "skin", as with a tomatillo, but there is a lot more air in between the skin and the fruit than with a tomatillo.


They are pretty fun to unwrap. And the best part is you usually don't need to wash them because they are clean and protected in their little "skins".


This one is actually a little green. The tastiest ones are pure yellow. Now to describe the flavor and eating experience.....hmmmmmmmmm.

The skin and outer flesh is similar in texture to a tomato or tomatillo. The inside is filled with white, flat (think capsicum), crunchy seeds that are not unpleasant to eat. The taste is sweet and mild with a tomato-y finish.

That's the best I can do with words. But if you are curious- come on by some day and try one!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now that you mention tomatillo - it tastes like a tomatillo with virtually no acidity, a touch of sweetness and a softer (but not soft) texture.

Anonymous said...

I remember eating them as a child. But I don't remember if it was my mother or grandmother who grew them. I seem to remember jelly.

Mom

Stacy said...

Mmmmm. Those sounds tasty. I will have to make it over to try one soon!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for that intro. They sound interesting. Have you tried using them in recipe, or are there only enough to eat out of hand?

Lakeview Coffee Joe said...

Cool. Ground cherry....not what I was thinking!!

stef said...

SRM- only enough to eat out of hand as of yet. maybe you have to have more plants to have enough to make jam with...

alexis said...

ohhhh - think I had those in China! Does that sound right, are they Asian in origin?

I recall there being a big pit though, so maybe I'm thinking of something else!