Ground Cherries

[wifezilla]

I finally got to taste some.

YUUUMMMM!!!!!

I can't wait to get enough to use them in a batch of salsa...if I can stop eating them!

LOL

Why had I never heard of these before? Thank goodness for the Baker Creek seed catalog

Oh! And these are a tender perennial. Since I have them in pots, guess what's is coming inside to overwinter??

 

[Reinbeau]

They're weeds in my garden, I leave a few, but pull the rest. Once you have them you'll always have them, you don't have to overwinter them!!

 

[Grow 4 Food]

so the fact that i planted 20 plants might be a bad thing?

 

[wifezilla]

Weeds??? Psshaw! In my yard strawberries are weeds. They hardly put out any fruit and get in to everything. I may use the ground cherries as a living mulch next year. I will have to check a companion planting chart and see what it will play nice with.

As for reseeding, my plants are in pots and are part of my pond growing system. Not a lot of chances for unauthorized propagation. Though I may have to throw a few fruits in the garden beds and see what pops up

As for 20 plants being a bad thing... I say no. You may need to start looking up some recipes though.

Try this fermented salsa recipe and substitute half of the maters with ground cherries.
http://mamaknowsbest.net/article/lacto-fermented-salsa-455-1.html
Fermented salsa stores a long time in the fridge once you get it bubbling...well, unless your family scarfs it all down.

You can also dry them like raisins according to one site I saw yesterday. Then you have pies, preserves, etc... but mine will be mostly used for salsa

 

[Reinbeau]

Ha! No, it isn't a bad thing, they're easy enough to rip out if you don't want them next season.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

We are talking about ground cherries and tomatillos being the same thing, correct? I can see the recipe, did you post it?

 

[hoodat]

We are talking about ground cherries and tomatillos being the same thing, correct? I can see the recipe, did you post it?

Tomatillos and ground cherries are both in the nightshade family, as are tomatos. They are very closely related but not quite the same thing. Ground cherries are smaller and sweeter than tomatillos.

 

[wifezilla]

I had trouble with the link but it is fixed now.

Ground cherries are much sweeter than a tomatillo or tomato. There is a bit of a tomato-ish undertone, but the main flavor is sweet and fruity.


I checked a few sites that listed companion plants and it said basil is a good neighbor (no surprise there since maters love basil) and also beans, chives, mint, and lettuce.

 

[LVVCHAP]

If you are talking about what we call ground cherries they make an excellent pie. People in my area pay $50 for ground cherry pies at benefit auctions. I love 'em and my wife hates 'em, so I don't grow them any more.

 

[wifezilla]

$50 A PIE?!?!

I am in the wrong business...LOL