Odd Foods: The Ground Cherry
“It’s a what?,” I stammered as the woman at the local green market tried to explain what it was I had just put in my mouth.
“A ground cherry”, she repeated, “though it has no relation to the actual fruit.”
She had also described the little orange yellow fruit as seeming to offer everyone a different experience. She thought they tasted a little like natural peanut butter, while to me it tasted just like the milk left at the bottom of a bowl of Berry Berry Kix cereal from my youth – sweet and savory… so clearly we were getting something different out of it.
An interesting tactile experience, the ground cherry, also known as a husk tomato, and officially as Physalis Pruinosa, grows close to the ground and is sheathed in a paper-like husk (top photo) that parts easily when the fruit is ripe (see below). Popping one in your mouth is not unlike popping a small cherry tomato into one’s mouth (taste aside).
Native to South and Central America this little globular surprise would be incredible dipped in chocolate, and likely make an excellent choice for jams or jellies.
Apparently it can be grown from seed in most warmer climates, and it might just make an appearance on our deck next summer. If you get the chance, be sure to try this small wonder: I have no idea what it will taste like for you.
Leave a Reply