We have collectively learned a little more each year we grow these strange plants called Husk or Ground Cherries.
The husk cherry is closely related to both the tomato and tomatillo, and the texture is almost exactly like a small cherry tomato. They are an annual crop that need to be replanted each spring via transplants grown in a greenhouse. The seeds can be tricky to germinate, taking almost twice as long as their cousins to emerge and even then germination is sometimes sporadic. The plant looks quite a lot like a wide-leafed tomato plant, but it tends to vine out a little farther, spreading across the earth. Still, the plants are not as receptive to being manipulated into a weave or cage system, like tomatoes. The fruit itself is reminiscent of a tomatillo, covered in a thin papery husk, but the taste is nothing like its cousins. When the plump little fruit are ready, they drop to the ground to be scooped up, hence the name “ground cherry”.
Apparently, Husk Cherries actually grow wild in many places too, which makes sense since they produce so many fruit that have easy access to the soil. They’re great eaten raw, when the husk is dark and the berry is dark yellow they are the sweetest. Some people taste a hint of pineapple or something tropical, while others find them musky and repulsive. They can also be made into a pie (which is a country favorite), 0r the berry can be husked and made into a syrup that’s nice on ice cream.
Here is a Member, Sue R.’s, take on the Ground or Husk Cherry Pie (adapted from allrecipes.com)
2 1/2 cups ground cherries, with husks off
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
1 9-inch pie shell
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Wash ground or husk cherries and place in unbaked pie shell. Mix brown sugar and 1 tablespoon flour and sprinkle over cherries. Sprinkle water over top.
Mix together 3 tablespoons flour and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cut butter in until crumbly. Top cherry mixture with crumbs.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 25 minutes.
