Cape gooseberries, A.K.A. groundcherries

[Alice Levitt]

My mom, who only grows rare and quirky vegetables and flowers, has had cape gooseberries in her garden since I was a kid. I never really cared about them one way or the other until this year. Suddenly, I cannot get enough of the things: Eaten whole, chopped into salads or in sauces. Any other fans?

[Haylley Johnson]

I actually just had a ground cherry for the first time this weekend at the Vermont Fresh Network Forum. Suzanne P. and Sean Buchanan gave a cooking demo Sunday afternoon where they took classic dishes and added an interesting twist (while cooking over a campfire might I add). They made a caprese salad that had heirloom tomatoes with a parsley/sage pesto (delicious!!), but they also added ground cherries to the salad.

Apparently ground cherries are related to both the nightshade and the tomatillo (as you can see by the papery husk). I thought their flavor was interesting as well. They had a subtle cantaloupe flavor that sounds a little strange but is actually quite tasty. I know that they are on my shopping list for the Farmers Market this weekend.