Ground Cherry

Description

Physalis pubescens

Grown for its crisp, delicious fruit, Ground Cherry is a dwarf version of its gargantuan relative, the Cape gooseberry. The fruit are about 15mm in diameter and are surrounded by thin husks. They have a lush, tropical flavour that is difficult to pin down ­– better than papaya, not quite mango, perhaps closer to pineapple, and much nicer than cape gooseberries! Delicious to eat!

When they are ripe, the fruit of ground cherries are yellow/orange and the husks are light brown. They tend to fall off the plant when ripe, so you will find yourself collecting them from the ground. In fact, it is better not to pick any fruit as if they are still attached they are likely to be unripe. The fruit store well and are still fit for eating weeks after they have been harvested.

The plants are low growing and wide – plants we grew in the ground in a polytunnel were 30 cm tall and over 100 cm wide. They also do well in pots 3-7 litres in size. We can’t attest to their performance outdoors, but we feel that they would do just fine in a well-protected garden in southern England.

For something tasting so exotic, they are a doddle to grow ­– treat them exactly as you would manage a determinate (bush) tomatoes and tomatillos.

Highly recommended, especially if you want to push your culinary experiences.

Approx number of seeds per pack: 20