Farmers Market Finds: Physalis, AKA Ground Cherry

We found some delicious ground cherries last week at The Granville Farmers Market. They are also called husk cherries, golden berries, Chinese Lanterns, Japanese Lanterns, Bladder-cherries, etc. It is a tangy fruit that is full of soft edible seeds. They make an excellent topping for chocolate cake or other desserts, or just by themselves as a tasty treat.

From Wikipedia:

"Physalis is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), which grow in warm temperate and subtropical regions of the world. Most of the species, of which there may be 75–90, are indigenous to the Americas. Cultivated species and weedy annuals have been introduced worldwide. A notable feature is the formation of a large papery husk derived from the calyx, which partly or fully encloses the fruit. The fruit is small and orange, similar in size, shape and structure to a small tomato.

At least 46 species are endemic to the country of Mexico.

Many Physalis species are called ground cherries. One name for Physalis peruviana is Inca berry; another is Cape gooseberry, not to be confused with the true gooseberries, which are of the genus Ribes in the family Grossulariaceae. Other names used to refer to the fruit are poha berries, and simply golden berries."

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