I found this thread interesting. A few years back a person in the area here had indicated that she no longer saw any of the wild ground cherries growing that they had used to pick and eat as children. And then I saw Philip's post about the purple tomatillo. I had no idea that tomatillo was physalis family. And then I did a search here in the database to see all in the physalis family and was quite surprised.

http://garden.org/plants/brows...

Last year I purchased some tomatillos at the farmer's market. I never got them used, even though a salsa recipe was given to me with the purchase. The lady I purchased them from said she never has to plant them now, that they come up every year. So I just tossed them in my garden when they had become spoiled since I didn't get them used. I now find after seeing Philip's post that they are purple tomatillos. I don't remember them being purple though when I purchased them last year, but mine mostly look like Philip's photo but I've been too busy to mess with them. I know I tried them a few weeks back, but I thought they were awful and bitter. But at that time they were not purple so I guess they were not ripe since I had to peel them out of the husk.

(I hope these won't cross with my chinese lanterns.)

TsFlowers said:I found this thread interesting. A few years back a person in the area here had indicated that she no longer saw any of the wild ground cherries growing that they had used to pick and eat as children. And then I saw Philip's post about the purple tomatillo. I had no idea that tomatillo was physalis family. And then I did a search here in the database to see all in the physalis family and was quite surprised.

http://garden.org/plants/brows...

Last year I purchased some tomatillos at the farmer's market. I never got them used, even though a salsa recipe was given to me with the purchase. The lady I purchased them from said she never has to plant them now, that they come up every year. So I just tossed them in my garden when they had become spoiled since I didn't get them used. I now find after seeing Philip's post that they are purple tomatillos. I don't remember them being purple though when I purchased them last year, but mine mostly look like Philip's photo but I've been too busy to mess with them. I know I tried them a few weeks back, but I thought they were awful and bitter. But at that time they were not purple so I guess they were not ripe since I had to peel them out of the husk.

(I hope these won't cross with my chinese lanterns.)

Yep, all part of the same family! I love plant family trees, it is so interesting to see how things are related. I searched out some tomatillos since I love ground cherries so much and I wasn't all that impressed - only because they aren't something you can just unwrap and eat raw. As I learn more about using tomatoes and turning them into jarred.. stuff.. maybe I'll try to tomatillos again. I've saved some of my ground cherry seeds from this year just in case, but I've heard they grow volunteers every year very easily. For that.. I think we'd have to miss a cherry on the ground and that is unlikely to happen around here. I'm definitely giving them more space next year and no tomato cage.

tveguy3 said:Robyn, how are you using the ground cherries? Fresh eating, or did you preserve some. My neighbor when I was a kid, used to can them in a light syrup. They were good that way. Maybe they would be good dried too. I haven't grown them in years.

The Golden Berries I buy at the store are all dried, and they're delicious right out of the bag, so I think the ground cherries would be delicious dried as well.

If anyone is interested DND is hosting another seed swap this November for more info check out http://garden.org/thread/go/56...

ediblelandscapingsc said:If anyone is interested DND is hosting another seed swap this November for more info check out http://garden.org/thread/go/56...

There was some interest in ground cherries in DND's last swap, so I picked these up from Territorial Seeds, and will offer some in her next swap (Nov. 16 if we get enough people interested):

Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry Physalis pruinosa
OP 70 DTM from Poland
Very sweet, fruity & slightly tart.
½” to ¾” fruits. High pectin content.
Turns golden-orange & drops when ripe.

Stores up to 3 months in the husk.
Can be made into jam or eaten raw, in fruit salads & smoothies.
http://www.territorialseed.com...
Territorial # TM901 2016

Sow indoors ¼” deep at 70-90ºF, 6-8 weeks before last spring frost.
Emerges in 6-14 days. Pot up when they have their first set of true leaves.
Now give them cooler air, like 60-70 ºF.
Transplant 18-30” apart. Give support, the bushes can get large. Delicate roots.

Rick the November swap is going to be great
If anyone is interested you should drop by and talk to everyone on the thread http://garden.org/thread/go/56... or contact DND directly at http://garden.org/users/profil... There will be a wide array of different seeds being traded from fruits and veggies to flowers, shrubs, and trees. Don't be shy everyone is welcome and the more people we have the better.

I should probably have been more clear.

I was shamelessly hustling for more members for DNDs swap!

I think I was #2 or #3 jumping back onto that bandwagon.

I think it is really cute, and indicative of what far-gone seed snatchers we are, that not all boxes from the last swap have even arrived at her house yet, and we're already planning the next swap!