North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Title: Re: [NAFEX] Was tomatoes - now ground cherries

Ground cherries are pleasant to eat, not hard to grow, but lots of work for what you get.  That is, the fruits are about the size of a small grape and you have to remove the husk from each and every one if you are going to process them.   I don't know if I could say mine had pineapple flavor, but they are sweet and definitely not like tomato in flavor.  You don't pick them, though - wait until the husks turn dry and the fruits fall from the plant.  Before that, they aren't ripe.  And once you have planted them, odds are that you will have them as volunteers for years after.  Not a problem if you like them, and it does make planting easy - just thin out the seedlings and leave ones where you want them.  A dozen plants will fill a shopping bag with the little fruits and they keep for months.  
-Lon Rombough
>
Grapes, writing, consulting, more, plus word on The Grape Grower at http://www.bunchgrapes.com

From: rob hamilton <lostman_amiga@yahoo.com>
> Reply-To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2002 07:42:17 -0800 (PST)
> To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Off Topic - But tomatoes are fruit

> Interesting title.
>
> Here is something that is mid way between "fruit" and
> tomatoes.
>
> Ground Cherries...has anyone grown this cousin to the
> tomatoe?
> It is supposed to have citrus to pineapple flavor, but
> look and cultivated
> like tomatoes (or tomatillos) 
> Im thinking of trying some this spring.
>
> Any suggestions on a variety?