Comments on: Ground Cherry Salsa

By: Anne Wollaber

Anne Wollaber — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:41:03 +0000

4 cups tomatoes diced
2 cups diced sweet peppers
1/2 to 1 cup (depending on how hot you want it) pureed hot peppers
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp canning salt
2 tsp cumin
1 small can tomato paste
juice from 1/2 lime
1 cup or more if desired coarsely chopped ground cherries

Combine everything and bring to boil, simmer 10 to 15 minutes

I start the water in the caner first as it takes the longest to come to a boil. I put the wet canning jars in the oven so they get sterilized and are hot when I’m ready to fill them. Put the jars in the bath of boiling water for 20 minutes. I usually make a double batch and it makes about 4 quarts.

Hope you enjoy it. We can’t find ground cherries anywhere around here so I have to grow my own. My son-in-law is waiting for his batch of caned salsa, says he will never buy a jar again in the store.

By: Lynn Stevenson

Lynn Stevenson — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:13:06 +0000

Your salsa is very pretty, will have to try it!!
I have been looking for recipes that use more of the ground cherries,since I have over 50 bushes and many trays of them!!!! Have sold a few at farmers market and plan to take bread, pies and jam to the market this week. Would like to find a recipe for preserves, my mother-in-law apparently had one, but she passed away and we can’t find her recipe!! And yes I would be interested in the canned salsa recipe, please.

By: Anne Wollaber

Anne Wollaber — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:51:07 +0000

I have been making a canned salsa for years now adding ground cherries and you will never buy a jar of salsa again out of a store. I like my peppers and onions cooked a little so it works out great for me. If anyone is interested I’ll be glad to post it. I even cracked my glass top stove doing it and still do it, only now not on the new glass top.

By: Patti Towers

Patti Towers — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:41:35 +0000

I had read about ground cherries years ago in a Euell Gibbons book and had seen a few here and there over the years when visiting in the midwest. (They don’t grow in Arizona). Now I live in Illinois and was surprised when several plants came up wild in my flower garden this year. I find there are lots of them dropping on the ground. I’m amazed – salsa tonight and next year I plant the seeds!

By: Cheyanne Brummitte

Cheyanne Brummitte — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:23:32 +0000

My neighbor found ground cherry IN THEIR YARD!!i went and took some to my papawshouse across the road and said it was ground cherry and that there was another kind of g-cherry that was purple striped… i would like to make a pie and salsa with both kinda cherrys together they look really really good!!!

By: Salsa « Scott Nems Doots

Salsa « Scott Nems Doots — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:49:48 +0000

[...] Husk Cherry Salsa (Adapted from Catertots) [...]

By: Deb Macone

Deb Macone — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:24:28 +0000

So excited to find recipes for ground cherries. I had only eaten them raw growing up and got a package of free seed with my Jung’s seed order this spring. I now have ground cherry plants all over the garden and wondered how to fix them or preserve them for later on-now I will have some experimenting to do this fall! Thanks-

By: Jennifer Castello

Jennifer Castello — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:35:15 +0000

I live in upstate NY, and had never heard of the ground cherry until I read “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s a great book about being self-sustainable and eating locally. I was tickled to find the plants at a local farm while picking strawberries. They were only $1 each, and already producing! I am NOT a gardener, and I have a terrible way with plants, but I have 3 of these in pots on my deck and they are going crazy!
Thanks, everyone, for sharing all your information and recipes!

By: David G

David G — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:39:57 +0000

Thanks for the recipe. I bought some seeds from baker creek seeds and they are growing abundantly here in south georgia. These are genetically different from tomatoes and tomatillos, though in the same family. They will come back true to type as long as they are not grown with a second type of ground cherry. To save the seeds, just split one ground cherry in half and squeeze the seeds out into a small bowl. Add water to the bowl and pour off anything that floats. Repeat this till nothing floats. Then place seeds on a cookie sheet, glass dish, or wax paper to dry. Once dry they can be stored in a cool dry place to plant next year, or this year if you have a long growing season. Start seeds like you would tomatoes and plant into the garden when you would tomatoes at the same spacing. The plants do not need to be staked. They are self supporting. They will sprawl up to 5′ wide and 3′ tall in long growing seasons. One plant can produce several hundred fruits.

By: Ceri

Ceri — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:09:26 +0000

We just picked our first ground cherries. They were our experimental plant this year. they grew easily from seed and are producing like crazy. (We live in south texas so we are well into our growing season.) The kids love them! I hate to cook anything they will eat as is (I am all about easy), but this salsa looks as though it might please everybody. Thanks for the idea.

By: Brenda Wilken

Brenda Wilken — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:19:57 +0000

My sister-in-law and I just discovered ground cherries at the Farmers Market this past weekend. We loved them and each bought a pint. After tasting them, I said that they would make a good salsa! Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to make it!

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:32:56 +0000

I am 52 years old and have always loved ground cherries. This is the first year that I am growing them. Grandson loves them, husband is not sure. Took them to work and my coworkers are amazed at how good they are. No one ever heard of them. I can’t wait to make the salsa and bring that in to work.

Thanks for giving the little guy a good wrap!!!!!

By: lorraine

lorraine — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:37:44 +0000

hi,, just discovered these cherries this year. yummy…..this salsa recipe looks delicious. do u think we could make this and keep for awhile…thanks

By: Andy

Andy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:05:54 +0000

Yes they sure are hard to resist not eating them all! I picked up 2 plants from our local farmers market this year to put into the garden but the chipmunks have been eating all of the fruit before they are even close to being ripe.

By: steve green

steve green — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:29:49 +0000

I wanted to make salsa but we sat around and ate the whole bowl of them that I picked from my garden. I grew them from seed this year (Variety: Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherries).

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:12:52 +0000

I bought them last week at our local farmer’s market and roasted them in the oven with garlic and olive oil-tossed in pasta-came out really quite good except that they kind of liquified when I tossed them in with the pasta. Oh well-tasted great!! I think you can’t expect them to hold shape well when heated but the taste is quite unique and the pasta was great.

By: Andy

Andy — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:38:47 +0000

Kathy, Here is what I was able to find.

Calories 40
Protein 1.6
Fat 0.5
Calcium 10
Phosphorus 34
Iron 0.9
Sodium –
Potassium –
Vitamin A 25
Thiamin 0.9
Riboflavin 0.04
Niacin 2.4
vitamin c 6

Source: http://www.edibleplants.com/wepnut_frames.htm

By: Kathy Barker

Kathy Barker — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:01:24 +0000

I was wondering the nutrtional value of ground cherries….

By: Jolene

Jolene — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:17:19 +0000

Yummy yummy yummy! Just scored some organic ground cherries at a local farm and salsa was the first thing I thought when I laid eyes on them and as soon as I tasted it I knew salsa was where it would end up. Gives the salsa a nice sweetness.

By: Roberta

Roberta — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:45:52 +0000

I’m amazed that you managed to save some ground cherries for an actual recipe! I find them as addictive as fresh peas, which never make it to the pot. They get gobbled up as they are!
Don’t spread the word about them- let’s just keep them to ourselves!

By: Andy

Andy — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:58:33 +0000

Jean, I am glad to hear that you liked it. I wish I had these growing in our garden!

By: Jean

Jean — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:39:56 +0000

Have ground cherries growing in our garden. Have tried the recipe and my husband loves it.

By: Black Rose

Black Rose — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:54:48 +0000

My wife started growing ground cherries last year at our new house in the country. Being that our soil needs a lot of work these were the one plant that came through with abundancy and we just ate them all as nice snacks. It is nice to see some recipes, you maybe interested in this pie that I just found online: http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/gardeninfo/reference/recipes/groundcherrypie

By: Pearl

Pearl — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:11:31 +0000

I bet that tastes fantastic. I only ever think of them paired with chocolate.

By: joey

joey — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:25:51 +0000

What an interesting looking fruit! I have never seen it before but your description is so engaging That salsa looks delicious!

By: Valli

Valli — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:03:51 +0000

I haven’t come across ground cherries at our farmer’s market. I have come to the conclusion that our market is pretty standard and boring this year. Nothing exciting in the offerings. I like your idea of preparing a salad with the cherries.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:06:34 +0000

I am so jealous of your market finds. I know I’d love this salsa.

By: JennDZ - The Leftover Queen

JennDZ - The Leftover Queen — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:18:04 +0000

Wow! This sounds so yummy! I have never had ground cherries – when I looked at the photo I though immediately tomatillos! Wow, so cool!

By: Nirmala

Nirmala — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 03:28:12 +0000

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Your salsa looks just fabulous. I love tomatoes and will be sad when the season is over.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:01:44 +0000

We just ground cherries at our local farmers’ market this week also! I was wondering what could be done with them. Nice post.