topic Re: It's Groundcherry Time! in Recipes

It's Groundcherry Time!

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 01:37:31 GMT

Just got my stash for Thanksgiving and Christmas groundcherry pies. Have to say, they are small this year, but the ratio of ripe to green is pretty good. Anybody else into groundcherries?

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

Kachina624 — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 01:41:51 GMT

@PA Mom-mom Never heard of ground cherries. Do they grow in PA.? I lived there and still never heard of them.

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

happycat — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 01:43:53 GMT

I have never heard of them either. They do look interesting though.

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 01:58:16 GMT

@happycat and @Kachina624 I think you could grow these anywhere. We make holiday pies with them, but I think there are other uses. Raw, they are not so great, but in a pie, many in my family think they are just the best. Here's a pic of them after they are husked.

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

kitcat51 — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 02:38:09 GMT

I've never heard of them, they look like gooseberries... interesting.

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 02:46:11 GMT

@kitcat51 They are much smaller than gooseberries and grow on a plant instead of a bush. I like gooseberries too!

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

on the bay — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 03:29:42 GMT

Hi @PA Mom-mom!

I've never heard of them either.

Do you know if these are the same as those yellow cherry tomatoes I've seen in stores?

Or are those something different?

Do they call them groundcherries in stores?

I've been buying these cherry tomatoes called Cherubs and to me they taste like candy-they are so good-crunchy and kind of sweet.

They've become a staple in my refrigerator!

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

Azcowgirl — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 06:48:05 GMT

I’ve seen these plants and always thought they were just ornamental, with their cute little lantern shaped things !

Never knew they were actually little fruits inside !

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 11:33:35 GMT

@on the bay wrote:
Hi @PA Mom-mom!
I've never heard of them either.
Do you know if these are the same as those yellow cherry tomatoes I've seen in stores?
Or are those something different?
Do they call them groundcherries in stores?
I've been buying these cherry tomatoes called Cherubs and to me they taste like candy-they are so good-crunchy and kind of sweet.
They've become a staple in my refrigerator!

@on the bay. No they are not the same as yellow tomatoes. And they are not good raw. And @Azcowgirl There are ornamental plants out there that sort of look like groundcherry plants, but they are not edible. I used to grow them myself, but now I just buy them at roadside stands in Lancaster. This year our church grew them in the community garden, so I bought them there. They are a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, but if you google ground cherries, you will see a lot of references. I spell it as one word, but most often you see it spelled with two words.

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 11:35:34 GMT

@on the bay Speaking of those little yellow cherry tomatoes... LOVE them! I bought two of the plants the year. I may buy even more next year. Just like candy!

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

Poodlepet2 — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 19:02:59 GMT

@PA Mom-mom, there is a huge community of Amish in Sarasota Florida....should I encounter them, what am I looking for in terms of ripeness? If they have them at open markets, I'm sure they might be imported from Pa.

I have a feeling I may not find them here in Florida, but should I be able to, can you give us a recipe for the pie filling? That would be helpful!

Thanks and Hugs,

Poodlepet2

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 22:20:51 GMT

@Poodlepet2 wrote:
@PA Mom-mom, there is a huge community of Amish in Sarasota Florida....should I encounter them, what am I looking for in terms of ripeness? If they have them at open markets, I'm sure they might be imported from Pa.

I have a feeling I may not find them here in Florida, but should I be able to, can you give us a recipe for the pie filling? That would be helpful!
Thanks and Hugs,
Poodlepet2

@Poodlepet2 I think you might find either a pie or the friut. Ask at Yoder's. When you are looking at unhusked groundcherries, you can't immediately tell if they are ripe or not. Groundcherries are harvested after they fall on the ground. After they fall, they do not continue to ripen. When cooked, the yellow (ripe) groundcherries are very sweet and the green ones are not. A good mixture of both makes the best pie. All ripe is too sweet. If I don't get a good mix the first time, I keep buying so I can build a good mix. Yes, I'm just that nutty!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 quart (plus a bit more) husked fresh or frozen ground cherries (this could be up to 4 quarts of un-husked ground cherries)*

½ cup sugar

2 packed tablespoons brown sugar

1 rounded tablespoon flour

Dash cinnamon

1/4 cup heavy or whipping cream

2 tablespoons butter

* Try to get a good mixture of yellow and green ground cherries. All green would be too tart, and all yellow would be too sweet.

For bottom of pie:

1 packed tablespoon brown sugar

1 rounded tablespoon flour

Mix together and sprinkle over bottom of unbaked crust

For the pie:

½ cup sugar

2 packed tablespoons brown sugar

1 rounded tablespoon flour

Dash cinnamon

Sprinkle bottom mixture into the crust. Wash ground cherries, strain off water and place in unbaked pie shell until full to the top of the crust. If using frozen ground cherries, do not thaw them. Pour the frozen ground cherries into a bowl and quickly run lukewarm water over them to wash them. Then pour them in a strainer to get off the water before putting them into the pie shell. Mix the sugar, brown sugar flour and cinnamon and sprinkle over the ground cherries (making sure to tap it down a bit to get the mixture into all the nooks and crannies. Pour about 1/4 cup of cream over all and dot all over with butter. Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for about 50 minutes or until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbling. (All ovens are different, so it may take longer or shorter.) The ground cherries will be slightly browned on the top. Since all ovens are different you should check the pie at 30 minutes to make sure it isn’t cooking too quickly or too slowly. When you first take it out of the oven it will be just a bit loose, so let it cool down before serving.

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

Poodlepet2 — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 18:55:13 GMT

...@PA Mom-mom, I think we need to go to Yoder's. I have friends that work at Sarasota Memmorial and they go there frequently....You have an eye for blending them,-I don't really know if I could buy them fresh, but I'm sure Yoders would have it in a delicious pie!

Great idea!

Hugs,

Poodlepet2

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

shoptilyadropagain — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 19:57:09 GMT

I had never heard of them until a few months ago. My cousin was telling me about her friend who buys them from Amish markets/bakeries here in Indiana.

Re: It's Groundcherry Time!

jannabelle1 — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 00:41:33 GMT

I live in Missouri - never heard of them. What do they taste like?