Delicious meal with ground cherry salsa and watermelon
Some Mexican restaurants feature salsa made with tomatillos (Moe’s Southwest Grill offers it as a standard condiment or side). A first cousin to the tomatillo, the humble ground cherry, is often a volunteer in Appalachian gardens that returns year after year. Oddly enough both are in the same family as deadly nightshade (so too, I believe, are tomatoes and eggplants). At any rate, for those who have ground cherries, turning them into something other than a casual snack when doing late summer and early fall garden work is both logical and easy. If the husk-covered globes have dropped from the plant, whether yellow (an indication they’ll be slightly sweet) or not, they are ready for salsa.
Just remove the husks and mix them with your salsa ingredients of choice—tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, and the like—and either run through a blender on a coarse setting or, to avoid quite as much mushiness, chop fine. Incidentally, an ulu is a great tool for this, and if you don’t own one of these Eskimo or Inuit type knives I highly recommend acquiring one. Served with chips, plain bagels, or even toast points the salsa is scrumptious and oh so easy to make. Incidentally, mixed with some crowder peas or pinto beans, or maybe with some corn cut from the corn thrown in for good measure, it works perfectly well with cornbread salad (see above).
JC
—Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food written by Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley
I made a batch of ground cherry salsa recently and we loved it! The ground cherries add a real sweetness. I chopped them up and mixed with diced tomatoes, onions, and peppers. You can use whatever spices you prefer. I seasoned with salt, pepper, and chopped basil.
Matt liked it best with tortilla chips. I really enjoyed it smeared on a piece of toasted sour dough bread.
We have ground cherries growing throughout our gardens. Once you have a plant or two you’re bound to have more the following year. Ground cherries are self sowers.
People have varying opinions on what ground cherries taste like. What comes to mind for me is a fruity tasting tomato.
You can find our cookbook here.
Last night’s video: Look What Matt Found.
Tipper
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Ground cherries, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes and peppers are all in the nightshade family. Some folks won’t eat any of these because they are supposed to be bad for arthritis. Not me!
Hi Tipper and Acorns. We made it back from Ed’s dermatology appointment. They fussed at him for not shampooing his head and beard every day with the special shampoo they ordered last year. He explained to them that he spends most days in bed and is barely able to make it to the bathroom to do “other” business. I try offering a shampoo rag and rinse rag in his room, but he feels like a burden so often. I tell him that’s what real Mamas are for. I often take his tooth brushing stuff in on a “Christmas Cookie” tray, so he can brush his teeth in bed. He has meals in bed. My days are similar to when I worked as a nurse in the nursing homes. I loved caring for the elderly. Sometimes I was in charge of 300 patients at a time. I also enjoyed private duty nursing and only had one patient.
Anyway, I loved yesterday’s video. I love how you love and care for one another. I ate ground cherries in my Granny McCulloch’s (Mama’s Mama) garden. I don’t think that she ever cooked with them. I’m cherishing your cookbook. I keep Papaw Tony n Nanna, our country and the world, everyone here and up Wilson Holler in my prayers. Love ya.
Someone may have already suggested this but, there are recipes for a watermelon type salsa also. Some include balsamic glaze which you would probably enjoy since you like salt on your watermelon.
A
If the plant has sharp, yellowish, briar-like spikes along stem and the backs of the leaves you might have a Carolina Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense). The fruits don’t have the papery husks like Ground Cherries but do look remarkably like them after they turn yellow. All parts of the Carolina Horsenettle are poisonous.
I can see that ground cherries would be good in a salsa. I remember them from childhood. We didn’t do much but eat them off the plant. Some years ago, when we lived in Charlotte, I saw some in a Trader Joe’s, and got a chuckle out of that. I think they are a bit of a different taste. They remind me a bit of a pineapple type flavor, but less sweet? Maybe an acquired taste for sure. L
Apparently, not very deadly. If they were I wouldn’t be near 84 years of age. I ate enough of them as a kid on the farm to kill a couple of horses.
God bless you Jackie
When I was young, we had a plant growing in our pasture, near the henhouse, that would put out hush-covered fruits that were yellowish. I’m wondering now if they weren’t ground cherries that had escaped the previous owner’s garden.
When I was growing up, we would often eat ground cherries that grew in the cornfield as we worked to strip the last ears or cut the stalks. Mom never used the tasty treats in any recipes as far as I can remember. Their taste is definitely unique, almost like a tropical fruit. I ordered ground cherry seeds from a catalog thirty years ago, and now they grow everywhere around my garden.
I love salsa of all kinds and I am sure your ground cherry salsa is delicious. I have never seen ground cherries growing anywhere locally. Maybe they only grow further south…not sure. I really enjoyed your video last evening and the girls recent videos too. Those little grandsons are as cute and sweet as can be.
I love ground cherries and I’m sure I’d enjoy this salsa. I have to try it sometime! Yesterday I made your salsa recipe you shared recently, Tipper, and it was delicious! My husband loved it, too. I got 8 pints canned as we ate some fresh, it was just so good. Thank you so much for sharing such wonderful recipes with us.
Potatoes are another in the nightshade family. They sometimes grow a little tomato like fruit that is toxic.
Ground cherries are not part of my diet. I try them from time to time but that tropical fruit flavor still remains. I just can’t learn to like them.
God bless you sir
I watched the video last night and it all looked delicious!
A “volunteer” is a weed you’ve found a use for, seems like…
For the 2nd day in a row, I am unable to see any comments. Is there something wrong on my end or are others experiencing this as well? After I mentioned it later in the day yesterday, all of a sudden it was back to normal. I’m so sorry to bug you but I don’t want to miss out on any of the comments from my fellow acorns. Thanks in advance for helping me figure this out.
Kim I’m sorry. They don’t publish until I approve them. Sometimes it takes me a bit longer 🙂
I guess I’ve just become spoiled lol I’m just hoping that’s exactly what’s happened & I’m sorry to have bothered you. I know you’ve both been under the weather and very busy♡ Thank you for responding!
No worries 🙂 we appreciate you!
I thought I knew what you were talking about a year or so ago but when watching your video on ground cherry salsa, I was correct about the fruit?/vegetable? Here’s the funny thing and I wish my mom was still alive so I could show her your video. When I was a very small child, I was told these were poisonous. NEVER eat them!!! I remember being fascinated by the paper-like husks. It tickled me to watch you eat them and describe them, especially Matt’s description. I was also warned about poke plant and would still never try it even if there is a time in early spring, I believe, when folks make poke salad, etc. Happy Monday & prayers to all of us in need, still this week. I look forward to seeing you two on live later on today♡
I must have been told the same thing when I was growing up because I don’t remember either me or anyone else in my family eating or doing anything with them.
sounds delicious!
good morning everybody, I think ground cherries is what I eat out of my Grandma’s old garden, when I was a child, they were in a husk, they were sort of like a tomato, they were good, God bless each and everyone of you, thank you for praying for me, God heal the sick, save the Lost, comfort the suffering and struggling, in Jesus mighty name amen
I can’t think of ground cherries without remembering Grandma. She had two kinds in her garden; the small yellow ones and a larger green-purple one. I don’t revall her ever making anything with them, just ate them as a garden snack. She would ‘save’ them when.hoeing if they weren’t too much in the way and keep them weeded. They make a pretty plant with those tan husks along about the time they are ready to eat. Thanks for the tip about Moe’s. I’ll have to keep that in mind to go try sometime.
I made several jars of Cucumber Salsa and Pineapple Mango Salsa this year. It was a hit. I wanted to give them as gifts. Some said the best they had eaten. I wish we had some Ground Cherrie Seeds. I don’t remember us having them in our garden as a kid. I bet the salsa was delicious. I think I will start my sourdough starter back up today. I have been battling this sinus infection for over two weeks. It really is bad here. God bless.
I don’t know that I have ever eaten a ground cherry. Maybe I can plant some next year. I do like plants that can take care of themselves!
We are hanging in there here. I am trying to balance preparing for baby with resting. Today I am going to get baby’s cradle out of storage and wash the bedding and little blankets. We have some storms predicted here for tonight and tomorrow morning when we are driving two hours for the second sonogram. I am praying they are mild and no one is much affected. I will keep praying for you all too. How beautiful it is that we can pray for one another and care for one another even though most of us have never met.