I had not heard of a ground cherry until 2 years ago. In the Lehman’s catalogue there was a package of ground cherry seeds for sale. I bought several. This is the second year that I have grown ground cherries and I love them. I really don’t know how to describe their flavor. It is a mix gooseberries and pineapples. The ground cherry has a small orange fruit when ripe inside of a papery husk. My research has indicated they are kin to tomatillos because they grow on plants that resemble tomatoes or tomatillos. The ground cherry can be used in pies, salads, jams and jellies. I have also frozen them.

Unfortunately, you will probably have to plant some to harvest ground cherries. Here in Oklahoma, I can barely find canned gooseberries. And that is only 80 miles one way up to Tulsa. These photos show  volunteer plant that escaped from my garden this year.

1 unbaked deep dish pie shell, store bought or your own recipe
3 cups Ground Cherries, husked and rinsed
2 Eggs
¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
2/3 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
1 cup Whole Milk or Half and Half
2 teaspoons Vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a deep dish pie plate with ground cherries. Set aside. Beat the eggs with salt. Add sugar and flour. Add milk and vanilla. Pour over ground cherries. Bake for 10 minutes. Cover edge of pie with tinfoil to prevent over browning. Bake an additional 25 minutes until the center is set and cooked. This pie has a custard like appearance. Can be served with ice cream or whipped cream.