Ground Cherry 101
Ground cherries are naturally sweet and fairly low in carbs. 1 cup, fresh, (about 60!) contains a full 20% of the RDA for adults for Vitamin A, and 25% of the RDA for Vitamin C, with just 12 g carbs (-2 g fiber).
A ground cherry berry is always enclosed in a papery calyx that looks a little like a Chinese lantern. Fruits are generally harvested in mid to late summer and ripened in their husks for a few weeks. Because they store well refrigerated, they can be found fresh in the midwest from late July through autumn. Ground-cherries grow from low, spreading perennials. The berry can be green or purple but is most commonly yellow. It gives off a sweet, slightly musky smell that sometimes tastes “plummy” or even slightly “apple-ish”. When not yet ripe, ground-cherries taste bland and look much like tomatillos, to which they are related. The plant grows easily along roads and cultivated land in many parts of North America.
