Ground Cherry Tomatillo Seeds For Planting (Physalis pruinosa)

Description

Do you want to grow something unusual in your veggie garden this year? Want to expand your offerings at the next farmer's market? Plant some fresh, non-GMO ground cherry seeds from Seed Needs! Ground cherries (Physalis pruinosa) aren't what you scavenge when your fruit trees get nailed by wind—they're a tasty tomatillo variety with a tangy taste that's a blend between tomato and pineapple with a bit of mango thrown in.

Why are these little guys are called ground cherries? When they're ready to harvest, the fruits fall to the ground. They also live up to their name with their low-growing, sprawling growth habit. As with cherry tomatoes, several ground cherry fruits hang from long, vine-like stems, each covered in a paper-thin husk resembling a Chinese lantern. (In fact, tomatillos and ground cherries are close cousins of this cool ornamental plant!)The summer-bearing fruits themselves are a glowing gold color, about 1" in diameter, and the leaves have a soft, fuzzy texture.

Like cherries from a cherry tree, they're great for preserves, sweet sauces, and baked desserts, but like tomatoes, they're excellent in salsas and salads.

Ground cherries are also known as husk cherries, Cape gooseberries, and golden berries. 

A little background on ground cherries

These tropical fruits are thought to be native to Brazil (some say Peru), and they're sometimes found growing wild elsewhere in South and Central America. According to the Permaculture Institute, ground cherries became popular in South Africa in the 1800s, escaped and naturalized in Australia not long after, and first appeared in North American gardens in the early 20th century. (Funny how they made such a roundabout journey, isn't it?)