Ground Cherry Quartet

I sprouted a slew of Physalis peruviana and picked a foursome of the strongest plants for a planter that was just sad because it saw direct sunlight in the summer and full shade in the winter. I've seen what these plants can do, and they seem to handle it all. Not to mention the fact that they're pretty tasty and their little paper lantern calyxes are novel. To date, they're all growing up just fine and will soon be ready to flower and fruit. If you don't like tomatoes, but you're looking for a substitute that is a little sweeter but still tart, this is your plant.

Ground Cherry

It's going to be a warm weekend, so I started it off with watering my plants. Upon doing so a Ground Cherry aka Cape Gooseberry freed itself and fell to the ground. The little orange-yellow marble inside a tan paper lantern bounced with a slight crunching sound to catch my attention. I liberated the fruit from it's paper shell and popped it in my mouth. It was sweet before I bit into it. I thought, "this must be what people who enjoy tomatoes like." Except that Physalis fruits are nightshades, and they're not gross. I think anyone could grow these like they do a tomato plant, save some seeds through the winters in other zones where the plant would not survive, and enjoy the spring and summer tangy sweetness each year.