Husk Tomato

On Jul 27, 2008, stonetta from Ceglie Messapica (BR),
Italy (Zone 10a) wrote:

I tasted the fruit for the first time last summer, loved it, was given a small plant last fall, thought it hadn't made it through the winter, and then bam! it grew beautifully.
Right now, end of July, it has flowers and some fruits.
I just purchased a packet of Ground Cherry seeds (believe it's also known as Cape Gooseberry). I will see how the seedlings look, and if they seem too vulnerable, I'll overwinter indoors or outside by a south facing wall.
I notice the description says "under 6"? Mine is about 2 ' tall.

June 24, 09 update.
The plant produced an abundance of fruit that I found to be delicious. I was counting on it being a perennial or at least reseeding, given the number of fruits that ended up on the ground and uneaten, but it die... read mored and no volunteers have sprouted. Perhaps it is because we had frost last winter (pretty unusual for San Francisco).
I purchased a packet of seeds, but none of those sprouted either.

On Jul 13, 2006, joegee from Bucyrus, OH (Zone 6a) wrote:

Please revise zones for this plant! It grows perfectly well in Ohio through zone 5a!

As others have noted, it reseeds readily, and it's delicious in baked goods (gorgeous pie, Ohbreezy!!!) I like 'em fresh, but not all people do. Your mileage may vary.

Beware the look-alike of the ground cherry, another low-growing plant that likes similar growing conditions, also a solanaceae, that also produces encased yellow fruits. Use your nose. To me, a crushed fruit from one of these (Solanum physalifolium, hoe or ground-cherry nightshade, poisonous!!!) impostors smell like rotting cheese.

On Aug 9, 2005, JerseyGardener1 from Deal, NJ wrote:

Physalis pruinosa fruits (flavor) may not appeal to everyone. The fruit is tasty though if left to ripen completely. Even slightly green or yellow/green fruits will have an off flavor. They are like quinces in this way. Let them ripen to a full golden yellow/orange. They have a somewhat sweet flavor. Texture (of skin) is exactly like a tomato and insides are somewhat like a tomato but devoid of the pulpy seed cavity. They are all meat..... however they are seeds dispersed throughout it and there are a TON of them. This may make the fruit unpleasent to eat to some. The flavor is pretty sweet as stated and tastes like a mixture of fruits, some pineapple, some strawberry and grape with a touch of tomato. It also has a slight flavor that is unpleasent..... some fruits have it more than other... read mores. Some have it so slight that they are still tasty some have it so much they taste sort of yucky. It is a hard to describe "note" a note of skunky?ness or dirtiness.... a guess a note of "skunkiness" would best describe it. Letting them ripen fully helps reduce this and some plants just wind up producing better tasting fruits than others (it is variable). Save seeds only from fruits you've enjoyed eating. Not my favorit fruit vegetable to grow/eat (easy to grow not most favorite for eating) but a fairly pleasent tasting fruit none the less and a garden novelty.