A few years ago, while touring a farm outside Baltimore, chef Kat Pettonito and her team came across some jewel-like orange berries encased in thin, papery shells, lying on the dirt. The farmer lifted the moth net so they could get a closer look — and a taste. “He picked some out of the ground and gave them to us to eat,” says Pettonito, executive chef of Duck & the Peach, La Collina, and The Wells in Washington, DC. “We were expecting something tart and gooseberry-like, but we found something completely different and immediately fell in love.”
The mystery fruit she learned about was ground cherries (also called husk cherries), which have since become a seasonal staple on her menu. “Most fruits with capes are tart, but ground cherries are not,” says Pettonito. “They have a slight citrus sweetness and a hint of vanilla, and they’re so delicious.” A relative of the tomatillo and easy to grow, ground cherries peak in the summer and decline in the fall (to avoid toxins, try to only eat them when they’re ripe). You’ll sometimes see them in grocery stores, but you’re more likely to find them at farmers’ markets. The cape is closed, crisp, and tan in color. The fruit inside has a slightly soggy skin, so give it a little rinse. They’re delicious eaten as is, but they’re also great to add to salads or dipped in chocolate for an easy sweet treat.
Petonito loves pairing it with diver scallops (see recipe), which balance the sweetness of the shellfish with the citrus flavor of the cherries. If you serve ground cherries to guests, be prepared for a pleasantly bewildered reaction from them at this tiny fruit that looks like a tomato or a berry but delivers a unique flavor. “Taste-wise, it’s just crazy,” Petonito says. “Most people are pleasantly surprised the first time they try it, and I am too.”
