musings.schelley.org

A few stalls at Sunday's farmer's market advertised "ground cherries". Afflicted with a hangover and not enough sleep, I ignored, until someone gave me a sample. And then I made a snap decision: I had now found my new favorite fall fruit.

Covered in a paper-like husk, the ground cherry looks suspiciously like a miniature tomatilla. Or a Japanese paper tea lantern. Depending on your perspective. The fruit is easy to eat - peel off the paper and pop in your mouth. It tastes like a cross between a pineapple, cherry and butter. Hard to explain, but utterly delicious. I also like the fact that there aren't any seeds to deal with, and unless you're really out of it, not too much of a mess to eat.

I threw the handful of the fruit in a salad for my first real Seattle Sunday dinner (i.e., not dinner for visiting-from-out-of-town guests). For the record, fresh greens with edible flowers, (also a farmer's market find), ground cherries, gorgonzola and balsamic vinegrette. A perfect combination. I also made Cooks perfect and unique eggplant parmesan; Jill supplied chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting for dessert. Among the wines, we consumed a very tasty 2002 Grand Amis (Great Friends) Zin from Graffigna Vineyard, Abacela red table wine, asome Chateau Saint Michelle chardonnay and an excellent Columbia Valley gewurtz (I have Ren to thank for the last two, especially the gewurtz, my all-time favorite dessert wine varietal).