Tomatillos and Ground Cherries

This genus includes a range of crops such as tomatillos (P. philadelphica), cape gooseberry (P. peruviana), and groundcherry (P. pruinosa). There are other species in this genus, however, these are the most commonly grown in the home garden. Physalis are warm-weather crops in the nightshade family native to the Americas. What makes these crops so unique is that the fruit is surrounded by an inedible but protective paper-like husk. After pollination, the calyx of the flower surrounds the developing fruit and grows with it, forming the husk. I love homemade salsa verde or green hot sauce, especially when the tomatillos are homegrown, organic, and harvested at their peak.