To Market, To Market...

It's nice living within a walking distance from a thriving farmers' market. Each Saturday morning, after a strong cup of coffee, and a slice or two of toast, I grab my Moe's tote (a proud relic of my Berkeley days) and Brian and I take a stroll down to Wooster Square. I peruse what the vendors have for sale each week, and although it is fresh, bright, and bountiful, I must admit, it is standard fare. The summer squash is just zucchini, there are a few peaches, but simply the yellow sort, and although the tomatoes are plentiful, there are just a handful of the heirloom variety. As I pick up my bundles it is hard for me not to remember the potato man at the Union Square Greenmarket fondly, and to think back to the multi-colored hues of a California cauliflower. (I know, I know, I'm just feeling sorry for myself. But it gets better!)

And then there was last Saturday, and the find of the summer. "What're those? They look like tomatillos, but smaller," I asked Brian as we wandered through the stalls. We made a bee-line for the vendor selling these peculiar looking vegetables.

"Is that a tomatillo?" I ask the kid behind the table.

"No, but good guess. They're ground cherries. Do you want to try one?" he asked.

I nodded quickly, always affirmative when it comes to samples at the farmers' market. I peeled the papery husk, and a small, sunny yellow orb came rolling out into the palm of my hand. Popping the vegetable into my mouth, it felt like a cherry tomato, bursting with juice, with crunchy seeds, and a smooth skin. But it was sweet, much sweeter that its cousin the tomato, and without any of the tart punch of its false cognate, the tomatillo.

"Wow, excellent. I have never seen those anywhere else. What do you do with them classically?" I asked.

"Just eat them. Although I've been told you could make a pie out of them. But that'd be sort of expensive."

I glanced at the price, at $5 for less than a pint, that would be one delectable, though expensive dessert. I bought my box, and couldn't wait to get home to try a few more. It always seems strange to equate one food to another, but how else is one supposed to describe a new taste? The nearest fruit I can compare the ground cherry to is the kiwi, a bit acidic, giving way to a gentle sweetness. Brian said they tasted a bit vegetal, like a green bean. I could see this as well, but if ground cherries were green beans then they would be the sweetest, juiciest green bean known to man.

This weekend we are having friends over for dinner. If the farmers' market has more ground cherries, I think I know what we'll be having for a first course.