Farm Focus: Husk Cherry
In shape, it is closely related to the tomatillo. The husk cherry has a thin lantern-like paper called a calyx protecting it’s fruit. The flavor, unlike the tomatillo, has a dark honey color and a pineapple grape sweetness when fully ripe. They can be eaten raw, and if the fruit remains in the husk, it can store at room temperature for up to 30 days.
Native to Peru, Columbia, and Ecuador, the husk cherry has countless nick names, making it harder to retrace it’s journey. Today, it is commercially cultivated in South Africa, where it is canned and exported.
Aside from being a healthy alternative to what’s in the candy dish, husk cherries are versatile partners in the kitchen. It may be hard to classify their delicious sweet-tart tropical flavor. Hint of pineapple, mango? No matter, add them to a salsa, dip them in chocolate, eat them out of hand or let them adorn a cheese plate. These flavors pair perfectly with almost everything.
Try these recipes for cooking with the amazing husk cherry.
