A Year of Gratitude – October 2, 2024

I harvested my gratitude from the garden today. It was time to collect the husk cherries and bring them into the farmhouse kitchen. I was thankful for every golden fruit that the garden produced for us.

You might know these fruits as ground cherries. They have a habit of falling from the plant when they are fully ripe and collecting on the ground. They grow inside a papery husk which helps to protect them from pests.

These are the most interesting thing we grow in our garden each year. They taste like a cross between pineapple and a tomato. They’re sweet and earthy with just a hint of tropical flavor. They are as fascinating to cook with as they are to look at.

As I slid them from their papery husks, I found myself grateful for the memory of the first time I tasted them at our local farmer’s market. My children were small and a farmer offered them each a few of these papery gifts to sample. I can remember their eyes growing wide as they tasted them. We’ve been growing them in our garden ever since.

That was probably 15 years ago now. My, how time flies. And yet, thanks to the garden and this harvest today, I can carry that memory close to me for as long as I keep planting them in the garden. I’ll certainly be continuing the tradition next year.

Have you ever tasted these fruits? Have you ever grown them in your garden?

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.