Grew them a couple years ago. Bought a 4-pack at Russell's. They are in the tomato family but they are low growing. Grow, and have the space requirements of a zucchini.

My issue was what to do with the abundant crop. I Would throw a handful on our nightly salad. And that was about it. Ended up making the equivalent of applesauce with the rest and canned it to make a husk cherry version of applause muffins.

Johnny's Seeds in Maine carries them if you can't find them locally. I don't know what the shipping would be as I've never only bought a few packets, though it would certainly be less than 8$! If you are on their email list they sometimes have free shipping.

Pinetree Seeds in Maine carries them as Pineapple Tomatillos (they are in the tomatillo family but they are ground cherries). I paid $1.50 for 40 seeds. It says shipping is $2.95 for orders $9.99 or less. I had a larger order so my shipping for 15 items total was $6.95.

Harvest forum has some discussions about recipes and uses, I believe.

Susan

I grew these from seed a couple of years ago but lost most of the fruit to brazen chipmunk(s). I was really disappointed. Some sellers at farmers markets have the fruit for sale but it's expensive.

It self-seeded for me this year, but the critters have stolen them all. The good news is that you may have to buy seed only once. It is often not cost effective to buy just one packet of seed from the seed companies . I have encountered this when I have placed my seed orders and then hear about just one more plant.

Here is an idea for you Debra. Allendale Farm sells these in the late summer, and they also sell the plants at the beginning of the season. As others have pointed out, they are similar to tomatillos and tend to self sow in that manner. I bought 3 plants at the beginning of the season from Allendale, but a cutworm got one.
I don't have quite the sun that these want, so I have many still green. The chipmunks and other small rodents have helped themselves.

These are also called "Cape Gooseberries" and (?I think) husk tomatoes. I wanted them to use for raw chutneys. They do have a pineapple cast to their flavor, and the balance of the taste is difficult to describe. When ripe they fall to the ground (where the mice quickly grab them) and are a soft, golden-orange color. Chef Tamasin Day-Lewis has some recipes with these "Cape Gooseberries."

I will try to remember to save out plenty of seeds. I'd saved some from last year's pints of fruit from Allendale Farm, but misplaced them. The plants take a while to get established in the garden, but take off in late July and August, sprawling over anything within an acre (perhaps 3 to 4 feet out in my sun-starved garden. I can probably get some collected seed to you.

That is a lovely photo, btw. Did you take it?

Does anyone have any ideas what I might do with the unripe ground cherries?

Starsplitter: Here it is a year later and I have an update for you. Someone sent me some seeds last year and I could not get them to sprout or grow. I have contacted Allendale Farm find out if they plan to offer these plants or seeds this season, as they are just getting started. If you go to the Allendale Farm website, you will see that they have just begun their season and on 3/25 (yesterday!!!) they offered a seed starting clinic in their green houses for $20 per person! Sheesh, I would have gone to that for sure had I known.... I've sent them an email and hopefully they will reply. Nobody is answering the phone there. Has anybody shopped at Allendale Farm? It looks fabulous.

With regard to your question as to unripe ground cherries, I found this on-line: The fruit is edible raw or cooked, as in pies or preserves. The fruit can fall from the plant before it is ripe. That usually takes a week or two or more until the husk has dried and the fruit a golden yellow to orange. Each fruit is wrapped in a husk that is NOT edible. The fruit will store several weeks if left in the husk. Unripe fruit — light green — is toxic. Ripe fruits are light to golden yellow. If any ripe fruit has a bitter aftertaste should be cooked first. If it is still bitter after cooking, don’t eat it.