Fall is here on the farm! We've got all our fall cabbage, broccoli and carrots in the ground and the summer crops like tomatoes and peppers are winding down. We're noticing the fall colors starting to change, and the dewy mornings are becoming more plentiful. Farming and eating locally are all about following the seasons and we welcome the transition to a new time of year!
Veggie of the Week:Ground Cherries!
For anyone who's never heard of ground cherries, I like to call them nature's candy because they come in their own little wrapper. Also called pineapple tomatillos, these sweet, tangy little treasure's are a delight that can only be enjoyed for a short time of year. If you can keep yourself from eating all of them straight from the bag, try them in this recipe for
Ground Cherry Coffee Cake: Ingredients 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
10 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk (or regular milk soured with lemon juice or vinegar)
1 large egg
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups ground cherries, husks removed
1 cup chopped pecan pieces (untoasted)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9" cake pan (the taller the sides the better) or bundt pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter with two table knives until butter is combined with flour and is the size of small peas. Remove 1 cup of flour & butter mixture into a second bowl and set aside (you'll use it for your topping later).
Add in baking powder and soda to base flour mixture and whisk gently (or sift before hand). Add buttermilk, egg, and vanilla, and stir until mixture is free of flour streaks. Lumps are ok as your butter is still chunky, but streaks tell you it's not quite mixed enough.
Pour flour mixture into prepared pan. Scatter ground cherries (or fruit of your choice) over the top. Next, add nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon to your small bowl of flour that is set aside. Stir and sprinkle over the top. It will be thick, that's ok. It equals crunchy goodness.
Bake for 60 to 75 minutes (depending on the color of your cake pan) until a skewer (wooden or metal) comes out crumby, but clean. If your nuts start to get too dark (dark brown good, burnt bad), apply foil over the top of your pan to halt that process and allow the cake to continue cooking. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan. Serve and enjoy!
Thanks for supporting your local farmers!
Ellen and Ashley