wow, it's been years and i don't know why i remember that but I think it was in one of the later books. They were in North Dakota and Laura was older.

Ontario is almost twice the size of Texas, and Thunder Bay is about as far away from Lake Ontario as you can get without actually getting into Manitoba. I drove it two years ago: three days on the road from Toronto, with two iffily-toilet-trained kids in the back seat. If you were headed toward Niagara Falls as part of your trip, I would say I was a "slight" detour from your route: about two hours of highway driving each way. (And that's pronounced "root" in Canada, not "rout". )

Seeing as ground cherries are rampantly wild in the States, you'd be better off looking at my garden page:

http://www.angelfire.com/fl2/bluesheep/gardenpics1.html

I have posted a picture of my ground cherries here, so you'll know what to look for.

I just ordered a small pack of seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I'd be glad to send you half of them when they arrive. The way others here are writing about them, once you get a patch started, you don't ever need to plant them again!

I'm in zone 5 (western PA) and they grow fine. They have a sort of smoky taste all their own that really grows on you, but taste not at all like a tomato. (Called as they are I expect because they are cherry-sized and a close relative of the tomato.)

As someone said, if tomatoes ripen for you, GCs will. They grow wild in Michigan. My kids & I (& now my granddaughter) love 'em, so since I have not found them wild here in PA (I must not be looking where Euell Gibbons was!) I plant them. Another friend who tried them for the first time immediately became addicted!
I find them very sprawly, though, not 3' high. I am sure there are slightly different cultivars, like many things. I got my seed from Nichols. Nothing seems to bother them, except early in the summer, before they bloomed, I spotted a few cuke beetles on them. I confess I dusted 'em with rotenone. They didn't return.

Like tomatoes, they are native to the Americas, but are found far & wide. The Amish use them. My new next-door-neighbor from Malaysia recognized them immediately when she saw them in the garden. In Hawaii they are called poha.

Last fall I invented a yummy ground cherry-lime marmalade with ginger & ground coriander. I will cut back on the sugar next time, though, it was a bit too sweet for me. Also, since I ate so many fresh fruits, and needed so many for my marmalade, I did not have enough for a pie from my 3 plants (it was a rainy summer, though). I will make sure I grow more this year!
If you gather them daily, they will keep in a paper bag on the counter for days until you get enough to use. You gotta love a fruit that picks itself when ripe! LOL Just brushing against the vines causes ripe fruit to fall.
Why not try starting some plants indoors and direct seeding a few more just to see what happens? As was pointed out, like regular tomatoes left in the garden, they will self-sow, and of course volunteers are much hardier than indoor-started plants. Once they are 4-6" tall, transplant them with a generous root ball + soil (to lessen shock) to where you want them.

walleye- I would love to swap with you!!! email me and give me an idea what you would like in exchange. I am sure I have something you don't have already. owlhollow12@yahoo.com

owl

walleye, Thanks for the email. I accidently deleted it and lost your email addy. Please send it again.
owl