Ingredients

2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup (150g) packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup (80g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature

2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 large ripe bananas)

1 cup pitted cherries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy (approx. 2 minutes).
On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Do not overmix.
Fold in the pitted cherries with a spoon.
Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 60-65 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to stop the top from getting too brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when the bread is done. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely before slicing (good luck waiting!).
Cover and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

This week we got something I’d never heard of before joining the CSA: husk tomatoes, or as I learned they are also called, ground cherries. From my internet research, they are either related to, or the same thing as, gooseberries. They look sort of like tiny tomatillos, little yellow tomatoes inside lantern-like husks, but they taste sweet, a lot like pineapple. They are apparently often used for pies and jams, but I like to use them in muffins.

Ground Cherry Muffins, based on recipes by Mark Bittman

1 c. ground cherries, husked and rinsed
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
½ t. salt
3 t. baking powder
¼ c. real maple syrup (more for sweeter muffins)
3 T. canola oil
2 eggs
1 c. milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin tin with 12 baking cups. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat together the maple syrup, canola oil, eggs, and milk in a smaller bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Combine swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the ground cherries. Divide the batter between the 12 baking cups and bake 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let rest for 5 minutes, then remove from muffin tin.