Can you give us a botanical/Latin name Nancy? If you're talking about Physalis edulis, a small relative of the tomatillo family: I let them ripen on the vine until they're yellow. Most get eaten while I'm in the garden. I bury the ones the birds get to first in one place, mark it, and have seedlings for next year. Surplus? Substitute for apples in any pie recipe, but I'm not sure about acid/pectin content when making jam.

Physalis cinerascens, or similar?

This Ground Cherry was found growing next to a river. It was probably close to ~2' tall with cherries about a ~3/4" diameter. Which species exactly is it?

Some have expressed frustration in getting groundcherries to fully ripen. I have a lot of volunteer plants in the spring. Did I say I have a lot of volunteers?! Last year I planted watermelons down the center of a bed and let ground cherries grow along the edges...spaced out properly. This worked VERY well and I repeated with 2 rows of potatoes down the center...very good again. It is good to be systematic and not hit and miss. It is best to harvest the newly fallen fruits every few days rather than letting them lay on the ground for who knows how long. I bring them in and pour them in the husk in garden flats and let them further ripen in the sun for 4 or 5 days...works super well.