Friday, December 2, 2011

Tomatillos!

I harvested these tomatillos the weekend before Thanksgiving. This was the first year we grew them. We started them from seed and grew both the green and purple varieties. They attracted all types of pollinators, mostly bees. If we grow them again next year, I think we'll just grow one or two pots instead of four. To me they're not as versatile as a regular tomato, and I can only eat so much green salsa. I chopped one up into my bell pepper stuffing last weekend.

{These are purple tomatillos. The husk even has purple lines, compared to the green ones that just have plain old brown husks.}

Tomatillos are ripe when the husk turns brown and starts to peel away. You should leave the husks on until you're ready to use the fruit. The fruit doesn't really feel soft like a regular tomato does, and the husk leaves the tomatillo skin sticky, so rinse them well before using. I found some useful information online about storing tomatillos--didn't realize you could freeze them whole or in slices. I guess because the fruit is so firm, they won't get as mushy as a regular tomato would.

6 comments:

  1. I've never has tomatillos before. I've never even had green salsa before. It might be interesting to try them someday.

    Lynn

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  2. I wish I had known that the tomatillos would freeze. I got sofew I don't think I would bother growing them again but an interesting experiment.

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  3. I've never had Tomatillos - I don't know that we get them here. But they look interesting!

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  4. I tried green tomatillo long ago when I lived in Russia. I remember their sweet taste.

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  5. Excellent harvest! You'll be enjoying those later this winter.

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  6. Thanks, all! So far I've been chopping them into omelets and ground beef to add a little extra texture to different foods. On my to-do list this weekend is making a green salsa. :)

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