Ode to the Tomatillo

[hypercat]

Can I persuade fellow plotters to start a campaign to grow and promote the green tomatillo? This Mexican treasure grows surprisingly well outdoors in my damp and miserable corner of the north west. (Start it like a tomato under glass, pot on and plant out after frosts). This 'green tomato' with the papery husk has a lovely tart slightly lemony/gooseberry flavour. It makes the most fantastic mexican salsa verde sauce which can be bottled and lasts all year. (Boiled tomatillos, onion, water/stock and jalapeno chilli whizzed up plus lots of coriander). Also freezes brilliantly, just shove in plastic bag in freezer. Great base for pork/chicken mexcan stews and fresh, makes a lovely salsa fresca. You could slice and dry it as well and it keeps for a considerable length of time in its husk in the veggie box in the fridge. Oh and you can turn it into jam (but a bit of a waste in my view).

[Geoff]

No need for conversion been growing them for a few years. Last year we experimented with them outside and they did better than in the cold greenhouse, wish somebody had told us earlier.

[Tigger]

We're growing them this year too.

[hypercat]

You're right about growing outside and the 'wish I'd known' bit. Its a shame that the supermarkets and grocersdon't share our enlightment on the value of these? If anyone has any good recipes (not covered in my first post) bring 'em on.

[Primrose]

Would love to give them a try but as always with limited space, it would be a case of just sowing two or three seeds for an experimental crop, if you can't find young plants in a garden centre.

[hypercat]

A few plants is really all you need (so a packet of seeds lasts aons). Last year 4 plants produced a freezer drawer full of tomatillos plus a good few jars of salsa verde. Germination rates are generally fairly good. Not seen plants for sale anywhere yet though.

[Geoff]

They also self seed if any escape in a greenhouse.

[Primrose]

Does anybody know where you can buy tomatillos. I'd really like to try some before attempting to grow a few plants next year if I like them but have never seen any in supermarkets.

Do they have the same tall growing habit as tomatoes and have to be staked? And can you grow them close to each other? i.e. no risk of cross pollination etc?

Also I presume they're from the same family and are therefore vulnerable to blight?

[hypercat]

You can get tinned tomatillos mail order from The Mexican Grocer http://www.mexgrocer.co.uk or Lupe Pinto http://www.lupepintos.com and also the Cool Chile Company but they are quite expensive (and quite squishy being tinned). Fine for stews and salsa verde but not for uncooked salsas. I'd recommend trying a bottle of salsa verde as a try out. They are related to Cape Goosberry's (physalis) rather than tomatoes and tend to have sideways sprawling amd rather spindly laterals that do need tying up - especially when the relatively heavy fruits fill out. Horizontal wires and tying the laterals to them or horizontal netting for support and staking of the central stem generally works. Again the growth resembles Cape Gooseberries rather than tomatoes. I plant mine about 3-4 foot apart outside. I've not noticed them getting blight - they were one of the few things that succeeded in my plot in the n.west last year when potatoes and even my greenhouse tomatoes got blight.

[Primrose]

hypercat - thanks for that information. I had visions of growing some tomatillos mixed in with my row of tomato plants but from what you say, it doesn't sound as this would be suitable, judging by the amount of space they take up.

[hypercat]

You could perhaps allow them to mingle/intertwine with your tomatoes if they're the cordon/trained kind as they could kind of sprawl between. YOu wouldn't need a lot of plants, even one or 2 tomatillos can produce a good crop. Alternatively you could try a grow bag, two plants to the bag max. I'd still allow at least 2 ft between the plants though. Just as an addendum, Peppers by Post and Cool Chile Co. apparently do fresh tomatillos mail order.