A tart gift from Mexico, tomatillos (Physalis philadelphica) are commonly used by chefs and home cooks throughout the United States and worldwide to add a piquant va-va-voom to sauces and chutneys.
Beneath an intriguing yet inedible, papery husk lies a fruit that, while mimicking the appearance of a green tomato, tastes nothing like a tomato.
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A tomatillo’s flavor instead is often described as citrusy, tart, sour, and tangy. Some compare the fruit’s taste to a ‘Granny Smith’ apple or a green grape.
If you’ve sampled a salsa or jam containing these green wonders – or even a tomatillo mojito – you may have considered adding tomatillo (pronounced toh-mah-tee-yo) plants to your garden.
Let’s explore the taxonomy and history of the plant, and then we’ll look at how to grow and harvest it. Here’s the lineup:
What Are Tomatillos?Tomatillos are part of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family, along with tomatoes and peppers. The leaves look a bit like those of eggplant, another nightshade plant.
Nightshade plants are easy to identify visually as relatives because they each produce the same particular type of flower.
The fruit’s very name is a misnomer. “Tomatillo” means “little tomato” in Spanish, and while they are distantly related, the tomatillo is definitely not a tomato.
Nevertheless, nicknames linking the two tasty fruits abound, with the tomatillo also being referred to as “tomate verde,” or green tomato, and “husk tomato.”
And with a few exceptions, home gardeners can use the same strategies and techniques to grow tomatoes and tomatillos.
Before you start, it’s
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