Tomatillos or ‘Mexican husk tomato’ originate, unsurprisingly, from Mexico. They are a member of the Physalis family. It grows very easily in my greenhouse as a bush up to about 1.5m high and needs supporting to stop it becoming too unruly.
The fruit appear as ‘lanterns’ wrapped in a papery leaf and swell until they fill and ultimately split the pod. When de-husked they look like green or greeny-yellow cherry tomatoes and are slightly tacky to touch. They keep for a couple of weeks off the plant on the sideboard, and just need a wash before using.
When you look online to find out what to do with them salsa verde is probably every one of your top ten recipe hits! but this little fruit is amazingly versatile. It has a slight lime tang and is brilliant raw or cooked. I use it in salsa (of course), but also in things like Thai green curry and spicy lime dips. It cooks like tomatoes and adds a great glossy/stickiness to sauces, raw it has a similar texture to tomato and can be (as tomatoes can) sweet or firm or squishy or tart… I love it.
When I first grew it I wasn’t convinced, but now I’m a convert. Never seen it in the shops so I grow 4-6 plants a year, use the fruit fresh while I can (July to November) and freeze the rest as pre-cooked blocks in 150 ml and 500 ml cubes (smaller for dips and larger for bigger curries etc. ) .