Tomatillo

Tomatillo is set out as a transplant into full sun after the danger of frost has passed in late spring, in moist, rich, well-drained soil; because it dislikes heavy, wet clay, raised beds or containers are used where drainage is poor. The plants are indeterminate, reaching 3 to 4 feet in height and width, and their sprawling stems root wherever they touch the ground, so a tomato cage or trellis is needed to keep the sprawl in check. Tomatillo is a poor self-pollinator, so gardeners plant more than one to improve fruit set, and established plants tolerate drought well.

Tomatillo is reported to have few insect or disease problems, making it an easy plant to keep through the season.

Fruit is ready roughly 60 to 75 days from transplanting, with each plant yielding about 2 to 3 pounds. Tomatillos are picked when still firm but filling out their papery husk; green-fruited types turn yellow-green as they ripen while purple types deepen from green to purple, and the husk itself dries to a tan, papery lantern at maturity.

Culinary: The ripe fruit is eaten whole, without peeling, coring, or seeding, and is used raw, cooked, or dried in salsas, soups, stews, and meat dishes. It is a staple of Mexican cuisine, most notably in salsa verde.

Tomatillo is native to Mexico and Central America, with a wild range extending from Mexico to Costa Rica, and it was already under cultivation in the pre-Columbian era. Production has long been centered in the Mexican states of Hidalgo and Morelos and in the Guatemalan highlands, where it is known as miltomate. It has been grown in the United States since 1863 and subsequently spread to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Florida, and by the mid-20th century it had been carried further to India, Australia, South Africa, and Kenya.