Tomato (like)

[KCMO_Don]

I am a HUGE salsa fanatic, as is my wife, and I have been reading that Tomatillo's are really good in Salsa's.
Anyone here have any input on growing requirements etc.
I am and have searched the web, and am hearing that I must grow multiple plants in order to get any fruits so I figured I'd ask on here.

Thanks!!

[Colorado_west]

I am zone 5. I have grown tomatillos the last two years. They grow here okay. Like weeds and seed down and come up and still make. I grow both green and purple. Purple are sweeter. Purple are smaller by a lot. I start like I do tomatoes and set out. They say they also make good jam. Have not tried it. Last year lost most plants of them hardening them off but had lots of volunteers in the garden and set them in a row. They did fine.

[Emaewest]

Don, like Colorado-west says, they grow like weeds! I grew them in 8" pots; they got to be about 3' tall and they put out dozens of fruit. A friend of mine planted hers in the ground. They grew to 10' tall. She didn't know what to do with all the fruit.

If you use them for salsa, it's best if you use them before they get fully ripe so they'll be tangy. If they get completely ripe they are too sweet for salsa, although now I'm thinking they *would* make a nice jam (thanks for the suggestion.)

OH, and if you leave them in their "wrappers" they will last for a very long time. I was cleaning under the sofa last spring and found two perfectly firm and ripe tomatilloes from the previous summer (my cat likes to play with them and, well, I'm a lousy housekeeper :wink: )

[angelique]

To "kill" the sweet taste, I usually use Mexican oregano, cumin, or cilantro. Traditionally "salsas" or chiles made from tomatillos are made in a blender. So the flavors should be very well incorporated.

I think that chile de arbol is the chile that complements tomatillos best. A lot of people blacken these chiles (in dried form) over an open flame to give a different flavor dimension to the salsa. Other techniques to soften the dried chile include, sauting until soft in veg or corn oil; or soaking in warm/boiling water for a couple of minutes.

[chilhuacle]

Last year I grew Cisineros, Pineapple, Purple, Toma Verde, & Verde Puebla Tomatillos, all from TGS. The patch also included several volunteers from 2004. One of those was a great producer of huge tomatillos. I saved seeds from it to see if that will continue this year.

I learned the hard way that with one plant you don’t get very many fruit, if any at all. With 2 plants you’ll have pretty good production. Last year w\ 6 varieties they all really loaded up. Between the tomatillos and rosemary I think we had a whole hive of honey bees working the backyard. I’m going to find room for a few more plants this year.

We use ‘em mostly for making a green\enchilada sauce (onions, lime, tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, green chilies, oregano, cumin – blended and cooked down) and for fresh salsa. We still have quarts in the freezer. I like the Cisineros best but the Pineapple adds a good fruity, sweet taste.

Oh, and as said, they grow like weeds. Those small useless tomato cages are perfect for them as long as you get them on early and train the plants.

Bruce

[angelique]

Hi Bruce,

Please share your green enchilada sauce recipe. I absolutely love grilled shrimp and chicken enchiladas. I always buy canned sauce, because I don't know how to make it.

I am also looking for a good "suiza" enchilada sauce recipe. This sauce is wonderful for chicken enchiladas.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers.

Angelique

[travis]

"I learned the hard way that with one plant you don’t get very many fruit, if any at all. With 2 plants you’ll have pretty good production. Last year w\ 6 varieties they all really loaded up." [Bruce]

Okay, this issue was touched on but not answered in another thread in the Tomatillo topics. I think it was Craig who asked if anyone knew whether you need more than one variety to ensure good pollination and fruit production.

So, Bruce, you're implying that the more varieties of tomatilloes in the garden, the better production? How about several plants of one variety? Is there any information on that?

The reason I'm asking is that I've saved seeds from some store-bought tomatilloes and hope to get a decent return from a couple or three plants. What's my chances? I don't want to forfeit space that I could better use for tomatoes if I'm just spinnin' my wheels.

PV

[chilhuacle]

So, Bruce, you're implying that the more varieties of tomatilloes in the garden, the better production? How about several plants of one variety? Is there any information on that?

Hi PV

I don't think we had higher production because of the number of varieties but rather the number of plants. With most of the 6 varieties we had 2 plants of each, some 3 plants of each. I think you'll do very well with 3 plants from seeds of those store bought tomatillos.

Bruce

[travis]

Thanks ... I'll start some tonight and see what happens.

They're probably true to type as they probably were grown in a huge commercial field. I saved the seed from one of the biggest tomatilloes I've ever seen.

PV