Tomatillo and Friends
by Barbara McMahon
Title
Tomatillo and Friends
Artist
Barbara McMahon
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
These beautiful tomatillos were grown by my daughter Jennifer. She has the most amazing organic garden.
The tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica), known as the Husk Tomato or Mexican Husk Tomato, is a plant of the nightshade family, related to the cape gooseberry, bearing small, spherical & green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos originated in Mexico and are a staple of Mexican cuisine. Tomatillos are grown as annuals throughout the Western Hemisphere. Tomatillos are generally eaten fried, boiled or steamed.
The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by an inedible, paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, & the fruit can be several colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. The freshness and greenness of the husk are quality criteria.
Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh & cooked Mexican and Central-American green sauces. Fruit should be firm and bright green, as the green color & tart flavor are the main culinary contributions of the fruit. Purple and red-ripening cultivars often have a slight sweetness, unlike the green- and yellow-ripening cultivars, & are therefore somewhat more suitable for fruit-like uses like jams and preserves. Like their close relatives, cape gooseberries, tomatillos have a high pectin content. Another characteristic is they tend to have a varying degree of a sappy sticky coating, mostly when used on the green side out of the husk.
Tomatillo plants are highly self-incompatible, & two or more plants are needed for proper pollination. Thus, isolated tomatillo plants rarely set fruit. Research conducted by Kamla Kant Pandey in 1957 supports this fact. Ripe tomatillos will keep refrigerated for about two weeks. They will keep even longer if the husks are removed & the fruits are placed in sealed plastic bags stored in the refrigerator. They may also be frozen whole or sliced.
Uploaded
October 16th, 2014
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