I have been slowly collecting my pineapple tomatillos off the plants. They can last a couple months on the counter top if left in their husk, so I haven't been rushing on them. I've used them on and off in fresh salsas and they are pretty good that way. Since they are small, most of the salsa ends up being tomatoes, with little hints of pineapple. But as time progresses, the tomatillos have been piling up.
It was time to use the ripest ones up. The first chore was to dehusk them all. The pineapple tomatillos are tiny - only about 1/2" across if that. So it takes a lot of the little guys to do anything.
I wanted to make a cooked salsa to freeze for the winter. I chose to use my yellow tomatoes since it would scream pineapple just from the color. I put the tomatoes and tomatillos through the strainer. Did you know that tomatillos have really tiny little seeds? Well they do. The tomato screen really wasn't the best choice if I wanted to get all the little seeds out, but I wasn't going to rescreen it with my berry screen.
In addition those little seeds are a pain to clean out of the tomato screen since they are just the right size to get stuck. Lesson learned. I'll not do that again. Maybe next time I'll just puree the tomatillos and live with their skins and seeds.
I negelected to take a photo of the finsihed product. But trust me it was yellow with green spots where the chili peppers were. It turned out just OK. Those yellow Aliana tomatoes are not the tastiest. They are very sweet, but lack any hint of tomato essence. The pineapple tomatillos added a lot, but not enough to overcome the wishy-washy Aliana. I think next time I'll use the traditional red tomatoes. Hmm or maybe some Sungolds if I want to keep a more pineapply flavor.
I love the golden hues of that first photo!
ReplyDeleteI am going to use your tomato amendment method next spring. Yep, sure sign of obsession, planning for next spring in the middle of harvest season in a horrible year.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I am so sorry the Costata zucchini did not produce for you; mine has usually been a monster plant pumping out zucchinis like mad, and shrugging off any powdery mildew. Except this year, when slugs devoured my first 2 attempts, and I dropped the third try and killed it, and by then it was too late. Sigh.
And I may have to try the pineapple tomatillos....
Sunita, sadly the real color is a bit more yellow. The camera thinks it is gold though.
ReplyDeletehembogle. I'm always planning for next year even when I'm planting out for this year. The zucchini this year has been a disappointment. The good part about that variety though is that it produced more in this bad year than my other variety did, so at least it is better. Now if only we could find one that would produce all the time around here. It may be the only variety I grow next year. So sorry to hear about your zucchini losses.
Do the tomatillos taste like tomatoes? The look pretty!
ReplyDeletePam, The tomatillos taste a lot like pineapple.
ReplyDeleteIs the Pineapple Tomatillo also called a Ground Cherry? I have the Crossack Pineapple Ground Cherry & I think it's the same thing. I though about making a pineapple salsa type thing with mine too but I haven't collected enough plus it's always either wet or rainy when I go out there to pick.
ReplyDeleteI was just going to ask if they were ground cherries as well. Mild, delicious flavor. I do think they taste somewhat like pineapple too.
ReplyDeleteI have not grown ground cherries or tomatillos in absolutely years. Your post is making think that I should throw some ground cherries into the garden planting for 2010.
ReplyDeleteYUM! we got a few tasty ones off our plant but then it got fried in the heat.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing such lush tomatillos!
ReplyDeleteselina and Thomas, well mine is a P. pruinosa. So if that is the species you have it could be the same. Most people call the Cape Gooseberries or Strawberry Tomatoes (because some varieties taste like strawberries), but they are often called Ground Cherries too. Common names in the genus Physalis can be confusing.
ReplyDeletekitsapFG, I want to grow real tomatillos next year. But I swear I'm going to cage them if I grow them so they don't sprawl all over everything.
Josie, Oh no! That is too bad.
Stefaneener, thanks!
I was going to ask if it tasted like pineapple and read your comment. It is like a pineapple tasting tomatillo or really kind of sweet like pineapple?
ReplyDeleteI'm growing tomatillos for the second year. They're just barely making it. The plant looks like it's wilting, but won't die - that's usually the story in my garden. I probably have tons of seed left. E-mail me your address and I'll send you some for next year! wkspray at gmail.
Wendy, it tastes a lot like pineapple to me not like a tomatillo. It doesn't have the intense sweetness of pineapple. It is a little sweet, but more like a tomato is sweet. Oh and thanks for the offer of seed. For years tomatillos would self seed every year in the garden, but it has been a while. I could use some seed for next year. I may only grow one or two plants, but I do want to grow them.
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