Summary
The tomatillo, also known as the Mexican husk tomato, is a plant of the nightshade family bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Although tomatillos are related to tomatoes, their appearance and flavor are markedly different.
Description
Tomatillos have heavily serrated obovate leaves, with five-petaled yellow flowers with dark splotches at the base. The round fruits are covered in a papery husk and look like hanging lanterns while growing. As tomatillos mature, they completely fill out the husk and it splits open to reveal the plump little fruits inside. The conventional green tomatillo turns either apple-green or yellow when fully ripe. The purple tomatillo starts green, then turns a dusky eggplant color. The purple varieties tend to be a bit less sour than the green, although both are tart.
Additional Info
Tomatillos are generally started indoors, six to eight weeks before last frost. Seed germination to mature fruit usually takes 75 to 100 days for most varieties.
Varieties
Tomayo
