How to Harvest Tomatillos

Tomatillos resemble green tomatoes on the outside.

Tomatillos provide the green color to salsa verde and green sauces in Mexican cuisine. They also provide the slightly tart sweet flavor found in many of these dishes. The tomatillo fruit resembles a green tomato on the outside, but the dense fruits aren't pulpy like a tomato. It comes encased in a paper-like husk that resembles a paper lantern. Tomatillos are usually served and prepared for raw uses, but they also add flavor to cooked meals.

Instructions

1. Inspect husk color daily, beginning approximately 75 days after planting the tomatillos in the garden. Husks dry and fade to a tan color as the fruits reach maturity. Pick tomatillos when the dry husk begins to split, but when the fruit is still green.

2. Hold the ripe tomatillo in one hand, and the stem in the other hand. Twist the tomatillo from the stem gently. Supporting the stem prevents breakage during harvest.

3. Harvest tomatillos as they ripen, checking the plant daily until all the fruits mature. Tomatillos, like tomatoes, don't all ripen at the same time on the plant.

4. Remove the husks from the tomatillos. Wash the sticky sap from the skin of the fruits with cool water before storing or using the tomatillos.

Tips & Warnings

• Store the fruits in a paper bag in the refrigerator for up to two weeks with husks on -- or up to three months with husks and sap removed.

References

• Oregon State University; Grow Tomatillos for Gree Salasa (Salsa Verde); Carol Savonen
• Iowa State University Extension; Tomatillos; Eldon Everhart, et al.; April 2003