Tomatillos

[Mitzi M]

Hey all,

I wanted to share some recent garden success. I started purple 'de Milpa' tomatillos from seed in the middle of August, planted them out in the middle of September and now they are just starting to bear fruit. They are going like crazy, producing a ton of purple skinned tomatillos. They haven't been bothered by any pests so far. I love salsa verde, so I'll be set for a while. It's pretty easy to make and delicious. Basically you wait until the tomatillo breaks the husk to harvest, then dry roast the husked tomatillos in a heavy skillet until they soften and become a little translucent (it's ok if there are a few brown burned spots). Then you just throw them in a blender with garlic, serrano chiles, salt, lime juice and a little oil and you'll have an awesome salsa verde. They're related to the poha berry which has naturalized here, so I bet they'll do well all over. Buen provecho!

Aloha,
Mitzi

[Tolleys]

Mitzi where are you located? I am sure others know, but I do not.

Thanks in advance.

Susan

[Mitzi M]

Aloha Susan,

I grew the tomatillos in a lightly shaded spot with a little wind protection in an otherwise very exposed sunny lot at about 100' elevation in Seaview. This is where I've had the best luck with most veggies, since they like the sun there and have less trouble with pests. I think they'd do well most anywhere with some sun.

[Carolann R]

yum.

Carrie

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama

[csgray]

We had a bumper crop last fall at the Waters of Life charter school farm in Kurtistown, so they can grow well up on the mountain too! Since school had been out all summer they received mostly benign neglect and they still were loaded with fruit. The kids have also had good luck with kale, sweet corn, various peppers, and green beens, at least when the neighbor's dogs and the pigs don't play tag in the gardens. Every one of the kids' chickens got killed by dogs who broke into the coop to do their slaughter! Well at least the kids do get a taste of the real trials and tribulations of farmers.

carol

[wyatt]

There growing well here in Seaview in direct
sun. Volunteers are now bearing fruit.

Wyatt

[Kukanaka]

Where can I get seeds/starts? Sounds great. Aloha ke Akua.

[Mitzi M]

I found my purple "de milpa" seeds from Seeds of Change for sale at Pahoa Hardware.

[Kukanaka]

Mahalo Mitzi.