We’ve had fun in the first year of our little greenhouse in Martinborough. Perhaps the most fascinating thing we did was raise tomatillo seedlings, which were then planted in the garden. The seeds came from a packet of Niche brand heirloom seeds bought at Pain & Kershaws. The seeds came originally from the USA.

Tomatillos are members of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, and are related to tomatoes and cape gooseberries. They are known as green tomatoes and are mainly grown in Mexico. More about them here and here.

We’ve had a big crop of the fruit, which is green and tomato-like, enclosed in a thin fibre case – like cape gooseberries. They range in size between a large marble and a very large bombsquasher. I read that they store well in cool dark places so I strung a couple of plants up in our rickety old shed. It will be interesting to see how long they last.

Tomatillo plants stored in our shed. Insert: tomatillo fruit.

Liz made salsa verde with them last night. It went very well with a fillet of salmon.