Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 14:10:29 +0200 From: Gordon Wells <wells@iri.upc.es> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1927$foo@default> Subject: Tomatillo (Off Topic)
Hi Nigel,
> One of my tomatillo seedlings has got some buds on! Can anyone tell me
> what size pot I should grow it in, how I can tell when the fruit is ripe and
> whether I can eat it as is, or do I need to cook it (fried green tomatoes)?
I grow tomatillos on my balcony in Barcelona - I am a Mexican food
gourmet
and grow several varieties of chile and a Mexican herb called "Epazote"
(Chenopodium ambrosioides) as well.
They are not very demanding in terms of pot size. I just grow them in
one of those typical clay balcony planters that measures something like
20 x 20 x 60 cm in regular potting soil. Regular fertilizing helps
make up for the mineral depletion that results from using such a small
pot.
I imagine that the bigger the pot, the better, but it's not critical.
Make sure to not let it dry out too much, and give it as much sun as
possible.
The fruits are ripe when they fill up the papery outer "husk" and start
to
tear it open, although you can pick them earlier if they never get that
big (they sometimes stop growing at a much smaller size). Don't wait
for
them to change color, because they don't.
They are very sour and are not very good to eat raw, except mixed with
other things in sauces. Their most common use is for making "salsa
verde"
for putting in "chilaquiles", "tacos", "enchiladas", etc. Let me know
if you
need some recipes.
Andreas: I have seeds. Would you be interested in a trade ? I'm in
the
market for an N. madagascariensis cutting... ;^)
Best regards,
Gordon Wells
Instituto de Robotica e Informatica Industrial
Edificio Nexus, planta 2
Gran Capitan 2-4
Barcelona E-08034
SPAIN
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