Down on the Allotment

Matron grows vegetables and fruit in a Hampshire garden. I've been growing veggies since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Some traditional varieties and old favourites as well as new ideas. I share my garden with my allotment assistant Daisy the Labrador. On Twitter as @MatronsVeggies

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Purple Tomatillo

 Whilst in the USA recently I bought some of these Purple Tomatillo seeds.  A tomatillo is related to a physallis - one of those orange fruit with the paper husk.  In the Southern USA they make a spicy salsa with tomatillos and chillis.   These look like fun to grow.  I have since found out that these plants need several other plants nearby in order to pollinate each other.  In a previous blog post in 2011 I was having problems with pollination, now I know why.
 Meanwhile back in the greenhouse I am planting some of my home saved seed from my prize winning giant pumpkin from last year. I have named it Queensland Giant.   Last Spring I cross pollinated my giant pumpkin flower with a male flower from a Queensland Blue pumpkin.  Just a bit of amateur plant breeding genetics really, but the idea of a giant pumpkin (which can be flavourless and watery) crossed with the tastiest, sweetest pumpkin ever is quite appealing.  Who knows what I will end up with, but it might be fun to find out.  I did save loads and loads of seeds but I am having germination problems with them.  I'm planting a second batch to see how many germinate.
Fingers crossed some of these germinate. xx

posted by Matron @ 5:55 PM

3 Comments:

At 7:14 PM, Blogger Mark Willis said...

I grew Green Tomatillos (from seed) once. I kept two plants, which both produced HUGE quantities of fruit. The fruit is OK, but not particularly flavourful - nowhere near as good, or as versatile, as the tomato family. After making salsa and the occasional pork stew with Tomatillos, I ran out of ideas for using them.

 
At 10:59 PM, Blogger Matron said...

Mark - I agree about the lack of flavour in tomatillos, but if they are left on the plant to properly ripen they have a slightly better taste. Still, I suppose that's why we mix them with chilli and other flavours to make salsa!

 
At 3:10 PM, Blogger Dewberry / Amanita said...

I grew tomatillos last year, but the regular yellow ones :) We had some many fruits that we didn't know what to do with them. Purple ones look very interesting.

 

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