Fruit Hunting-Tomatillo
- Li Hua Meggy Xue
- Oct 18, 2015
- 6 min read
This week is the fruit hunting week, I went to "Cabbagetown Farmers' Market" with friends. The Cabbagetown Farmers' Market is a Seed by Seed project. Seed by Seed encourages healthy eating and supports local farming. My friends and I decided to went there is because the fruits and vegetables are very fresh and all grow by local farmers. We thought that there will be something more interesting other than the supermarket. Here's a short video below introduce the markets.
Cabbagetown Farmers' Market
Pictures of the market
Since the market is small, it only tooks 5 minutes to finished the exploration. I found my fruit at the second shop, the seller is very nice and talktive. He even gaves me the fruits for FREE. Lucky me!! xD It saids 5$ on the price tag.
So the fruit I choose is call Tomatillo.
Photograph by Brandon Bhola, Photoshop by Meggy Xue
Photograph by Brandon Bhola, Photoshop by Meggy Xue
Photograph by Geraldine Saucier
Tomatillo
Tomatillos also known as husk tomato, jamberry, miltomate or tomate verde. The fruit size is around ¾ inch to 2½ inches. They are small fruits, also used as a vegetable, enclosed in a husk. The fruit seems like a small unripe tomato and is usually green or yellow, some varieties may be wholly or partially purple. The yellow color indicates ripeness, but tomatillos are most often used when they are still green, In addition, tomatillo plants can be extremely productive. An individual plant may produce 64 to 200 fruits in a season.
Green tomatillos are firmer and easier to slice compare to the large red tomatoes. The husk that holds the fruit is paper-like and is light brown. The flesh is slightly acidic with a hint of lemon. Also the surface of the tomatillo is sticky. This is the part that I was wondering, Why it's sticky and does it use to be like this? so I did some researches.
This sticky substance is a natural deterrent against insects. If any insects get through the papery husk, the tomatillo's first line of defense, they encounter the sticky film. This film contains chemical compounds called withanolides that insects find bad tasting. Even I don't like the smell of it, I can smell the bitterness of it, it's like okra. After washing off the sticky substances, i sliced it in half and ate it raw, they taste like a tart tomato but not too tart, slightly lemony with a hint of herbs. It's soft and fresh. I choose the good ones, haha.
Tomatillos belong to the same family as tomatoes-Nightshade family/Solanaceae family. It is one of the key ingredients in Mexican cuisine, preferably used during its firm, green stage, to make raw and cooked salsas or as a base in stews. The Aztecs first grew tomatillos as far back as 800 B.C. and they have been popular in Mexico and other Latin American countries for many years. In the US, they are mainly grown in Texas.
Selection tips The condition of the husk is often a good indicator when selecting tomatillos. If the husk is dry or shriveled then the fruit is probably not in good condition. Select tomatillos that have an intact, tight-fitting, light brown husk. If you peel back a small part of the husk, the fruit should be firm and free of blemishes.
Canned tomatillos are available at specialty markets and are often used when making sauces. Tomatillos are available year round in supermarkets and specialty markets. so far, I only saw them at the cabbagetown markets. I could not found fresh tomatillos in the common supermarkets. Domestically grown tomatillos are available from May through November.
Where to buy
In store - Ontario, Canada
1. Whole Food
2. Loblaws at Maple Leaf Garden
3. Kensington Market Toronto
Online - Worldwide
1. Price: 1lb / 1.00$
Web: http://www.shoprite.com/pd/Tomatillo/Tomatillo/1-lb/000000048019/
From: Shoprite
2. Price: 1lb / 1.93$ / Organic / membership only
Web: http://www.foodcoop.com/go.php?id=90
From: Hepworth Farms, NY
3. Price: 5lb / 24.04$
Web: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000TL6DG/ref=ox_sc_imb_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2ITALTFXEZWZD
From: Amazon US Company
Cook
Since I like the tomatoe soup, I think it will be awsome to cook a tomatillo soup too. The cooking methods that I would use chopping, boiling, simmering. I found a recipe online which I thought it was tasty. and it is!!! Since I used food processor for tomatilloes, I do not taste any roughness. The soup is green colour, I also made the meatballs with in the soup. The smell is great, even it is a bit of sour for me, but still a great soup for winter, because it's hot, healthy and appetizing. Everyone who likes tomatillo should try to cook this. :D
Tomatillo Albondigas Soup Recipe
Serves up to 10
Soup 2 pounds fresh tomatillos, husks removed and washed, cut in half 1 medium onion (8 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped 7 large garlic cloves, peeled, cut in half 2 small jalapeno peppers, split and seeded ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 5 1/2 cups chicken stock (or three 14oz cans low sodium chicken broth + ½ cup water) 15 sprigs fresh cilantro, tough stems discarded
Meatballs (Albondigas) 1 pound ground beef chuck (20% fat) 1 pound ground pork 1 medium onion (8 ounces), peeled, finely chopped (I used my mini processor) ½ cup cooked white rice 1 large egg 2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Garnish Juice of 4 limes (1/2 cup) Leaves from 10 sprigs fresh cilantro, coarse chopped
1. To prepare the soup: In a large stockpot or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, combine the tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers, cumin, salt, pepper and the chicken stock, and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer, skimming off any foam that rises to the top, until the tomatillos are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Using a colander, strain the vegetables from the broth, reserving both the vegetables and the broth. Puree the tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapeno peppers in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade, adding ½ cup of the reserved broth and about 15 sprigs of cilantro. (This can be done in two or three batches).
4. Return the pureed vegetables and the remaining soup broth to the stockpot and bring to a simmer.
5. To make the meatballs: While the soup broth is simmering, in a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat with the minced onion, cooked rice, the raw egg, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ground cumin and ground cloves, and mix gently but thoroughly.
6. Form the meat into 1-inch meatballs. Keep your hands lightly moistened with cold water to prevent the ground meat from sticking. The mixture should yield about 40 walnut-sized, 1-ounce meatballs. Place meatballs in the soup and continue to simmer, about 30 minutes longer. Skim off any foam that rises to the top. Add ½ cup or more water to replace what has evaporated and to adjust the salt level.
7. Place 4 meatballs in each large, warm soup bowl. Ladle about one cup of soup over the meatballs, and squeeze lime juice into each bowl. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.
Reflection
After this experiences, I discover that I love to cook and preparing for cook too, also share to people my food at well. My friends also like the soup that I made, they all wants to taste it. It encourage me alot. I might going to search more recipes just for fun and cooking skills. Thank god that I have a part time job to pay off my ingredients. xD
Furthermore, special thanks to my freelance photographer friend Brandon Bhola, he tooks all the photos for volunteering. And those photos are professional, you can see more his works at his blog.
Blog
http://brandonbhola.com/
bholaman1
Once again, I feel motivate. Thank you everyone for your time. :)
References:
Photos
cabbagetownmarket. (Photographer). (2015, Oct 18). cabbagetownmarket [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.cabbagetownmarket.ca/
From My Southwest Kitchen. (Photographer). (2015, Oct 18). Inside of a tomatillo [digital image]. Retrieved from http://gcsauciertastethefood.blogspot.ca/2012/05/salsa-verde.html
Websites
LYNNE. (August 8, 2011). Tomatillo Albondigas Soup & Two Tomatillo Tales. retrieved October 18, 2015, from http://cookandbemerry.com/tomatillo-albondigas-soup-two-tomatillo-tales/
CHRISTINE GALLARY. (2014). Why Are Tomatillos Sticky?. Retrieved October 18, 2015, from http://www.thekitchn.com/why-are-tomatillos-sticky-ingredient-intelligence-206821
foodreference. (1990-2015). TOMATILLO. Retrieved October 18, 2015, from http://www.foodreference.com/html/art-tomatillo.html
University of Kentucky. ( March 2012). Tomatillo. Retrieved October 18, 2015, from https://www.uky.edu/Ag/CCD/introsheets/tomatillo.pdf
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