Tomatillos and Ground Cherries, The Mystery Fruits

So we have had our first market of the year at our new market in Collingwood.  It was pretty exciting, getting ready for the market since it was our first one, and though we didn't have a lot of stuff, it was still nice to get off the farm, meet some of the venders and customers.  I also realized that I'm going to have to brush up on my Simcoe county geography, there are a lot of little towns near Collingwood that I have never heard of.   But it was a lot of fun, especially listening to people talk about their gardens. Because we were selling organic, heirloom vegetable seedlings, customers were talking about their gardens, their favorite tomatoes, and their excitement to get into the garden! The plants we got asked about the most were the tomatillo and the ground cherry.  So for anyone that bought some, or people who see the fruit at our stand in the summer, here are a couple tasty recipes I found for both of them, and look forward to trying myself! Aunt Molly's Ground Cherries Search under ground cherry bush for the pinkish-yellow husks, peel back the husk, and pop them in your mouth. Repeat until the sun gets too hot. Gather a few more to share with a friend. Variation: have your friend go to the ground cherry patch. - "Chefs on the Farm", by Shannon Borg and Lore Lea Misterly - Salsa Verde A hot green salsa, and if you don't like cilantro, substitute it for parsley instead. 3 lbs tomatillos 3 jalapeños peppers, chopped 3 serrano chiles chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 cup chopped red onion 1/2 cup chopped green onion 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 tbsp lime juice Salt and Pepper Clean and husk the tomatillos, cover with water in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, than cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillos and immerse in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain tomatillos, pat dry and chop. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, than add the tomatillos, season to taste, and enjoy fresh, or simply put in a feezer bag and freeze for a later date. A great way to use up a bumper crop of tomatillos and enjoy them all year long! - "Preserving, The Canning and Freezing Guide for all Seasons", by Pat Crocker - The author of this recipe will be teaching a canning workshop at our farm June 23, call us up if you are interested. Hopefully these recipes will help you try out a couple new vegetables!