Pussy (rhymes with fussy) Mary

Tomatillos look festive growing in the garden. The husks covering the green fruit are like Chinese lanterns proclaiming good fortune. They ripen in mid summer at around the same time as the green apples growing in the yard. I could use these to riff on the classic Bloody Mary.

Your tomatillo just threw you a little nightshade

Tomatillos, like tomatoes, are in the nightshade family of plants. So are eggplants, potatoes, peppers, and even petunias. Common spices like cayenne, paprika, and chili powder also derive from nightshades.

Nightshades produce solanine, a toxic akaloid that the plant produces to keep insects away. Tomatillos collect the solanine in the stems rather than in the fruit. It’s a win win: The plants keep the bugs away and we don’t ingest the insecticides.

Tomatillos are older than your granny and your Granny Smith apples

Native to Mesoamerica, tomatillos have been cultivated for millennia and were consumed by Mayan and Aztec peoples. Today, Mexican and Central American people use tomatillos daily in a variety of dishes. In the southwest United States, we love our salsa verde, but don’t always know what creates that addictive flavor.

Granny Smith apples have a shorter but equally interesting history. They were developed in Australia in the 1860s after Maria Ann Smith happened on a rogue wild apple seedling that she domesticated and later propagated. You go granny!

Learn to love your sticky calyx

Tomatillo husks get sticky but it’s a good thing. The husk, called a calyx, protects the tomatillo blossom and after pollination, it enlarges, eventually fully enclosing the fruit. They look cool and are an extra defense for the plant.