The best Salsa Verde recipe using fresh tomatillos and onions.  This recipe is easy to make and freezes great too!

This was the first year trying to grow tomatillos and it was a great big experiment.     I was buying a bottle of Salsa Verde almost once a month and then I got Matthew hooked on it too.  Then I decided we must grow our own.

How to Grow Tomatillos

So let’s grow some tomatillos.

Tomatillos are a plant of the nightshade family and are related to the gooseberry.  They are small, green and grown with a paper like husk around each of them.   When growing them first the husk will grow to it’s full size, and then the tomatillo itself will grow next filling the husk.  

When the tomatillo fills the husk completely then you know they are ready to be picked.   Once you bring them into your kitchen, then you peel off the husks and give them a good warm wash as tomatillos are naturally very(!) sticky.  From there you can use them in various recipes, freeze or can for later usage.

This year we got some tomatillo seeds and decided to give it a shot.  We were pretty unfamiliar with how they would grow, or even what they would look.   The season started out a bit rough.  Hardly any of our seeds came up when planted inside and we thought it was going to be a bust or only have 1 plant.  Having a single plant isn’t the best as most tomatillos need 2 plants to grow successfully for pollination.  

After hardly any seeds came up, then we planted a few more (also a bust) then a few more.  I’m not one to easily give up when it comes to vegetables!  We transplanted our single seedling outside in the container and then a few weeks later transplanted a few more once we finally got some actions from the seeds.  The tomatillos grew in large size containers and 5 gallon buckets.  Right away we realized we underestimated the size and power of tomatillo plants.  

Here we were double caging the tomatoes to prepare for their height when we should have been getting ready for the incredible growth of the tomatillos instead!  These plants grow tall and bushy.  They are also extremely hearty and have very strong stems.  

You can see the tomatillo plants to the left and in the back.

When the plant started growing we were both surprised (and quite happily startled) by the amount of flowers on a tomatillo plant.  Almost every single one of these flowers would turn into a tomatillo!  Bees were buzzing happily around these plants pollinating.

Here, the first tomatillo is spotted.
Which then turns into a full size husk.  Eventually this will fill up with the tomatillo inside of it.

And then your plants will become taking off and you’ll have tomatillos all over!

 
This was the first harvest of the tomatillos.  I’m pretty happy here! Tomatillos tend to blend in with the plant itself, so finding them basically consists of rooting around in the plant and gently squeezing each husk to see if the tomatillo is full inside.  If it is, then pinch it off and throw it in your basket.

This here is a few pounds of tomatillos with many many more pounds to pick!  From seeds that didn’t come up originally to plants that are now battling for the largest yield of the season these tomatillos have come a long way!  They’ll be a permanent fixture in the garden now!

So with all these tomatillos what’s a girl to do besides make Salsa Verde right away?  I created this recipe based off many of the backs of bottles ingredient lists that I read over the years of my favorite sauces I buy in store, but keeping it all natural.  

This salsa is incredibly easy to make and you won’t believe how much it tastes like your favorite brand.     It’s really amazing to learn how much flavor a tomatillo has in it’s tiny size! 

Your 2 main ingredients in this recipe are tomatillos and a onion.  The rest of the ingredients are spices.

We’re going to blend them first instead of blending them later.  Why?   Tomatillos are juicy inside which means you don’t need to add much water to the recipe itself.  If you blend them after the fact, then you need to add water to simmer on the stove which means you’re watering down the recipe.  

By blending them first we are providing them their natural juices to make it much more full of flavor instead of added water that isn’t needed. 

Then after a few seconds in the blender and 15 minutes on the stove, you’ll have some delicious (and amazing smelling!) Salsa Verde!

Did I take a spoonful of this and eat it right away? Yes, I did!
What can you do with this recipe?  Well first you can use it as a salsa for chips, it’s incredibly delicious that way.    
I love to cook with it though and it’s the perfect sauce to pour over cheesy enchiladas and tacos.  It also makes a great companion to creating a Mexican tasting broth for soup.

Only a pound of these tomatillos are going to make 4 cups of sauce.    I often make a few batches of this Salsa to both eat fresh, store in the refrigerator for a few days or to freeze.   To freeze just pour into a freezer bag and put in freezer.  I like to store 1 cup servings in freezer bags as it makes it easier to grab a cup and use in a recipe.

Enjoy!

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