Tomatillos (sometimes called husk tomatoes) are a newer addition to cuisine in the northern US, and I admit I'm still learning about them as well. They originated in Mexico and are a larger part of their cuisine than ours. They are big in sauces/salsas like salsa verde. This is my rationale for trying them.
These fruits grow with a husk around them that need to be removed, and the fruits inside are a lot more firm than tomatoes. They have a note of citrus, or possibly green apples. They definitely don't taste like tomatoes.
Transplanting Time: Late April (in central Maryland)
Harvest Time: JUL-AUG (in central Maryland)
Spacing: 3-4 ft.
upload photo
Gardening Tips:
I am treating tomatillos just like tomatoes - same cages, same fertilizer, and just a tad larger spacing. This is largely because there's not as much information on tomatillos around as there is on tomatoes. The only other difference right now is a different mulch color - I'm using black for tomatillos but red for tomatoes. This is simply because of the length of red I bought this year, not enough for the tomatillos.
One catch: you need more than one tomatillo for pollination. Solitary tomatillos will grow but not set fruit because they need to cross-pollinate.
Tomatillos are heavy producers per plant - I believe 3-5 plants will suffice for even a tomatillo-loving family. This is because they're indeterminate, which means they produce longer throughout the season but also that they grow into a larger space than tomatoes.
Fertilizer Notes:
None known yet - I use the same as tomatoes.
Preservation Notes:
Canning is the only method I am aware of being fruitful. I am certain that you could freeze them, but I don't think I would. For canning, I imagine it would be best done after making a salsa.
Matt's Garden Notes:
Matt's 2013 Tomato/tomatillo Map
2013: planted five tomatillos on 6 MAR, set out 27 APR and the following week. In 2.5' diameter cages at 3 feet apart, just like tomatoes. Grown on black plastic. 3 feet was not enough - plants were shaded and continually grew far into paths. Harvested first ones in mid July, biggest ones had been taken by bugs.
Recipes using Tomatillos: