A Singular Seed Pod

Several years ago we came upon a green seed encased in a bewitchingly beautiful seed pod formed by a net of delicate, dried fibers. Fascinated by its intricacy, I did a bit of a photo study against various backgrounds, trying to bring out different aspects of the structure (however, I am no photographer!). The pod was actually stronger than it looked and held up to quite a bit handling. For the longest time, we didn’t know what kind of plant it came from other than that it was a hot-weather-tolerant species that grew in this tropical climate of ours in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.

Well, it appears that this seed pod is simply an intact, dessicated tomatillo husk with a diminuitive tomatillo fruit in its center. Who would have thought?

Tomatillo seed pod study

So what do you do with tomatillos (also called green tomatoes by some)…? Make Green Tomatillo Salsa !

Tomatillos originated in Mexico and were cultivated in the pre-Columbian era. A staple of Mexican cuisine, they are eaten raw or cooked in a variety of dishes, particularly salsa verde.

Wikipedia contributors. “Tomatillo.” Wikipedia
The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 Mar. 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2016

Here is a simple and straight-forward recipe for Mexican Chicken in Green Sauce, made, of course, with tomatillos!