Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Freeze Tomatillos

Tomatillo plants produce an extraordinary amount of fruit. Fresh tomatillos taste delicious chopped into salsa verde, but if you have more tomatillos than you can use, consider freezing them! Freezing extra tomatillos is an easy way to preserve them for use in salsas and sauces during the winter--and it couldn't be easier. Here's do it. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions


1. Harvest tomatillos when the fruits begin to burst through their papery husks. Ripe tomatillos also often drop to the ground, so be sure to inspect the base of the plant for fruit on a regular basis. Be sure to harvest before the fruit turns yellow and seedy.


2. To prepare the fruit for freezing, pull off the papery husks and wash the slightly sticky fruit in a stream of cool water. Allow the fruit to dry.


3. Arrange the tomatillos in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer. As soon as the tomatillos freeze solid, remove the trays from the freezer and pack the tomatillos into freezer bags, leaving a half inch of room between the top of the tomatillos and the bag's closure. Freezing the tomatillos prior to packing helps prevent them from sticking together.


4. Avoid freezer burn by squeezing out as much of the air from the bag as possible before sealing it up. Then, label the bags with the date frozen and immediately place them in the freezer. The frozen tomatillos will be soft when defrosted, but they are perfect for use in salsas, sauces and soups. The tomatillos should keep in the freezer for up to one year.

Tags: papery husks, salsas sauces