Ripe Bottoms

In the part of the country where I live, there isn't much opportunity to sample Southwest or Mexican  cuisine. I had never tasted tomatillos, but thought that I would try growing them in the garden last summer. They look pretty much like tomatoes, and if they could survive in our climate I would worry about what to do with them later.

After a few anxious months of searching for non-existent fruit on the blossom-covered plants, I did some online research. It seems that they take a long time to set fruit, but once they do there's no stopping them. Unlike tomatoes, which self-pollinate, tomatillos require at least two plants in order to fertilize the flowers. Check. I had two monster plants. So I patiently waited and was finally rewarded with little round parchment balls hiding the succulent fruit within.

They looked like little round bottomcheeks, and even more so when the fruit swelled and burst the paper-like covering. I thought I was seeing plumber's butts.

Or maybe I was having a Walmart flashback. Oh, no!



They looked even more bum-esque in pairs.

Well, not really. They simply couldn't compare with the rosy roundness of good ol' tomatoes.

Doesn't that look spankable?



How about upside down?

Even more so! Gardening can be such a naughty occupation if you let your mind wander.

And just so you know, I roasted those naughty green butts and turned them into a salsa verde that was delicious as an accompaniment to my Canadian version of quesadillas.