Guest Post-Pickled Tomatillos

Thanks for another great post, Leslie!


There are so many tomatillos at this time of year. Some I planted, many I didn't. My theory with them is that if you plant them in your garden one year, you'll have them for life. They are the most prolific self seeders in my garden.


I'm glad to have another way to use them. I'll be using my "Hinkelhatz" peppers for this recipe, which was my very best producing hot pepper this year.

I seem to have a real love/hate relationship with tomatillos. When they first start appearing in my CSA basket I am happy to see them. A batch of Salsa Verde, a pot of Mexican Chicken Soup all great! However, it is when they continue to show up in mass quantities. One person can only make and eat so much Salsa Verde. So being a person who loves all things pickled I was taken back when I saw pickled tomatillos as part of dish on a menu for a restaurant that was featuring a local menu. Could it be possible? Pickled tomatillos? Would my love of all things pickled come to an end once I tried to pickle them? So the quest to find a recipe began and was quickly satisfied with the recipe below from The Joy of Pickling. I adapted it slightly but was very happy with the results. I must say I am feeling more love than hate for the tomatillos that are appearing in my basket these days!  

Pickled Tomatillos

1 pound husked green tomatillos, washed

2 sweet or mild peppers, cut into strips or 1-inch squares

2 to 3 hot peppers (jalapeno or other types found in your csa basket) seeded and cut into pieces 

3 large garlic cloves, sliced

1 cup white wine vinegar 

1 cup water

2 tsp pickling salt 

1 tsp sugar (I like a real vinegar pickle so I omitted the sugar in mine) 

1. Halve the tomatillos if they’re small, quarter them if they’re large. In a 1 quart jar, combine the tomatillos, peppers, and garlic. Bring the remaining ingredients to a boil in a nonreactive saucepan, and pour the hot liquid over the vegetables. Let the contents cool.
2. Cover the jar tightly with a nonreactive cap, and refrigerate the pickles for about 1 week before eating them. They will keep, refrigerated, for at least 2 months. 

Makes 1 quart

Recipe adapted from The Joy of Pickling. 

Hinkelhatz heirloom hot pepper