Tomatillos

Tomatillos are a fun little fruit that is often used in Mexican cooking. They grow on a bush somewhat similar to a tomato, but they're not really that similar.



They are covered with a little husk and are ready to pick when the green husk begins to warm to a yellowish hue.



The husk peels off very easily, leaving a slightly sticky, smooth green pingpong ball sized fruit. They taste a wee bit sweet and a wee bit citrusy and are somewhat crisp.



I used a handful of them in this delicious salad, Tomato and Herb Salad with Fresh Chive Cheese. I happened to have some homemade lemon cheese on hand (with dill in it) so used that. I'd recommend feta if you don't make your own cheese. This is a great summer salad when the tomatoes and herbs are going strong. Mmm.

Herbs: Oregano

Oregano is a versatile plant and it grows like a weed. I'm certain there's an Oregano Master Mind somewhere with the desire to take over the world. I snip mine back all summer long and add it to just about anything that sounds good with fresh herbs. (I even tried oregano tea once, but we won't repeat that one...)

But it's nice to have oregano year round, so this weekend I harvested some to dehydrate for winter use. Jim bought me a Berron Food Dehydrator in 1985 when all our friends were purchasing their first microwaves. It took us another four years to get to the microwave, and meanwhile we'd dried a lot of things in the dehydrator. Sadly, they don't seem to have a website, though I believe they're still in business in BC's Greater Vancouver area.

Anyway. Oregano.



Because it's in a clean area of my yard, I just cut down a clump, pulled the bits of grass out of it, and spread the stalks out on dehydrator trays.



Turned it to 95 degrees, the recommended temperature for herbs, and left it for about 36 hours. When the leaves were crumbly to touch, I pulled out the racks.



I just picked up a few stems at a time and ran my fingers down to dislodge the dried leaves. I'll put these in a canning jar with a LABELED lid to use all winter long, but for now I'll keep going outside to snip fresh for salads, stir-fries, and focaccia bread.