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Last night we got our first frost. Before nightfall, I went and picked all of the remaining tomatillos in the garden regardless of their ripeness. Some were ripe, some were unripe, and then there was this fellow ...

my tomatillo thinks he's a strawberry

Is this one so overripe it's gone to seed? Usually I only pick tomatillos when they're ripe -- it's entirely possible I overlooked one and only manage to pick it yesterday when I was indiscriminately pulling everything off the plants.

I have 4 tomatillo plants in a raised bed getting partial (arguably not enough) sunlight and (arguably) too much rain. US mid-Atlantic, agricultural zone 7.

Roddy of the Frozen Peas
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Sometimes the skin bursts (which is what we see here) - it's not ALWAYS (or perhaps even often) over-ripe; it can happen due to inconsistent rains (or watering) where the fruit swells up so much, so fast, that it cracks open and peels back rather than growing larger.

If I recall correctly, I've also had one do this after picking, so it couldn't have been getting more water, but it may have had a flaw or crack in the skin (and, I suppose, some pre-existing hydrostatic pressure internally) that opened up as it was sitting in the kitchen. I had husked and washed the basketful, so I know it did not go into the basket split open, but it came out that way.

Ecnerwal
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