A friend generously shared some of her surplus crop of tomatillos with us this fall — very generously — and we now have loads in the freezer.

Tomatillos are easy to freeze. You just remove the husk, then wipe or wash off the sticky coating underneath. You can leave smaller tomatillos whole and cut larger ones into halves or quarters. Then pack in containers and freeze. No blanching is required.

I like to make a simple condiment by sautéing minced garlic and onion with some chopped tomatillos, then pureeing it in the food processor. If you add cilantro and chile peppers, you will have something approaching a traditional salsa verde. I prefer it without those additions, however. The result is a simple, fruity sauce, which we usually eat with black beans and rice. It would probably taste good as an accompaniment to chicken too, and lots of other things, as well.

Here is another favorite tomatillo dish:

Chickpea and Tomatillo Stew

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 cups chopped tomatillos
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• salt to taste

Sauté the garlic, onions, and green pepper until the onions are translucent. Add the spices and the tomatillos and sauté a few minutes more. Add the water (preferably the cooking water from the chickpeas), and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the chickpeas and let simmer another 10 minutes or so until the chickpeas are warm and the flavors have blended. Add salt to taste.

Local analysis of last night’s stew:

Local – tomatillos (from friend’s garden), garlic, onions, green pepper (from CSA), water

Non local – chickpeas, spices, salt