Recipe for Spaghetti Verde – Pasta with Cilantro, Tomatillos, Jalapenos and Olive OilHere is a simple recipe for Spaghetti Verde, our version is pasta tossed with roasted tomatillos, jalapenos (or other spicy green peppers such as Hatch chiles) and cilantro. This is a pesto for those who like it spicy! Ingredients: 3-5+ Tomatillos, roasted and cooled 1-3+ Jalapenos, roasted and cooled (or use any green chiles for this recipe) 3+ Garlic Cloves, roasted 1 Bunch of cilantro 1/2 Cup Olive Oil Salt and pepper to taste Nuts - optional, add toasted No Shell Raw Pepitas, pine nuts...
Washing TomatillosTomatillos are delicious, easy to grow, and come wrapped in a husk that helps them store well after harvesting. However, you have to remove and then wash the Tomatillo's sticky residue before using in recipes. Here are our tips for washing tomatillos: Remove the husk by pulling it off, compost the husks. If the tomatillo is damaged, cut off damage if possible to use what looks good or compost it. Once the husk is removed, you will quickly find that tomatillos have sticky sap, which hel...
Green Chile Gazpacho with TomatillosYou have to try this delicious variation of gazpatcho, made with green chiles and tomatillos: 4-6 HATCH GREEN CHILES, ROASTED, PEELED 2 POUNDS TOMATILLOS – REMOVE HUSK & RINSE (or you can use Heirloom Tomatoes for a classic Tomato gazpatcho!) 1/2 ONION, FINELY CHOPPED, SOAK IN COLD WATER FOR 15 MINUTES 1 STALK CELERY 1 CUCUMBER 1 JALAPEÑO FRESH, SEEDED 1/3 CUP RED WINE VINEGAR 1/4 CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 1/3 TEASPOON GROUND CUMIN 2 TABLESPOONS OF MAPLE SYRUP OR HONEY SA...
How to grow Tomatillos from SeedHow to grow Tomatillos from Seed Tomatillo seeds are surprisingly easy to start from seed! We simply sow the seeds directly into the ground or in large pots and keep them watered and moist until they sprout. They take off quite quickly, and it's good to thin out the extra seedlings. You can start them indoors, but starting them outdoors can be very successful, too, and requires no transplanting. The seedlings do seem to have some cold-hardiness when very young if started outdoors, but if...
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa Recipe (Salsa Verde)Fresh Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde) with Chimayo Peppers Mix up a batch of this Tomatillo salsa (also known as Salsa Verde) and it's sure to be a hit! With fresh Tomatillos, a couple fresh Chimayo chiles or Jalapeños or any hot pepper, plus 2-4 fresh garlic cloves, chopped onion, salt, pepper, fresh cilantro and cumin, this is a fresh salsa that you'll love. Tomatillos* (as many ripe ones as you can pick – a large bowl's worth or more) 1/2 Sweet White or Purple Onion, diced 2-...
Tomatillo Hot Sauce RecipeTry this amazing roasted Tomatillo hot sauce with green jalapenos. 😊💚🔥TOMATILLO HOT SAUCE RECIPE:6-12+ Tomatillos (Green or Purple)4-6+ Green Jalapenos (we used unripe Orange Jalapenos but you can use any green hot pepper!)4+ Cloves of Garlic (or use green Garlic Chives)Handful of Cilantro, stems and leaves (optional)Vinegar to taste/consistencySalt & Pepper to tasteCut tomatillos and jalapenos in half and roast in a cast iron pan or on the grill to blister the skins a bit, let cool in gl...
Seeds to Plant in May - Direct SowingA summer squash above was direct seeded in mounds in May at a community garden in Denver. Squash is best direct sown as it doesn't like to have it's roots disturbed, so we generally plant it directly in the garden in May and June. Is May too late to direct sow seeds? Answer: Nope! May is a great time to direct sow many seeds in most growing regions in most of the Northern Hemisphere! May marks the transition from spring to summer in many regions, and the days are super long in M...
Freeze Peppers!What is the best way to freeze peppers? At the end of the season, sometimes you have a ton of peppers but not much time to make salsa or use them in recipes. An easy way to preserve them is to pop them whole into the freezer for later use! Make sure to freeze them within a day of harvesting so they are as fresh as possible with no chance of mold growing inside. Can you freeze peppers whole?You sure can! First, wash and dry your fresh hot peppers or sweet peppers, making sure to remove any ...
Best Vegetable Seed CatalogLooking for the best vegetable seed catalog?Look no further, if you want to add a great new vegetable seed catalog to your collection, make sure to order one of Sandia Seed's 2025 Seed Catalogs – these full color catalogs are packed with 101 peppers of the world, plus tons of vegetable seeds including easy to grow heirloom tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, herbs, edible flowers and so much more. This is the perfect vegetable seed catalog for salsa lovers – grow a salsa garden with several va...
Hot Sauce GardenGrow your own Hot Sauce Garden One of the reasons many gardeners grow hot peppers is to make their own hot sauces and salsas. Once you start growing peppers, you'll discover the full range of complex flavor and different kinds of heat peppers of the world provide for your tastebuds. It's addictive, too, the more varieties of peppers you taste, the more you want to try! And the more heat you try, the more heat you crave! But you don't need to grow extra hot peppers to make hot sa...
How to Start a Seed LibrarySharing seeds is one of the best ways for communities to share the love of gardening and growing food! Here are our top tips for starting a seed library in your community: Step 1: Find a community space for the Seed Library A well-visited community space is your best bet! Choose a venue that is free and open to the general public such as a local public library or community center.Some people are starting to create outdoor "Little Free Seed Libraries" alongside the book versions ...
When to Pick PeppersWhen are chile peppers ready to harvest?If you're not sure when to pick peppers, here is our advice: Harvest time depends on the pepper variety. With any variety, you can wait until many peppers fully ripen, or you can also pick many peppers (such as Jalapenos) when they are green once they reach full size. Hatch chiles usually take about 75-85 days before ready for harvest, so be patient as they ripen. Immature Hatch chiles will taste "green" and will be less flavorful and no...
Hot Pepper Salsa Tasting Party IdeaSalsa Tasting Party If you like salsa like we do, here's an idea: Try our Carolina Reaper Salsa Recipe and other Salsa Recipes, and make three salsas using different hot peppers for each salsa, and then have a salsa tasting party! Make 3 salsas, or more, depending on how many different types of peppers you have to taste. Dried peppers also work great for making salsas, so you can have salsa parties in the off-season months, too! :) Discover our Favorite Salsa Recipes » You could hav...
Green Habanero Peppers - What to do with unripe HabanerosWondering what to do with unripe green habanero peppers?Yep, you can eat green habaneros! Like with most peppers, they are still good when green! Full size but still not fully ripe green habaneros have a sharper spice and somewhat earthier/smokier/grassier flavor, and can be a little less hot – but don't worry they still pack a punch! Of course they have more fruity flavor when fully ripe, but sometimes you have to harvest them when they are still unripe and green due to weather or other ...
Green Hot Sauce RecipesGreen hot sauce is a favorite among hot sauce connoisseurs. Green hot sauces are not always super hot (though they can be), and instead focus on the balance of spice and bright, tangy, and fresh flavors. Green hot sauce usually includes green ingredients including green jalapenos, serranos, fish peppers, green chiles, unripe green habaneros that are often combined with lime, cilantro, garlic, garlic chives, green onions, green or yellow tomatoes and tomatillos. Simple Green Hot Sauce Recipe:...
Green Chile Recipe with Collard GreensIt's a great time of year to make some Green Chile stew! Do you ever add extras into your green chile stews like kale, collards, spinach, zucchini, squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, etc? We love to sneak in lots of extra flavor, vitamins and fiber with the deliciousness of homegrown green chile. Garden Green Chile Stew Recipe for Crockpot Here's a rough recipe (add whatever you want!): Ingredients: Any variety of Roasted green chiles, peeled and chopped Onions (chopped green onions...
September VegetablesIn the West, September means that tomatoes are FINALLY ripening, including all the fat juicy heirlooms you've been waiting all summer for. It also is a great season for harvesting chiles, which are usually loaded with chile peppers in September. And of course, you probably have lots of other vegetables in abundance such as zucchini, tomatillos squash, cucumbers, eggplants, kale, collard greens, herbs and more. What should you do with your harvest? Make fresh meals every night! Here are a...
TomateoWe noticed a lot of you are searching for "Tomateo" – so we think you may be looking for Tomatillos which is a hard one to spell! We now carry Tomatillo seeds! They do go great with chiles, we must say.In fact, we have a tasty Tomatillo Salsa Recipe » In the meantime, make sure to try all of our wonderful Heirloom tomato seeds and chile pepper seeds. Make sure to grow all the amazing varieties we carry from around the world. It's easy to grow our Tomatillo seeds in your garden. ...
How to Prune Pepper Plants for Maximum YieldHow to Prune Pepper Plants for Maximum YieldWhen growing peppers from seed, you want to make sure you get the maximum yield from your plants. There are many theories on how to prune peppers for the highest yield. We've tried multiple ways of pruning such as topping pepper plants, but we haven't found that topped plants have necessarily produced more peppers than their un-topped counterparts. In fact, in short seasons, it seemed to just put off the harvest a little longer as the plants...
Green Chile Casserole RecipeThis is a simple recipe that's easy to make for brunch, lunch or dinner! In a cast iron pan, sauté around 1 cup of chopped onions and 3-4 cloves of garlic, then add 1 can or cup of drained pinto beans and 1-1.5 cups of diced green chile, dash of cumin and salt and pepper and stir mixture, let cook down for 10-15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375˚ F. After 10-15 minutes, remove pan from heat. Whip 3-4 eggs and pour over the top of the mixture, then sprinkle with shredded cheese, diced onion, sl...
Recipe for Spaghetti Verde – Pasta with Cilantro, Tomatillos, Jalapenos and Olive Oil
Here is a simple recipe for Spaghetti Verde, our version is pasta tossed with roasted tomatillos, jalapenos (or other spicy green peppers such as Hatch chiles) and cilantro. This is a pesto for those who like it spicy! Ingredients: 3-5+ Tomatillos, roasted and cooled 1-3+ Jalapenos, roasted and cooled (or use any green chiles for this recipe) 3+ Garlic Cloves, roasted 1 Bunch of cilantro 1/2 Cup Olive Oil Salt and pepper to taste Nuts - optional, add toasted No Shell Raw Pepitas, pine nuts...
Washing Tomatillos
Tomatillos are delicious, easy to grow, and come wrapped in a husk that helps them store well after harvesting. However, you have to remove and then wash the Tomatillo's sticky residue before using in recipes. Here are our tips for washing tomatillos: Remove the husk by pulling it off, compost the husks. If the tomatillo is damaged, cut off damage if possible to use what looks good or compost it. Once the husk is removed, you will quickly find that tomatillos have sticky sap, which hel...
Green Chile Gazpacho with Tomatillos
You have to try this delicious variation of gazpatcho, made with green chiles and tomatillos: 4-6 HATCH GREEN CHILES, ROASTED, PEELED 2 POUNDS TOMATILLOS – REMOVE HUSK & RINSE (or you can use Heirloom Tomatoes for a classic Tomato gazpatcho!) 1/2 ONION, FINELY CHOPPED, SOAK IN COLD WATER FOR 15 MINUTES 1 STALK CELERY 1 CUCUMBER 1 JALAPEÑO FRESH, SEEDED 1/3 CUP RED WINE VINEGAR 1/4 CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 1/3 TEASPOON GROUND CUMIN 2 TABLESPOONS OF MAPLE SYRUP OR HONEY SA...
How to grow Tomatillos from Seed
How to grow Tomatillos from Seed Tomatillo seeds are surprisingly easy to start from seed! We simply sow the seeds directly into the ground or in large pots and keep them watered and moist until they sprout. They take off quite quickly, and it's good to thin out the extra seedlings. You can start them indoors, but starting them outdoors can be very successful, too, and requires no transplanting. The seedlings do seem to have some cold-hardiness when very young if started outdoors, but if...
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa Recipe (Salsa Verde)
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde) with Chimayo Peppers Mix up a batch of this Tomatillo salsa (also known as Salsa Verde) and it's sure to be a hit! With fresh Tomatillos, a couple fresh Chimayo chiles or Jalapeños or any hot pepper, plus 2-4 fresh garlic cloves, chopped onion, salt, pepper, fresh cilantro and cumin, this is a fresh salsa that you'll love. Tomatillos* (as many ripe ones as you can pick – a large bowl's worth or more) 1/2 Sweet White or Purple Onion, diced 2-...
Tomatillo Hot Sauce Recipe
Try this amazing roasted Tomatillo hot sauce with green jalapenos. 😊💚🔥TOMATILLO HOT SAUCE RECIPE:6-12+ Tomatillos (Green or Purple)4-6+ Green Jalapenos (we used unripe Orange Jalapenos but you can use any green hot pepper!)4+ Cloves of Garlic (or use green Garlic Chives)Handful of Cilantro, stems and leaves (optional)Vinegar to taste/consistencySalt & Pepper to tasteCut tomatillos and jalapenos in half and roast in a cast iron pan or on the grill to blister the skins a bit, let cool in gl...
Seeds to Plant in May - Direct Sowing
A summer squash above was direct seeded in mounds in May at a community garden in Denver. Squash is best direct sown as it doesn't like to have it's roots disturbed, so we generally plant it directly in the garden in May and June. Is May too late to direct sow seeds? Answer: Nope! May is a great time to direct sow many seeds in most growing regions in most of the Northern Hemisphere! May marks the transition from spring to summer in many regions, and the days are super long in M...
Freeze Peppers!
What is the best way to freeze peppers? At the end of the season, sometimes you have a ton of peppers but not much time to make salsa or use them in recipes. An easy way to preserve them is to pop them whole into the freezer for later use! Make sure to freeze them within a day of harvesting so they are as fresh as possible with no chance of mold growing inside. Can you freeze peppers whole?You sure can! First, wash and dry your fresh hot peppers or sweet peppers, making sure to remove any ...
Best Vegetable Seed Catalog
Looking for the best vegetable seed catalog?Look no further, if you want to add a great new vegetable seed catalog to your collection, make sure to order one of Sandia Seed's 2025 Seed Catalogs – these full color catalogs are packed with 101 peppers of the world, plus tons of vegetable seeds including easy to grow heirloom tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, herbs, edible flowers and so much more. This is the perfect vegetable seed catalog for salsa lovers – grow a salsa garden with several va...
Hot Sauce Garden
Grow your own Hot Sauce Garden One of the reasons many gardeners grow hot peppers is to make their own hot sauces and salsas. Once you start growing peppers, you'll discover the full range of complex flavor and different kinds of heat peppers of the world provide for your tastebuds. It's addictive, too, the more varieties of peppers you taste, the more you want to try! And the more heat you try, the more heat you crave! But you don't need to grow extra hot peppers to make hot sa...
How to Start a Seed Library
Sharing seeds is one of the best ways for communities to share the love of gardening and growing food! Here are our top tips for starting a seed library in your community: Step 1: Find a community space for the Seed Library A well-visited community space is your best bet! Choose a venue that is free and open to the general public such as a local public library or community center.Some people are starting to create outdoor "Little Free Seed Libraries" alongside the book versions ...
When to Pick Peppers
When are chile peppers ready to harvest?If you're not sure when to pick peppers, here is our advice: Harvest time depends on the pepper variety. With any variety, you can wait until many peppers fully ripen, or you can also pick many peppers (such as Jalapenos) when they are green once they reach full size. Hatch chiles usually take about 75-85 days before ready for harvest, so be patient as they ripen. Immature Hatch chiles will taste "green" and will be less flavorful and no...
Hot Pepper Salsa Tasting Party Idea
Salsa Tasting Party If you like salsa like we do, here's an idea: Try our Carolina Reaper Salsa Recipe and other Salsa Recipes, and make three salsas using different hot peppers for each salsa, and then have a salsa tasting party! Make 3 salsas, or more, depending on how many different types of peppers you have to taste. Dried peppers also work great for making salsas, so you can have salsa parties in the off-season months, too! :) Discover our Favorite Salsa Recipes » You could hav...
Green Habanero Peppers - What to do with unripe Habaneros
Wondering what to do with unripe green habanero peppers?Yep, you can eat green habaneros! Like with most peppers, they are still good when green! Full size but still not fully ripe green habaneros have a sharper spice and somewhat earthier/smokier/grassier flavor, and can be a little less hot – but don't worry they still pack a punch! Of course they have more fruity flavor when fully ripe, but sometimes you have to harvest them when they are still unripe and green due to weather or other ...
Green Hot Sauce Recipes
Green hot sauce is a favorite among hot sauce connoisseurs. Green hot sauces are not always super hot (though they can be), and instead focus on the balance of spice and bright, tangy, and fresh flavors. Green hot sauce usually includes green ingredients including green jalapenos, serranos, fish peppers, green chiles, unripe green habaneros that are often combined with lime, cilantro, garlic, garlic chives, green onions, green or yellow tomatoes and tomatillos. Simple Green Hot Sauce Recipe:...
Green Chile Recipe with Collard Greens
It's a great time of year to make some Green Chile stew! Do you ever add extras into your green chile stews like kale, collards, spinach, zucchini, squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, etc? We love to sneak in lots of extra flavor, vitamins and fiber with the deliciousness of homegrown green chile. Garden Green Chile Stew Recipe for Crockpot Here's a rough recipe (add whatever you want!): Ingredients: Any variety of Roasted green chiles, peeled and chopped Onions (chopped green onions...
September Vegetables
In the West, September means that tomatoes are FINALLY ripening, including all the fat juicy heirlooms you've been waiting all summer for. It also is a great season for harvesting chiles, which are usually loaded with chile peppers in September. And of course, you probably have lots of other vegetables in abundance such as zucchini, tomatillos squash, cucumbers, eggplants, kale, collard greens, herbs and more. What should you do with your harvest? Make fresh meals every night! Here are a...
Tomateo
We noticed a lot of you are searching for "Tomateo" – so we think you may be looking for Tomatillos which is a hard one to spell! We now carry Tomatillo seeds! They do go great with chiles, we must say.In fact, we have a tasty Tomatillo Salsa Recipe » In the meantime, make sure to try all of our wonderful Heirloom tomato seeds and chile pepper seeds. Make sure to grow all the amazing varieties we carry from around the world. It's easy to grow our Tomatillo seeds in your garden. ...
How to Prune Pepper Plants for Maximum Yield
How to Prune Pepper Plants for Maximum YieldWhen growing peppers from seed, you want to make sure you get the maximum yield from your plants. There are many theories on how to prune peppers for the highest yield. We've tried multiple ways of pruning such as topping pepper plants, but we haven't found that topped plants have necessarily produced more peppers than their un-topped counterparts. In fact, in short seasons, it seemed to just put off the harvest a little longer as the plants...
Green Chile Casserole Recipe
This is a simple recipe that's easy to make for brunch, lunch or dinner! In a cast iron pan, sauté around 1 cup of chopped onions and 3-4 cloves of garlic, then add 1 can or cup of drained pinto beans and 1-1.5 cups of diced green chile, dash of cumin and salt and pepper and stir mixture, let cook down for 10-15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375˚ F. After 10-15 minutes, remove pan from heat. Whip 3-4 eggs and pour over the top of the mixture, then sprinkle with shredded cheese, diced onion, sl...
