Tomato Grafted plants of Andes Horned or Andine Cornue

The Andean Horn Tomato or Andean Horn is an early and productive variety with indeterminate growth. It produces elongated fruits in the shape of a horn or chili pepper, weighing approximately 80 to 150 g, with firm flesh, no acidity, and excellent taste. Not very juicy and seedless, it can be consumed in salads, as a sauce, or stuffed. The Tomato is a plant that is grown as an annual, requiring heat and fertile soil. Young plants are planted from April to June, after the last frost, for a harvest from July to September.

The grafting technique consists of giving a desired variety (in this case, 'Andean Horn') the root system of another specially selected variety, called a rootstock. This rootstock has excellent resistance to soil parasites and diseases, which provides extra vigor to the plant: it is then more resistant to difficult external conditions (such as cold climates) and will yield significantly higher than a non-grafted plant. The fruiting of grafted plants starts earlier and lower on the main stem. Thanks to the use of the 'Protector' rootstock, our grafted tomato plants also produce fewer leaves, making ripening and harvesting easier.

The Tomato is native to South America and Central America. Several varieties were already cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Conquistadors. The term "Tomate" comes from the Inca Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. It is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. The Tomato took significantly longer to reach our taste buds. The reason being: it was long cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities, but it was considered toxic due to its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another member of the Solanaceae family. It only became a regular on our tables from the beginning of the 20th century.

The Tomato is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It lignifies over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers grouped in cymes that will transform into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground but can also be planted in containers on a balcony, with a preference for varieties with compact growth.

It is a fruit vegetable that has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, it is rich in water and contains a particularly interesting molecule: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

In terms of cooking, Tomatoes can be consumed raw or cooked in multiple ways: in salads or as appetizers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, or in sauces. They come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary your enjoyment!

Harvesting: The harvest periods vary depending on the earliness: early varieties are harvested from 55 to 70 days after planting, mid-season varieties from 70 to 85 days, and late varieties beyond 85 days. Harvesting should be done when the Tomato has reached its final color and its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better preservation, be sure to pick the fruit with its peduncle. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Storage: The optimal storage temperature for tomatoes is between 10 and 15°C (50 and 59°F). Refrigeration is possible but alters the taste qualities of the fruits. For longer storage, Tomatoes can be preserved by confit, dried, frozen, canned, or cooked into jam. To confit them, cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes face up on the baking tray of your oven. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least one hour. Remove your tomatoes, store them in a glass jar, and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: To limit watering, we recommend mulching the soil with thin successive layers of grass clippings, if possible mixed with dead leaves. This protection, which keeps the soil moist, also limits weed growth.

Attention: When transplanting grafted plants, do not bury the graft point!