Tomato Supersteak F1 - Grafted tomato plants

The Supersteak Tomato produces huge fruits weighing between 300 and 800 g. These are beautiful ruby red fruits, flattened at the top and ribbed at the shoulders. The flesh of this beefsteak type is very flavourful and its shape makes this Supersteak Tomato the perfect candidate for stuffing. However, it can also be used in sauces, juices, or soups, as its flavour is rich and aromatic. The plants are very vigorous and it is necessary to stake them quickly to prevent them from bending under the weight of their tomatoes. Plug plants should be planted from April to June after the last frosts when the plants have reached about fifteen cm. The Supersteak Tomato is harvested from July to October.

NB: This variety is marked F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly flavourful and/or early while also being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticised or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid plants are useful for their uniformity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to the next generations: it will therefore not be possible to keep their seeds for sowing.

The tomato is native to South America and Central America. Several varieties were cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Conquistadors. We are always amazed by the genetic diversity of this solanaceous plant. The term 'tomato' comes from the Inca Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are fruits of all colours, except perhaps blue, and all shapes and sizes.

The tomato is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chilli peppers. It took much longer for it to reach our taste buds. And for good reason! It was long cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities and was thought to be toxic because of its similarity to the fruit of the mandrake, another solanaceous plant. It only became a regular on our tables from the beginning of the 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. It becomes woody over time and produces small insignificant yellow flowers gathered in clusters that will turn into fruits.

Its fruit is very beautiful and pleasantly colours the vegetable garden. It also has many nutritional advantages. It is low in calories like most vegetables and rich in water, it contains lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. And the longer the tomato cooks, the more available lycopene becomes. It is also distinguished by its richness in vitamin C, pro-vitamin A, and trace elements.

Harvesting: Supersteak can bear fruit from July to October depending on the planting date and the climatic and cultivation conditions (under cover or outdoors). There is no foolproof trick to know for sure when a tomato has reached full ripeness. Harvesting should be done when, at a minimum, it is completely coloured as expected and when its texture remains firm but shows a slight softening. For better preservation, you should pick the fruit with its stalk.

Storage: Tomatoes should be stored at an optimal temperature of 10-15°C (50-59°F). They can be kept for a few days in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator or spread out in the open air. However, refrigeration alters the taste qualities of the fruit. To keep them longer, consider culinary methods such as tomato confits, sun-dried tomatoes, sauces, frozen fruits, preserves, jams, or juices. We love to confit them because it's so simple and delicious: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your tomato halves 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 an hour. Remove your tomatoes and consume them immediately, or store them in a glass jar and cover them with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: It is a good idea to grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimize the risk of complete crop loss due to climatic or specific pathologies. To counteract the phenomenon of 'blossom end rot' - not a disease but a calcium deficiency - spray a comfrey maceration rich in calcium on your plants. Attention: when transplanting grafted plants, do not bury the graft point!