Tomato Pineapple GRAFTED ORGANIC plants in plugs

The Pineapple Tomato - Heirloom Tomato is a late variety, producing very large fleshy tomatoes (240 to 400 g), with yellow and red skin and flesh. It is an indeterminate variety, with fruits that have few seeds and dense, juicy, and very sweet flesh, ideal for salads. The Tomato is a plant that is grown as an annual, requiring warmth and rich soil. The plug plants of the Pineapple Tomato can be planted from April to June, after the last frost, for a harvest from August to October.

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 longer to reach our taste buds. For a long time, it was cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities, but it was considered toxic because of 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 herbaceous perennial plant in tropical climates, but it is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It becomes lignified over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers grouped in cymes that will turn into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground, but they can also be grown in containers on a balcony, with a preference for compact varieties.

It is a fruit vegetable that has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, it is rich in water and contains a very 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 many ways: in salads or as appetizers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, in ratatouille, as a sauce... There are Tomatoes of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary your enjoyment!

Harvesting: Harvest times 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. Harvest when the Tomato has reached its final color and its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better storage, be sure to pick the fruit with its calyx. Beware, 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, dried, frozen, canned, or cooked into jam. To preserve them, cut your Tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your halved Tomatoes face up on a baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least an hour. Remove your Tomatoes, store them in a glass jar, and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's Tip: To reduce 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 helps limit weed growth.