Tomato Apéro F1 in plants - Cherry

The Apéro F1 cherry tomato is an early and productive hybrid variety that produces many small red, round and slightly elongated fruits, weighing 18-20 g from July to September. Their thin-skinned flesh is of excellent taste quality. They are borne in clusters on vigorous, indeterminate plants.

As its name suggests, the Apéro F1 cherry tomato is perfect for... aperitifs, but also in salads or for picnics.

The tomato is native to South America and Central America. Several varieties were 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, like beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chilli peppers. The tomato took significantly longer to reach our taste buds. For a long time, it was cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities but was considered toxic because it resembled the fruit of the Mandrake, another Solanaceae. It only became a regular part of our tables from the early 20th century onwards.

The tomato is a herbaceous perennial plant in tropical climates, but it is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It turns woody over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flower clusteres which transform into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground but compact varieties can also be grown in containers on a balcony.

It is a fruit or vegetable that has many nutritional benefits. It is low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water and contains lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

In terms of cooking, tomatoes can be eaten raw or cooked in various ways: in salads or as an appetiser, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, or used in sauces. They come in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary your harvest!

Harvest: 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. The tomatoes should be picked when they have reached their final colour and their texture remains firm but shows a slight softening. For better storage, it is advisable to pick the fruit with its stalk. 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 an 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 protective layer, which keeps the soil moist, also limits weed growth.

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