Tomato Tutti Frutti

The Tutti Frutti Cherry Tomato is a very good variety, vigorous, which offers a multitude of small red fruits (about 15g) elongated, shaped like olives. Delightfully crispy, they reveal a very balanced flavor, neither too sweet nor too acidic. Finally, it is a variety that is also distinguished by its good resistance to splitting.

This indeterminate variety needs to be staked or trellised quickly as it easily reaches 1.20 to 2 meters (4 to 7 feet).

The Tutti Frutti Cherry Tomato can be enjoyed as an appetizer but also in salads or dried and then preserved in oil.

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 produced by the plant. 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. And for good reason: it was long 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 part of our diets 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 gathered in cymes that will turn into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground but can also be grown in containers on a balcony, with a preference for smaller varieties.

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

In terms of cuisine, Tomatoes can be consumed raw or cooked in many ways: in salads or as appetizers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, in ratatouille, as a sauce, etc. They come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and cultivate several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary your enjoyment!

Harvesting: Harvesting periods vary depending on the precocity: 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 fruits should be picked when they have reached their final color and when their texture, while remaining firm, shows slight softening. For better preservation, make sure to pick the fruit with its calyx. 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, dried, frozen, canned, or cooked into jam. To preserve them, cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half 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 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.