Tomato Cauralina F1 Plants

The Cauralina F1 Tomato, a beefsteak type, is a variety that produces regularly throughout the season, heart-shaped fruits weighing 160 to 200 g each, with uniform size and shape, and ripening to a vibrant coral red. Their flesh is dense and of excellent taste, ideal for use in salads, juices, gazpacho, and perfect for preparing stuffed tomatoes. The Tomato is a tender plant that is grown as an annual, requiring warmth and rich soil. Tomato plants can be grown in open ground or even in containers, from April to June, after the last frost, for a harvest from July to October.

The grafting technique consists of giving a desired variety (here 'Cauralina F1') the root system of another specially selected variety, called a rootstock. This rootstock has excellent resistance to soil parasites and diseases, which provides the plant with additional vigor: 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.

NB: this variety is labeled 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 flavorful and/or early while being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid plants are interesting both for their uniformity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: therefore, it will not be possible to recover the seeds for future sowing.

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 notably longer to reach our taste buds. And for good reason: for a long time, it was grown for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities but was considered toxic because of its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another Solanaceae. 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 clustered in cymes that will turn into fruits. The Tomato can be grown in open ground but can also be grown in containers on a balcony, with a preference for compact varieties.

It is a fruit vegetable that has many nutritional advantages. 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 cooking, Tomatoes can be consumed raw or cooked in many ways: in salads or for appetizers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, or made into 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 harvesting 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 is done when the Tomato has reached its final color and its texture, while remaining firm, shows slight softening. For better conservation, it is advisable to harvest 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. 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.

The 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.