Tomato Sturdy Grace F1

The Sturdy Grace F1 Tomato is a variety of Cherry or Cocktail type that produces beautiful small round tomatoes, with yellow skin and crunchy flesh, and a particularly sweet flavor. Clustered together, the fruits range from 18 to 25 grams and 2 to 3 cm (1in) in diameter, and are delicious to nibble on and share during a friendly moment.  Perfectly suited for pot cultivation, on the balcony, terrace or patio, the plant adapts its growth to the volume of substrate available. It produces fruit over a very long period, with each harvest resulting in the production of new clusters. Enjoy them fresh, also consider this variety to enhance kebabs, or if you want to introduce the taste of tomatoes to your children. They love the tiny fruits with their vibrant colors that can be eaten straight from the vegetable garden or balcony. Planting is done from April to June after the last frost when the plants have reached about fifteen centimeters. The Sturdy Grace F1 Tomato is harvested from July to October.

NB: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" as 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 also being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are interesting both for their uniformity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: it will therefore not be possible to save the seeds for later 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 "tomato" 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 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 due to its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another member of the Solanaceae family. It only became a regular part of our tables from the beginning of the 20th century.

The Tomato is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is cultivated as an annual in our colder winter latitudes. It becomes lignified over time and produces small insignificant yellow flowers grouped in clusters that will transform into fruits. Tomatoes 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 benefits. Low in calories, like most vegetables, it is rich in water and 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 a variety of ways: in salads or as an appetizer, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, in ratatouille, as a sauce, in kebabs, and more. There are tomatoes of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary the pleasures!

Harvesting: Harvest times vary depending on the earliness: early varieties such as Sturdy Grace 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 a slight softening. For better conservation, be sure to harvest the fruit with its stem. Note that 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 with the cut side up on the baking tray in your oven. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least one hour. Remove your tomatoes, store them in a glass jar, and cover with olive oil.

Gardening 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.