Tomato Budaï Torpe - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

The Budaï Torpe Tomato is one of the earliest varieties. It produces small, dark red fruits weighing between 30 and 60 grams, slightly flattened at the top with undulate shoulders. The highly prolific plants form bushes that reach a maximum height of 1 meter (3 feet), making them ideal for container gardening. The Budaï Torpe Tomato is rather sweet but can sometimes have a pronounced acidity. Its juiciness makes it perfect for summer salads, garnishes, or preserves. It can be sown in March and April and harvested from June to September.

The tomato is native to South and Central America. Several varieties were already cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Conquistadors. The abundance of tomato varieties never fails to surprise. The word "tomato" comes from the Inca word "Tomatl", which refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. Tomatoes come in all colours (red, of course, but also green, yellow, and even some very rare blue varieties), shapes, and sizes. Ancient varieties are indeterminate plants and can live for two years. More recent varieties are determinate and stop growing when they reach the bush stage, so they do not need staking or trellising.

The tomato is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. It took longer for the tomato to become popular. For a long time, it was cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities. It was believed to be toxic due to its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another solanaceous plant. It only became a regular part of our diet in the early 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates but is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It becomes lignified over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers grouped in cymes that will develop into fruits.

It must be admitted that the tomato fruit is very attractive and adds a pleasant color to the vegetable garden. It also has numerous nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, it is rich in water and contains a particularly interesting molecule: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. And the longer the tomato is cooked, the more lycopene becomes available. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

Today, its culinary and nutritional qualities are well known. For gardeners, the tomato is an essential summer vegetable. They just need to consider how they want to use it to guide them among the many existing varieties. Will it be used for salads, sauces, eaten fresh, cooked, etc.? They should also consider when they want to harvest it. The answer will, of course, depend on the average summer sunshine in the region where their garden is located. Rest assured, there is a tomato for every situation! And while tomatoes do require a lot of sun and heat, they don't necessarily need a lot of space. So, don't hesitate to grow them in containers on your balcony, where you can focus on varieties with small fruits. Be careful, though, as immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Harvesting: Depending on the variety, it can take 50 to 100 days between transplanting and harvesting. There is no foolproof way to determine when a tomato is fully ripe. Harvesting should be done when, at a minimum, it has fully developed the colour it was announced to have and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better preservation, it is recommended to harvest the fruit with its peduncle.

Storage: Tomatoes have a shorter shelf life when their water content is high. They can be kept for a few days in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator or left out in the open air. To keep them longer, consider culinary methods such as tomato confit, sun-dried tomatoes, sauces, frozen fruits, preserves, jams, or juices. Tomato confit is particularly simple and delicious: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place the halves 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 the tomatoes and consume immediately, or store them in a glass jar and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: It is recommended to grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimize the risk of a complete loss of harvest due to climatic conditions or specific diseases. To address the issue of "blossom-end rot" - not a disease but a calcium deficiency - spray a comfrey maceration rich in calcium on your plants. When transplanting, don't hesitate to bury the stem up to the first leaves. This will stimulate root development, ensuring a bountiful fruit harvest. Successful garden associations often translate into successful culinary combinations. It's a good mnemonic to remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.