Tomato Burpee Delicious - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

The Burpee Delicious Tomato is an American variety that is round and very uniform. The fruits come together in clusters of 3 to 5 individuals which, before turning red, take on a beautiful orange colour until they reach perfect ripeness. This variety, with Beefsteak-type flesh, holds the record for the largest tomato, weighing over 3.1 kg. The average size, however, ranges from 250 to 500 grams. Burpee Delicious is an indeterminate variety and towers over the garden at over 2 meters (7 feet) tall. Start staking your plants as soon as they are transplanted into the ground. You will sow your seeds in March or April to harvest Burpee Delicious from June to September.

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. We are still amazed by the variety of this nightshade plant. The term "tomato" comes from the Inca word Tomatl, which refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are tomatoes in all colours (red, of course, but also green, yellow, and even some very rare blue varieties), in all shapes and sizes. Ancient varieties are indeterminate plants and can live for two years. More recent varieties have determinate growth and stop growing when they reach a bushy stage, so there is no need to stake or trellis them.

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. However, it took longer for it to reach our taste buds. For a long time, it was cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities. It was thought to be toxic because of its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another nightshade plant. It only became a regular part of our diet at the beginning of the 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It lignifies over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers that cluster together and turn into fruits.

It must be admitted that the tomato fruit is very attractive and adds a pleasant colour to the garden. It also has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it contains a molecule that is particularly interesting: 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 taste and nutritional qualities are well established. For gardeners, tomatoes are an essential vegetable of the summer. They only need to consider how they want to use them when choosing from the many existing varieties. Will they be used for salads, sauces, eaten fresh, or cooked? They also need to decide when to harvest them. The answer will depend on the average summer sunshine in the region where their garden is located. Rest assured, there are many options and there is a tomato for every situation! And although tomatoes need a lot of sun and heat, they don't necessarily require a lot of space. So don't hesitate to grow them in containers on your balcony, where you can choose 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 from transplanting to harvest. There is no foolproof way to determine in advance when a tomato has reached full ripeness. Harvesting should be done when, at the very least, it is completely colored as announced and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better storage, be sure to pick the fruit with its stem.

Storage: Tomatoes do not keep as long when they have a high water content. They can be stored for a few days in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator or left out in the open. 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 tomato 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 advisable to grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimize the risk of a complete loss of harvest due to climatic factors or specific diseases.
To prevent the occurrence of "blossom end rot" - not a disease but a calcium deficiency - spray a calcium-rich comfrey maceration on your plants.
When transplanting, do not hesitate to bury the plant up to the first leaves. This will stimulate root system growth and ensure a bountiful fruit harvest.
Winning combinations in the garden are often the same on the plate. It's a good mnemonic device to remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.