Tomato Coeur - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

The 'Coeur' (Heart) Tomato is a late variety that produces charming heart-shaped fruits weighing between 300 and 400 g. Their flesh is dense, juicy, sweet, and flavoursome. This tomato is sown from March to April for a harvest 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 Solanaceae plant. The term 'tomato' comes from the Incas' Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are fruits of all colours, except perhaps blue, and of all shapes and sizes. Ancient varieties are plants with indeterminate growth and can live for two years. More recent varieties have determinate growth and stop growing at 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 even longer to reach our taste buds, for a long time being cultivated just for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities. It was thought to be toxic because of its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another solanaceous plant. It only became a regular on the table from the beginning of the 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herb in tropical climates but is cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. It lignifies over time and produces small, insignificant, yellow flowers clustered in cymes that will turn into fruits.

Its fruit is very beautiful and adds pleasant colour to the vegetable garden. It also has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it contains a very interesting molecule: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. And the longer the tomato is cooked, the more available lycopene it releases. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

Today, its taste and nutritional qualities are well known. For gardeners, tomatoes are among the essential vegetables of the summer. They just have to decide how they want to use them to guide them among all the existing varieties. Is it for salads, sauces, eating on the spot, cooking, etc.? They will also consider when they want to harvest them, the answer depending of course on the average summer sunshine in the region where their garden is located. Rest assured, the choice is vast, and there is a tomato for every situation! And while the tomato may need a lot of sun and heat, it does not necessarily require a lot of space. Don't hesitate to grow it in a container on your balcony, where you can prioritise varieties with small fruits. Be careful as the 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 the transplanting date and the harvest. There is no surefire trick to determine in advance when a tomato has reached full ripeness. Harvesting should be done when, at the very least, it has completely attained its ripe colour and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows slight softening. For better storage, be sure to pick the fruit with its peduncle.

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 compartment of your refrigerator or spread 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. We love to confit them because it's simple and so delicious: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes face up on the roasting 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 and consume them 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 minimise the risks of a complete crop loss due to climatic factors or specific diseases. To prevent the phenomenon of 'blossom end rot' - not a disease but a calcium deficiency - spray a comfrey maceration rich in calcium on your plants. When transplanting, do not hesitate to bury the stem up to the first leaves. This will stimulate the root system, guaranteeing a bountiful fruit harvest. Winning combinations in the garden are often the same on the plate - and as such, it's good to remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.