Tomato Costoluto Genovese

The Costoluto Genovese Tomato is an heirloom tomato originating from Italy, dating back to the 19th century. The dark red fruits are heavily ribbed, flattened at the top, and exhibit a great variability in shape. They are usually medium-sized, weighing between 150 and 300 g. Costoluto Genovese is a beefsteak-type tomato - Costoluto actually means steak in Italian - with few seeds or juice but very fleshy.
The flavor is well-balanced between acidity and sweetness, but tends to diminish during excessively rainy summers. It is indeed a variety adapted to dry and sunny climates, although it continues to produce as temperatures cool in the autumn.
This Costoluto Genovese tomato is perfect for slicing on the grill, stuffing, or for making sauces and juices. It remains highly popular among top Italian chefs.
This indeterminate variety can grow up to two meters quickly. Provide support or trellising from transplanting in the ground. You can sow your seeds from February to April for a tasting from July 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 wide variety of this Solanaceae family. The term 'tomato' comes from the Inca word Tomatl, which refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are fruits of all colors, except perhaps blue, of all shapes and sizes. Ancient varieties are indeterminate plants 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 longer for the tomato 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 Mandrake fruit, another Solanaceae. It only became a regular part of our meals starting from the early 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herb in tropical climates, but is cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. It becomes lignified over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers clustered in inflorescences, which will transform into fruits.

It must be admitted that its fruit is very attractive and adds a pleasant color 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 lycopene becomes available. It is also rich in vitamin C, pro-vitamin A, and trace elements.

Today, its taste and nutritional qualities are well-known. For gardeners, tomatoes are among the essential vegetables of summer. They just need to consider what they want to use them for in order to choose from the many existing varieties. Are they for salads, sauces, consuming directly on site, or cooked? They also need to consider when they want to harvest them. The answer will of course depend 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 although tomatoes need a lot of sun and heat, they do not necessarily require a lot of space. Therefore, do not hesitate to grow them in containers on your balcony, where you can prioritize small-fruited varieties. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Harvesting: Depending on the varieties, it can take 50 to 100 days between transplanting and harvest. There is no foolproof method to determine in advance when a tomato has reached full ripeness. The fruit should be picked when at least it is fully colored as announced, and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better storage, make sure to pick the fruit with its calyx.

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, canned tomatoes, jams, or juices. We love to confit them because it is simple and so tasty: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your tomato halves 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 one hour. Remove your tomatoes and consume immediately, or store them in a glass jar and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: It is recommended to cultivate several tomato varieties each year to minimize the risk of complete crop loss due to climatic factors or specific diseases.
To prevent '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, ensuring a bountiful fruit harvest.
Winning combinations in the garden are often the same on the plate. It's a good mnemonic to remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.