Tomato Pyros F1

The Pyros Tomato produces beautiful bright red fruits, slightly flattened at the top and of a uniform size. Slightly ribbed at the shoulders, they weigh between 140 and 160g and have a very flavorful flesh. It is often used in stuffing but can also express its aroma in salads or sauces. This rather early and prolific variety produces 4 to 8 kg of fruit per plant. To discover it, sow from February to April and then harvest from July to October.

Note: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because 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 tasty and/or early while 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 the next generations, so it will not be possible to recover 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. We are still amazed by the variety of this nightshade plant. The term 'tomato' comes from the Inca word Tomatl and 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 plants with indeterminate growth and can live for two years. More recent varieties have what is called determinate growth and stop growing at the bush 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. 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 fruit of the Mandrake, another nightshade plant. It only became a regular part of our diet from the beginning of the 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herb in tropical climates but is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It lignifies over time and produces small inconspicuous yellow flowers grouped in clusters that will turn 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 molecule of great interest: 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 beyond question. For gardeners, tomatoes are essential vegetables in summer. They just need to think about how they want to use them to guide them among all the existing varieties. Is it for salads, sauces, to be consumed directly on site, cooked, etc.? They will also 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 don't necessarily require a lot of space. Therefore, there is no reason not to grow them in containers on a balcony, where varieties with small fruits will be preferred. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Harvesting: Depending on the variety, from early to late, it can take 50 to 100 days between transplanting and harvesting. There is no foolproof way to know in advance when a tomato has reached its full ripeness. The fruit will be picked when, at a minimum, it is fully 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 peduncle.

Storage: Tomatoes do not keep as long when they have a high water content. They can be stored well for a few days in the vegetable drawer 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 juice. We love to confit them because it's simple and so tasty: cut your tomatoes in half and collect their juice. Place your 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 your tomatoes and consume them 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 conditions or specific diseases. To counter 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, 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.