Tomato San Marzano

The San Marzano 3 Tomato is an improvement on the San Marzano and the San Marzano 2. It produces clusters of deep red, oblong fruits weighing 100 to 150 g with a round shape reminiscent of a small pepper. Firm and full, they contain few seeds or juice. Symbols of Italian cuisine par excellence, they are reserved for the preparation of cooked dishes, coulis or sauces. Dried tomatoes are often made with the San Marzano. Indeed, being very fleshy and low in water, it has a great ability to be dried.
The San Marzano 3 is an indeterminate variety that reaches 80 to 120 cm (32 to 47in) in height. Care should be taken to train or stake them as soon as they are transplanted into the ground.
It can be sown from February to April and harvested from July to October.

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 vast variety of this solanaceous plant. The term 'tomato' comes from the Inca word 'Tomatl' and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are tomatoes of 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 have determinate growth and stop growing once they reach the bush stage, so they do not need to be staked or trellised.

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 much longer for the tomato to reach our taste buds. 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 diets in the early 20th century.

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

It must be admitted that its fruit is very attractive and adds a 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.  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, the tomato is an essential vegetable of the summer. They just need to decide how they want to use it to guide them among the many existing varieties. Will it be for salads, sauces, consumption directly from the garden, cooked, etc.? They will also consider when they want to harvest it. The answer will, of course, be influenced by the average summer sunlight in the region where their garden is located. Rest assured, the choice is vast, and there is a tomato for every situation! And while tomatoes do need a lot of sun and heat, they do not necessarily require a lot of space. Therefore, don't hesitate to grow them in containers on your balcony, where you can focus on varieties with small fruits. Be careful, 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 foolproof way to determine in advance when a tomato has reached full ripeness. The fruit should be picked when it is fully coloured as announced and when its texture, while still firm, shows a slight softening. For better storage, be sure to pick the fruit with its calyx.

Storage: tomatoes do not last as long when they have a high water content. They can keep well for a few days in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator or spread out in the open air. To keep them longer, you can 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 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 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 minimize the risk of complete crop loss due to climatic conditions or specific diseases.
When transplanting, do not hesitate to bury the stem up to the first leaves. This will stimulate root growth, ensuring a bountiful fruit harvest.
Winning combinations in the garden are often the same on the plate. It's a good to remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.