Tomato White Beauty - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

The White Beauty Tomato is an early and productive variety, which produces round, pale yellow fruits weighing 100 to 75 g on vigorous plants. Their sweet and juicy flesh is of excellent quality, making them ideal for salads. Sow in March - April for a harvest 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 variety of this solanaceous plant. The term 'tomate' comes from the Incas' Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are fruits of every colour, except perhaps blue, of all shapes and sizes. Ancient varieties are indeterminate plants and can live for two years. More recent varieties have a 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, like beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. It took longer 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 solanaceous plant. It only became a regular on our tables in the early 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 grouped in cymes 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 advantages. 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, provitamin A, and trace elements.

Today, its taste and nutritional qualities are undeniable. For gardeners, tomatoes are among the essential vegetables of summer. They just need to consider how they want to use them to guide them among all the existing varieties. Are they for salads, sauces, consuming directly on the spot, or cooked? 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 while tomatoes need a lot of sun and heat, they don't necessarily require a lot of space. That's why you shouldn't hesitate to grow them in containers on your balcony, where you will prefer varieties with small fruits. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Harvesting: depending on the varieties, from early to late, it can take 50 to 100 days between the transplanting date and the harvest. There is no foolproof trick to determine in advance when a tomato has reached its full ripeness. Harvesting will be done when, at a minimum, it is completely coloured as announced and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better preservation, make sure to pick the fruit with its peduncle.

Preservation: tomatoes do not keep as long as their water content is high. They can be kept 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, dried tomatoes, sauces, frozen fruits, canned tomatoes, jams, or juice. We love to confit them because it's so simple and delicious: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes face up on the baking sheet 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 grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimize the risk of a complete loss of harvest due to climate 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 and ensure 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.