Organic Cuor di Bue Tomato Seedlings – Beefsteak

The Organic Cuor di Bue Tomato - This true beefsteak tomato is an old mid-season variety, producing large heart-shaped red fruits weighing around 230g. Its dense, sweet and extremely flavourful flesh makes it ideal for use in salads, juices, gazpacho or stuffed. The Tomato is a plant that is grown as an annual, requiring warmth and a rich soil. The plug plants of the Cuor di Bue Tomato are produced using organic methods and can be planted from April to June, after the last frost, for a harvest 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. The term "Tomato" comes from the Inca word "Tomatl" and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. It is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. The Tomato took longer to reach our taste buds. For a long time, it was cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities, but it was considered toxic due to its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another member of the Solanaceae family. It only became a regular part of our diets in the early 20th century.

The Tomato is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It becomes woody over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers clustered in inflorescences that will turn into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground but can also be grown in containers on a balcony, with smaller varieties being preferred.

It is a fruit vegetable that offers many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it contains a particularly interesting molecule: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

In terms of cooking, Tomatoes can be consumed raw or cooked in many ways: in salads or as appetizers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, or in sauces. They come in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary the pleasure!

Harvesting: The harvesting periods vary depending on the maturity: early varieties are harvested from 55 to 70 days after planting, mid-season varieties from 70 to 85 days, and late varieties beyond 85 days. The fruits should be picked when they have reached their final ripe colour and when their texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better preservation, be sure to pick the fruit with its calyx. Beware, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Storage: The optimal storage temperature for tomatoes is between 10 and 15°C (50 and 59°F). Refrigeration is possible but alters the taste qualities of the fruits. For longer storage, tomatoes can be preserved, dried, frozen, canned, or cooked into jam. To preserve them, cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your halved tomatoes face up on a baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least one hour. Remove your tomatoes, store them in a glass jar, and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: To reduce the need for watering, we recommend mulching the soil with thin successive layers of grass clippings, if possible mixed with dead leaves. This protection, which keeps the soil moist, also reduces weed growth.