Tomato Apéro F1 in GRAFTED ORGANIC - Cherry

The Apéro F1 cherry tomato is a hybrid variety, early and productive, which produces many small red fruits from July to September, weighing 18-20 g, round and slightly elongated. Their flesh, covered with a thin skin, is of excellent taste quality. They are borne in clusters on vigorous, indeterminate plants.

As its name suggests, the Apéro F1 cherry tomato is perfect for... aperitifs, as well as in salads or for picnics.

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 "Tomate" comes from the Inca "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 significantly longer to reach our taste buds. The reason being: 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 on our tables from the beginning of the 20th century.

The Tomato 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 clustered together, which will transform into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground but can also be grown in containers on a balcony, with a preference for varieties with compact growth.

It is a fruit vegetable that offers many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it contains a molecule of great interest: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. It also stands out for its richness in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

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

Harvest: Harvest periods vary depending on the earliness: 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 color and when their texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better conservation, make sure to pick the fruit with its peduncle. Be careful, 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 half 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 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 limits weed growth.

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