Solanum lycopersicum 'Legend'

The 'Legend' Tomato is a variety originating from the United States, selected by Dr Jim Baggett at Oregon State University to create a variety resistant to mildew. It is a highly productive variety, with determinate growth, measuring approximately 120 to 180cm (47 to 71in) tall, that can be planted in a pot on the balcony or in a small vegetable garden. The plant has a well-filled potato-like foliage and produces beautiful round fruits, slightly flattened, weighing between 200 to 400g, with a smooth, shiny red skin. Its soft and juicy flesh, with a sweet and subtly bitter taste, gives this tomato excellent culinary qualities for raw or cooked consumption. This variety can grow up to 1.50m (5ft), so make sure to stake it when planting. Early, sow in March-April for a long harvest from late June to October. Seeds from Organic Agriculture.

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 always amazed by the variety of this solanaceous plant. The term "tomato" comes from the Incas' Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are fruits of all colours (red, of course, but also green, yellow, and even some very rare blue varieties), in all shapes and sizes. Ancient varieties are plants with indeterminate growth and can live for two years. More recent varieties have determinate growth and stop growing at the bush stage, so they do not need staking or trellising.

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 much longer for it 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 part of our diets in the early 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herb in tropical climates but is cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. It lignifies over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers clustered in cymes that will turn into fruits.

It must be admitted that its fruit is very beautiful 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 particularly 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 well-established. 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. Will they be used for salads, sauces, consumed directly on-site, or cooked? They also need to 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 every situation has its tomato! And while tomatoes do need a lot of sun and heat, they don't 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.

In the kitchen: Tomatoes can be consumed raw or cooked in many ways: in salads or as appetizers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, in ratatouilles, as a sauce, etc. They come in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and cultivate several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary the pleasures!

Harvest: Harvest times vary depending on the earliness: early varieties are picked 55 to 70 days after planting, mid-season varieties 70 to 85 days, and late varieties beyond 85 days. Harvest when the tomato has taken on its final color and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better preservation, be sure to harvest the fruit with its peduncle. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Storage: Tomatoes do not keep well when their water content is high. They can be kept for a few days in the vegetable compartment 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 juices. We love to confit them because it's simple and so tasty: cut your tomatoes in half, 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 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 cultivate several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimize the risk of a complete loss of harvest due to climatic conditions or specific pathologies. To prevent 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 technical memo to remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.