Tomato Merveille des Marchés

The 'Marvel of the Markets' Tomato is an old variety of the Marmande tomato. From July to October, it produces clusters of 3 to 5 slightly flattened scarlet red fruits with pink flesh and a very sweet and slightly floury flavour. The weight is generally between 100 and 200 g and the texture allows for preparing delicious stuffings and gratins.
This indeterminate variety reaches 160 to 200 cm (63 to 79in) in height and offers an excellent yield. It requires staking from the moment of planting in the ground.
Carry out your sowing from March to April.

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 wide 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 tomatoes of all colours (red, green, yellow, and even some very rare blue varieties), shapes, and sizes. Ancient varieties are plants with indeterminate growth and can live for two years. More recent varieties have a determinate growth habit 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, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chilli peppers. It took longer for the tomato to reach our taste buds. It was cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities for a long time. It was believed to be toxic because it resembled the fruit of the Mandrake, another solanaceous plant. It only became a regular diet in the early 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herb in tropical climates but is grown annually in our latitudes. It becomes woody over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers grouped in clusters that will transform into fruits.

It must be admitted that its fruit is beautiful and adds a pleasant colour to the vegetable garden. It also has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, it is rich in water and contains a fascinating 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, the tomato is one of the essential summer vegetables. They just need to consider what they want to use it for to guide them among all the existing varieties. Will it be used for salads and sauces, eaten directly on the spot, or cooked? They will also need to decide when they want to harvest it. 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 although tomatoes require plenty of sunlight and heat, they don't necessarily need much space. So don't hesitate to grow them in containers on your balcony, where you can focus on varieties with small fruits. Be careful, though, as 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 transplanting and harvest. There is no foolproof way to determine when a tomato has reached full ripeness. The fruit should be picked when fully coloured as announced and when its texture, while still firm, slightly softens. For better storage, be sure to pick the fruit with its stem.

Storage: Tomatoes do not keep as long as they have a high water content. They can be stored for a few days in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator or left 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 making tomato confit because it's so simple and delicious: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your tomato halves 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 them with olive oil.

A gardener's tip: Growing several varieties of tomatoes yearly is recommended to minimise the risk of a complete harvest loss due to climate or specific diseases.
To prevent blossom end rot - not a disease but a calcium deficiency - spray a comfrey maceration rich in calcium on your plants.
Do not hesitate to bury the stem up to the first leaves when transplanting. This will stimulate root growth, ensuring a bountiful fruit harvest.
Winning combinations in the garden are often the same on the plate. Remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.