Solanum lycopersicum Crush F1

The 'Crush F1' Tomato is a cocktail variety that produces round, bright red fruits, weighing about 40 grams, in clusters of 7 to 10. Larger than cherry tomatoes, it retains the sweet taste, despite a slight acidity. Firm, crunchy, and juicy, this summer vegetable is ideal to enjoy raw. Children especially love it. It adds flavour to salads, sandwiches, skewers, gratins, and even clafoutis, not to mention cocktails. Sow from February to April in a warm place, for a harvest that extends from June-July to October.

The 'Crush' is a hybrid variety, vigorous and productive, highly resistant to tomato blight (alternaria and mildew). It is well suited for cultivation in open ground, in greenhouses, or outdoors. It is an indeterminate variety that continues to grow as long as conditions are favorable.

The Tomato is native to South America and Central America. It belongs to the solanaceae family, like potatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Several varieties were already cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Conquistadors. We are still amazed by the variety of this solanaceae. The term "Tomato" comes from the Inca Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are fruits of all colours, except perhaps blue, in all shapes and sizes. The tomato is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and peppers. It took much longer for the tomato to reach our taste buds. And for good reason! It was long cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities. It was thought to be toxic because of its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another solanaceae. It only became a regular on our tables at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Tomato is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is cultivated as an annual in colder regions. It lignifies over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers gathered in clusters that will turn into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground, but can also be grown in containers on a balcony, using varieties that stay small.

It must be admitted that its fruit is very attractive and adds 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 decide how they want to use them among the many existing varieties. Will they be used for salads, sauces, for consumption directly in the garden, or cooked? They should 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's a tomato for every situation! And even though tomatoes 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 choose 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 multiple ways: in salads or as appetisers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, in ratatouille, as a sauce, on skewers etc. There are tomatoes of all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary your meals!

Note: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly flavourful and/or early while being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticised or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are interesting both for their homogeneity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: therefore, it will not be possible to save the seeds for future sowing.

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. Harvest when the tomato has reached its final colour and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better preservation, make 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 last as long as their water content is high. They can be kept 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 confits, dried tomatoes, sauces, frozen fruits, preserves, jams, or juices. We love to confit them because it's simple and so flavorful: cut your tomatoes in half, collect the juice. Place your halved 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 recommended to grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimise the risk of a complete loss of harvest due to climatic conditions or specific diseases.
To prevent the phenomenon of 'blossom end rot,' which is 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 reminder that tomatoes and basil go well together.

Advice: Do not water your tomato plants with cold tap water, the water should be at least at room temperature. Additionally, during this operation, avoid wetting the foliage, as it may lead to the development of fungal diseases.