TOMATO
Native to Mexico and Central America, the tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) was introduced in Europe by the Spaniards in the 16th century under the name tumatl, derived from the Aztec.
Italians began to eat it fearlessly, while in other parts of Europe it was greeted with diffidence, and grown for many years as simply an ornamental plant.

TOMATO CULTIVATION
Worldwide, tomato crops cover a surface area of more than 2 million hectares, providing a production of approximately 50 million tons.
The main producers are the United States (over 10,000,000 tons), Russia (5,600,000), Italy (5,200,000), China (3,500,000) and Turkey (3,300,000).
The regions most involved with this crop in Italy are Campania, Apulia, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily, Latium and Venetia.
The most common varieties are the Marmande, Pantano, Samar, San Pietro and Costoluto fiorentino for costate varieties; Montecarlo, Money Maker, Sunrise and Ace for smooth, round tomatoes; San Marzano, Napoli VF, Maremma and Romarzano for elongated varieties.

THE CALENDAR FOR OPEN FIELD TOMATO

GEN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAG

GIU

LUG

AGO

SET

OTT

NOV

DIC

Epoca di raccolta

Presenza sul mercato

THE CALENDAR FOR GREENHOUSE TOMATO

GEN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAG

GIU

LUG

AGO

SET

OTT

NOV

DIC

Epoca di raccolta

Presenza sul mercato

CONSUMPTION AND STORAGE
The tomato is refreshing, thirst quenching and diuretic. Thanks to its rich content of malic acid, arabic acid and lactic acid it also aids digestion. Other benefits are increased salivation, stimulated appetite and regenerated tissues.
Applying ground tomato leaves to the skin is an excellent remedy for insect bites.
In the summer, a bunch of tomato leaves keeps mosquitoes, bees and ants away from your home.
Tomato pulp is used in cosmetics for toning, nutrient and firming masques for the skin.
Ripe edible tomatoes will keep for 10 days if refrigerated at 1-2 °C with a relative humidity of 85-90%.


NUTRITIONAL AND ENERGY INFORMATION FOR SAUCE TOMATO
(100 grams of product)

Edible part 100 % Water 94.0 g Proteins 1.0 g Lipids 0.2 g Glucides 3.5 g Fiber 0.9 g Energy 19 kcal

Sodium 6 mg Potassium 297 mg Iron 0.3 mg Calcium 9 mg Phosphorus 25 mg Niacin 0.8 mg Vitamin C 25 mg

NUTRITIONAL AND ENERGY INFORMATION FOR SALAD TOMATO
(100 grams of product)

Edible part 100 % Water 94.2 g Proteins 1.2 g Lipids 0.2 g Glucides 2.8 g Fiber 1.1 g Energy 71kcal

Sodium 3 mg Potassium 290 mg Iron 0.4 mg Calcium 11 mg Phosphorus 26 mg Niacin 0.7 mg Vitamin C 21 mg

RECIPE

Rice Tomatoes

Ingredients for 4 people: 6 tomatoes, 300 grams rice, 1 green pepper, 1 stalk celery, 400 grams oil-packed tuna, 2 hard-boiled eggs, a few olives, 1 tablespoon capers, 1 bunch basil, 1 bunch mint, the juice of half a lemon, 4 tablespoons vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Cook the rice in salted water for 10 minutes. Wash and trim the celery and green pepper, then cut the celery into rings and the pepper into strips. Drain the rice and pour it into a bowl; add lemon juice, celery, green pepper, capers, olives, tuna and the crumbled hard-boiled eggs. Dress with a sauce made by beating the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and chopped herbs. Cut the top off the tomatoes, empty them of the pulp and fill with the rice salad. Garnish with a few sprigs of mint.

SALAD VARIETIES Belonging to the potato order, the tomato has a tap root with a number of lateral roots, more or less close to the surface.
The stalk, erect during the initial vegetative stages, later droops and may be over two meters long.
The fruit is a green or red berry, in various shades, and may be round, flattened, oval or elongated, in various gauges.
Though widely adaptable to different types of terrain, the tomato prefers medium-consistency soil, deep and cool.
For salad tomatoes, crops may have a determinate or indeterminate growth, while the fruit - generally round - may be smooth or costate.
Among the most widespread varieties are the Marmande, Supermarmande, Fandango, Carmelo, Arletta F1, Sidonia F1, Leopardo F1, Perlina F1, Antilope F1, Optima F1, Marinda F1 among the indeterminate varieties; Champion F1, Palmo F1, Earlypak, Campbell, Ace-55 VF among those of determinate development.
Some of the most recently grown "smooth round" tomato varieties are the Gloria, ES 200 and Nikita.

THE CALENDAR FOR SALAD VARIETIES

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

Harvest period

Market presence

MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS
Appearance
Green-red skin

Colour
Green-red pulp

Consistency
Good

Shape
Rounded fruit (smooth or costate),
flattened, elongated, heart-shaped

Gauge
Medium-large

Flavor and texture
Thick, firm pulp.
Pleasant, non-acid taste typical of the species

Sale period
January through December

Storage
Tomatoes may be stored for 10 days at a temperature of 1-2 °C and a relative humidity of 85-90%.

Things to avoid
Heavy pressure on the product and excessive exposure to heat and moisture.

SAUCE VARIETIES Belonging to the potato order, the tomato has a tap root with a number of lateral roots, more or less close to the surface. The stalk, erect during the initial vegetative stages, later droops and may be over two meters long.
The fruit is a green or red berry, in various shades, and may be round, flattened, oval or elongated, in various gauges.
Though widely adaptable to different types of terrain, the tomato prefers medium-consistency soil, deep and cool.
Among the most common varieties for the production of tomato concentrate are Roma, Ventura, Titano and other more recent varieties such as Novamech, Petomech, Red River, Rio Grande. Alongside these are several hybrids available on the market, such as RS 862661 F1 VF, RS 892745 F1 VF2 and Aragon F1.

THE CALENDAR FOR SAUCE VARIETIES

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

Harvest period

Market presence

MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS
Appearance
Bright red skin
No white nerves in the pulp

Colour
Red pulp

Consistency
Good

Shape
Oval or squared fruit

Average fruit weight
70/80 grams

Flavor and texture
Meaty, firm pulp.
Pleasant, non-acid taste

Sale period
January through December

Storage
Tomatoes may be stored for 10 days at a temperature of 1-2 °C and a relative humidity of 85-90%.

Things to avoid
Heavy pressure on the product and excessive exposure to heat and moisture.

CLUSTER VARIETIES Belonging to the potato order, the tomato has a tap root with a number of lateral roots, more or less close to the surface.
The stalk, erect during the initial vegetative stages, later droops and may be over two meters long.
The fruit is a green or red berry, in various shades, and may be round, flattened, oval or elongated, in various gauges.
Though widely adaptable to different types of terrain, the tomato prefers medium-consistency soil, deep and cool.
Some of the most common cluster varieties are the Matador, Meran F1, Tissot F1, Rita and Lori Bel.

THE CALENDAR FOR CLUSTER VARIETIES

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

Harvest period

Market presence

MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS
Appearance
Red-green skin

Colour
Red-green pulp

Consistency
Good

Shape
Rounded fruit (smooth or costate), flattened, elongated, heart-shaped

Gauge
Medium-large

Flavor and texture
Firm pulp and intense aroma

Sale period
January through December

Storage
Tomatoes may be stored for 10 days at a temperature of 1-2 °C and a relative humidity of 85-90%.

Things to avoid
Heavy pressure on the product and excessive exposure to heat and moisture.

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