Imagine being able to keep a tomato fresh in its original state for months, rather than turning a glut into passata or chutney. This is possible with storage tomatoes, a type that can last for months in a cool, dry place, according to Lucy Hutchings, co-founder of the award-winning seed company She Grows Veg.
Storage tomatoes are popular in Italy and southern Europe but have yet to catch on in the UK, despite being ideal for the country's shorter summer season. They have a weaker gene for self-ripening, meaning they can be sown later and harvested while still green, then stored to ripen slowly over winter.
These tomatoes have firmer flesh and skin than conventional varieties, and their slow ripening process allows sugars to develop gradually, resulting in sweet fruit. Depending on the variety, they can be used for cooking or eaten fresh, with longer-storing types being less succulent and better suited for cooking.
To grow storage tomatoes, sow them from seed purchased from specialist companies, as they are rarely available as plants in garden centres. Grow them like regular tomatoes but water less once the fruit has swollen, as this toughens the skin and aids storage. They are also less prone to blossom end rot.
Harvest the tomatoes when they are full-sized but still green. Remove the trusses and hang them in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. They will ripen slowly through winter, allowing you to enjoy home-grown tomatoes for months. Recommended varieties include 'Hanging Prince', which lasts at least three months, and 'Piennolo del Vesuvio', a traditional storage type.
