Fiaschetto Tomato of Torre Guaceto
Organic Farming Slow Food Presidium
Fiaschetto tomato represents for the area of Torre Guaceto a historical cultivar that has no longer been cultivated over the years to give way to genetically selected varieties like Faino and other hybrids, more productive but requiring more manuring, irrigation, and treatments.
In the past, the production reached very high levels: about 6-7 million seedlings were produced until 9-10 years ago. The increasing rhythms of continuous cultivation and the two cultivation cycles per year favored the presence of pathologies, considerably weakening the variety and the cultivation.
Currently, Fiaschetto tomato has been experiencing a slow recovery, with 100,000 seedlings in about 50 ha for a production of about 1,500 quintals of tomato. The density of the plants is about 15,000/ha.
Fiaschetto tomato is used for fresh consumption. It has an oval red fruit with a green collar, thin peel, rich in seeds, with an average weight of 15-20 grams. The production is in small clusters with 4/5 tomatoes. The pulp is very tasty and concentrated. The brix degree is rather high and can reach values of approximately 8/9.
The cultivation next to the coastal area of Torre Guaceto and the use of brackish water taken from the surface wells give the tomato the characteristic acidulous-brackish taste. After the harvesting, tomatoes ripened on a drying rack in the shadow in order to lower their acidity level.
The average production of the plants is 1.5-2 kilos, for a total of about 350 quintal/ha.
In its cultivation stages, Fiaschetto tomato also includes social and religious aspects making it even more fascinating; as a matter of fact, its transplantation used to take place on St. Joseph day, while on 13th June, St. Anthony day, the precious red berry began to be harvested.
Besides for fresh consumption, this tomato variety is also ideal to produce tomato concentrate.
