Tomato – Piennolo del Vesuvio

Description

This Tomato seed from Piennolo del Vesuvio produces a storage tomato originally grown on the slopes of Mt Vesuvius. The fruit is a small, elongated cherry with a nipple on the blossom end. We grew this for the first time in 2014-15. In Italy the trusses are harvested at the peak of ripeness, then strung together and stored in the roofs of barns. In late winter, the bunches of tomatoes hanging in our laundry are still mostly firm and edible (see portrait image), and although some are beginning to wrinkle a bit, they are still tasty and remind us what summer-ripened tomatoes are really like. In late summer in Naples and the surrounding towns the trusses of del Vesuvio fetch a premium price, and can be seen hanging in market stalls, pizzerias and restaurant kitchens.