| ≥1 piece |
The preservation of Tomatoes was at one time widespread
among the people of the Vesuvius territories. Tomatoes were
cut length
The
Piennolo tomato owes its name to the traditional technique of Vesuvian
farmers to put the tomato bunches on a string tied in a ring, thus making a
single large bunch (the piennolo), which will be hung in a dry and airy place.
The single tomatoes can be picked up from time to time from the piennolo, and
can be used in the following months. The long natural preservation, all through
the winter, sometimes until the spring following the harvest time, is due to the
thick skin and to the fact that the plants are grown without irrigation.
The ripe
tomato is richly red coloured, has side ribs and a peculiar point at
the lower end the so-called pizzo, which distinguishes it from the hybrid
variety having a less marked point at the end and no side ribs. The skin is thick
and almost crispy, whereas the flesh is firm with a delicious and unmistakably
bittersweet Flavour due to the concentration of sugars and mineral salts.
The
Slow Food Association, as already done for other long tradition and high
quality products, created for the
Piennolo tomato the so-called Protection
Presidium, whereas
casaBarone and other farmers, supported by the Boards
of the Regione Campania and of the Vesuvius National Park, have submitted
the application to obtain the European
PDO
(Protected Designation of Origin).
The cultivation surface of the
Piennolo tomato includes all the villages and
small towns traced in the Vesuvius National Parks perimeter, placed at a height
between 300 and 450 m. above sea level.
Seedbeds are prepared in February, whereas the small plants are planted in
March-April and harvesting takes place between July and August.
Soils are made of cold layers of lava with uniform chemical features.
Theyre dark, mostly sandy, permeable, rich in potassium and low in organic
substances and so in nitrogen.
As a rule, irrigation takes place only by rainwater collection. All the cultivation
processes (implant, branch cutting, grass removing, harvesting, etc.) are made
by hand, due to the uneven and terraced position of the estate, which does not
make possible any agricultural mechanization.
In case of lack of irrigation the yeld will be very low and will not exceed 100
quintals per hectare.
| Packaging: Can (Tinned) | Place of Origin: Italy |