Achatado is a beautiful longkeeper from the Western region of Spain — where longkeepers have a long history of cultivation.
Longkeepers, also known as storage tomatoes, were used in Spain when fresh tomatoes were not available. For Canadian gardeners, these are fairly new types of tomatoes to grow (scroll down to ‘How to Store‘) — but they make good sense in our short growing season and allow us to extend the season in the same way they have done in Spain.
The longkeeper Achatado has peachy-pink tomatoes that are 40g – 50g in size. The plants are about 4 ft tall and low maintenance.
The tomatoes last nicely until January (the second picture was taken in January), although their best eating time is late fall. They have a good sweet-tangy taste, which becomes milder in storage.
Longkeepers are traditionally grown under low-irrigation conditions with minimal inputs as explained in the paper, “Mediterranean Long Shelf-Life Landraces” — the authors write: “Besides extended shelf-life, most LSL (long shelf-life) landraces are drought tolerant, as a consequence of ancient selection under Mediterranean summer conditions with poor irrigation or rain fed.”
Growing longkeepers, like Achatado, are a great choice if you want to limit water use in your garden.
Longkeepers are a must have in our garden. When the snow starts to fly, there is real comfort in eating fresh tomatoes from your own garden.
Longkeepers rule!
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How to Store: In their classic how-to book, Root Cellaring, food storage experts Mike and Nancy Bubel suggest storing tomatoes at 13 to 18 C (55 to 65 F) to keep them on “hold” for a while. A spot in your basement would do or a colder room in your house. Place longkeepers in a single layer in a cardboard box or on a shelf out of direct sunlight. On the other hand, the Bubels also suggest you can store tomatoes at room temperature (15 to 21 C / 60 to 70 F) — on your kitchen counter, for instance, but it will speed up the ripening process. Keep it simple and do whatever works for you.
How to Plant: Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost. Plant seed 5mm (¼ inch) deep. Keep moist. When true leaves appear, transplant to a larger container if needed. Transplant outside after the danger of frost has passed/later spring.
