Longkeepers are the future of food security. These two pictures of Golden Treasure were taken in January (that is snow in the background of the first picture)!
This lovely and practical storage tomato is a Tim Peters’ variety. Tim Peters is a master tomato breeder who created several excellent storage varieties. This is how Tim described Golden Treasure in the 1999 Garden Seed Inventory:
Golden Treasure—70 days-First long-keeping tomato with gold skin color, ripens from green to golden in about 1-1.5 months, can keep for up to 4 months. Vigorous indeterminate vines, 2.5 inches diameter [fruits], 2.5oz-4oz, acidic tomato flavor becomes more mild in storage.
Pick Golden Treasure unripe at the end of summer and store in a cool, dry place.
Colour when Ripe: Golden Treasure will turn golden yellow (exterior) when ripe. It will be firm.
We collect seed from our longkeepers in January; so, you will be able to store yours until November/December.
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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.
