Samnite Verneteca Cherry Tomato

Cultivated in the foothills of the Samnite Apennines, the Samnite Verneteca is a tomato da serbo (for preserving) and most likely a member of the cherry tomato family.
The small, round fruits are slightly flattened at the stalk end, and some can have a pointed tip. The skin is yellow while the flesh is pinkish.
Thanks to its characteristics and the thickness of the skin, the tomato can be stored outdoors, then eaten raw throughout the winter, hence the name vernino or verneteca, from inverno (winter).
The tomatoes are grown on supports made from posts and wires, and cultivated entirely manually. The growing period is between May and September. The fruits are harvested in stages between August and September, though when the weather conditions allow, they can even be picked from the plant as late as the end of October. A few hours after being picked, the tomato stalks are woven together and tied with string into golden bunches known as pienneci or penneci, which are hung in ventilated but sheltered places such as balconies or under roofs. They will keep until the following spring.
Verneteca tomatoes are usually eaten raw, on bread, or briefly blanched. Rich in vitamin C, they have a pleasant acidity and crispness. They are called for in local recipes for soups, pastas and other dishes, and their value as a pizza topping is also being rediscovered.
There is little information available about the variety’s history, because in the past it was grown for home consumption only. The techniques for its cultivation used to be passed down through the generations, but with the depopulation of inland areas, competition from other varieties and new preservation techniques, its production and consumption have declined steeply, and this traditional variety has mostly been replaced by greenhouse-grown or imported tomatoes.

Season

The tomatoes are picked between August and September/October