Good morning!
Ready to start a new week? We are! I woke up really early to go pick cherries. We started the campaign last week and we are harvesting every day. As it's a short campaign (only May and June), it's quite intense.
The good thing about cherries is that as the days pass, they get sweeter and more flavorful. Additionally, we harvest different varieties of this delicious small fruit. But today I'm not going to tell you about cherry varieties, but about another one of our special products.
It's also red, but the difference is its size and that it's 100% from these lands. I'm talking about the Valencian tomato. Like any delicacy, it's a gem, but it's wrapped in a dilemma...
Have you heard of the Valencian tomato dilemma? I'm referring to the traditional varieties of tomatoes we grow here in the Valencian market garden. Those that, if you try them at just the right point, make you question everything you thought you knew about the flavor of a tomato. Well, they have a problem: they don't handle travel very well...
But, shall I tell you something? We found the solution so you can try it 😉. It's actually a simple solution, but let me continue telling you about the dilemma.
The other day, talking with some fellow farmers, we commented that the Valencian tomato is trapped between its own local success and its difficulty in leaving home. The fruit is delicious, but it's so delicate that it doesn't withstand transport well. They don't last days in cold storage, nor do they tolerate bumps or long routes. They are thin-skinned tomatoes, with water, flavor, and authentic texture... but not for crazy packaging and careless shipping.
That's why at Campos del Abuelo, after much testing, working, and thinking, we were able to figure out how to make it reach our customers well. It's actually very simple: we harvest and ship it on the same day. In addition, it's picked from the plant when it's "pintón," as we say here. Not fully ripe, but close to its ripening, yet firm enough to withstand transport.
Watch it grow in our garden 🤩:
Here, we know it, we appreciate it, and we eagerly await it every year. At home, we've joked more than once that the first good tomato of summer officially marks the beginning of the season. But of course, outside of Valencia, many have never even heard of it. It's not usually in supermarkets because it simply can't be: it can't withstand industrial machinery and the logistical requirements of modern supermarkets.
And there's a positive side to this. Thanks to this "weakness," this tomato has managed to dodge the nets of mass production. It hasn't (yet) become a universally known variety, but rather a treasure for local consumption. And being able to share it with you excites us.
Every year, we push this tomato a little further to reach more people. It's the pride of our garden, and we want you to know it. And now you not only know the dilemma surrounding the Valencian tomato but also its solution.
As always, we will continue to cultivate with patience. Because even if it doesn't travel far, the flavor remains.
In addition to Valencian tomatoes, we still have Valencia oranges and remember! Mountain cherries of limited harvest, grown in a high-altitude microclimate.
Thank you for being on the other side, until next week.
A big hug!
