Purple Striped Tomato

🍅 Striped Purple Tomato
(Tomate Violette Tigrée)

Scientific name: Solanum lycopersicum
Type: Mid-season, indeterminate
Origin: Artisanal variety selected for its unique appearance and rich flavor

✨ Overview

The Striped Purple Tomato is an elegant heirloom variety prized for its striking, heart-shaped fruits. Its skin is dramatically striped with deep red, dark purple, and hints of olive green. On the palate, it delivers juicy, dense, sweet flesh with a well-balanced touch of acidity. A true tasting tomato, as beautiful as it is delicious.

Well adapted to Canadian climates, this variety is a favorite among passionate gardeners looking for a tomato that combines visual impact and exceptional flavor.

🧬 Variety History

The Striped Purple Tomato comes from traditional crosses among colorful, aromatic heirloom tomatoes. It represents the best of tomato genetic diversity. Its heart shape and nuanced hues echo rustic lineages once grown in family gardens across Central Europe and South America.

🌱 Germination & Care

Sowing (indoors)

• When: 6–8 weeks before the last frost (February–April)
• Ideal temperature: 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
• Germination: 6–10 days

Transplanting

• Timing: After the last frost, when plants are 15–20 cm (6–8″) tall
• Spacing: 50–60 cm (20–24″) between plants
• Growth habit: Indeterminate — requires strong staking or trellising
• Exposure: Full sun (minimum 6–8 hours)

Tips for Canada & Quebec

• Quebec: Choose very sunny locations or use a small tunnel/greenhouse in cooler regions.
• Elsewhere in Canada: Performs very well in open ground with good drainage and compost-rich soil.

🥗 Cocktails & Cuisine

Edibility

The Striped Purple Tomato is fully edible, including the skin. No part of the fruit is toxic. It is equally suited for fresh eating, cooking, or processing.

Simple Recipes

• Artistic salad: Thinly sliced tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, and a drizzle of organic olive oil.
• Whole roasted tomatoes: Oven-roasted with olive oil, garlic, and rosemary, served on sourdough bread.
• Purple gazpacho: A colorful twist on the Spanish classic using ripe striped purple tomatoes, yellow pepper, and fresh mint.

Original Cocktail

Purple Sun
Striped Purple tomato purée, craft gin, lemon juice, pink peppercorn syrup, ice, and lime zest—a visually stunning, aromatic aperitif.

🍽️ Refined Recipe — Mediterranean Carpaccio with Striped Tomato & Crisp Fennel

Ingredients

• 2 ripe Striped Purple tomatoes
• 1 small fennel bulb
• Aged parmesan shavings
• Extra-virgin olive oil, pink salt, freshly ground pepper
• A few purple basil leaves

Preparation

1. Thinly slice tomatoes and fennel using a mandoline.
2. Arrange in a rosette on a chilled plate.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and season.
4. Finish with parmesan shavings and fresh basil.

Epicurean tip: Serve with crusty sourdough bread and a glass of dry white wine.

📦 Technical Summary

🌿 Safety & Toxicity

No known toxicity. The fruits are safe to eat. As with all tomatoes, only the green leaves contain traces of solanine, but they are not used in cooking.

A tomato that is as artistic as it is flavorful—the Striped Purple Tomato brings color, elegance, and depth to both garden and table.