Bush tomato – Pensastomaatti
Solanum lycopersicum

Solanaceae family Brassicaceae

Bush tomatoes are often grown in pots and their tomatoes resemble cherry tomatoes. The hedge tomato is an annual plant in Finnish summer. The green parts of the hedge tomato have glandular hairs, from which you can smell the characteristic scent of the plant. Hedge tomatoes contain carotene and lycopene. The bush tomato loves heat and light.

The bush tomato comes from South America, from where it later came to Europe around the 16th century. In Finland, the cultivation of bush tomatoes only started around the beginning of the 20th century. In the old days, the plant was called sweet apple.

Fresh bush tomatoes can be frozen or homemade ketchup can be made from them. Bush tomatoes have a delicious taste in various salads or sauces. The bush tomato is a fun addition to, for example, pizza with arugula or air-dried meat. A great delicacy is also created when you fill a bush tomato with a small ball of mozzarella and put it in the oven for a while so that the cheese melts.