Cocktail Tomato 'Zuckertraube' - The Sweet Temptation

The "Zuckertraube" (Sugar Grape) cocktail tomato is an absolute favorite among snack tomatoes and lives up to its name. With its bright red, bite-sized fruits, it is an asset to any garden and balcony.

• Taste: The name says it all! The Zuckertraube impresses with an intensely fruity, highly aromatic and exceptionally sweet flavor with hardly any perceptible acidity. The small, crisp fruits practically burst with flavor when bitten into.

• Growth: This vigorous and robust indeterminate tomato can reach an impressive height of 2 to 2.5 meters. It forms abundant, long trusses on which countless small cocktail tomatoes (approx. 15–20 grams per fruit) grow closely together. Due to its strong growth, it requires good support and should be regularly pruned.

• Special features: This variety is a true yield wonder! It continuously produces new fruits from mid-July until autumn. It is also considered relatively robust and crack-resistant – the tomatoes do not immediately burst open even with slight temperature fluctuations or a longer ripening period on the vine.

• Worth knowing: The perfect "snack vegetable"! Due to its intense sweetness, the Zuckertraube is extremely popular, especially with children. It is excellent for fresh consumption directly from the vine, as a healthy snack for lunchboxes, or as a visual and flavorful highlight in salads. It thrives both in the greenhouse and in a rain-protected, sunny spot outdoors or in a large pot.

Recipe: Caramelized Oven Zuckertrauben

This dish thrives on simplicity. The Zuckertraube provides the flavor, the oven does the work.

Ingredients:

• 500 g Zuckertrauben (preferably still on the vine for presentation)

• 3-4 tbsp high-quality olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic (crushed, with skin)

• 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary

• A good pinch of sea salt (e.g. Fleur de Sel)

• Optional: A splash of balsamic glaze after baking

Preparation:

1. Preparation: Preheat the oven to 180°C (top/bottom heat).

2. Arrangement: Wash the tomato trusses, carefully pat them dry, and place them whole in an ovenproof baking dish.

3. Flavoring: Tuck the crushed garlic cloves and herb sprigs among the tomatoes. Drizzle generously with olive oil.

4. Roasting: Place the dish in the oven for approx. 15–20 minutes. The tomatoes are ready when the skin slightly bursts and they soften but still retain their shape.

5. Finish: Remove from the oven, sprinkle with sea salt, and (if desired) drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Serving suggestion:

• As an appetizer: Place the warm tomatoes directly with the vine on toasted baguette or ciabatta. The released tomato juice in the dish is the best "dipping oil" in the world!

• With pasta: Simply mix the soft tomatoes and their oil with freshly cooked spaghetti – a gourmet meal is ready.

• With cheese: Goes excellently with creamy burrata or goat cheese.