{"id":7161,"date":"2009-02-18T10:41:38","date_gmt":"2009-02-18T10:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/2009\/02\/18\/heirloom-vegetables-2\/"},"modified":"2020-11-03T03:38:57","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T08:38:57","slug":"heirloom-vegetables-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/heirloom-vegetables-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Heirloom Vegetables"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Margaret A. Haapoja<\/em><\/p>\n

Maybe it was her father\u2019s “Rattlesnake\u201d pole beans that convinced Arlene Coco to serve heirloom vegetables in her Duluth, Minn., catering business, Coco\u2019s to Geaux. “My father used to send me the beans every year to plant in my garden,\u201d Coco says. “He preferred them over \u2018Blue Runners\u2019 or \u2018Kentucky Wonders\u2019 because the 8-foot vines yielded lots of beans. The stunning, mottled green and purple beans lose their purple streaks and turn green when cooked. They have long pods, and the shelled beans are great in stews and soups. Although my dad is gone now, the \u2018Rattlesnake\u2019 beans are still a ritual in our family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Books<\/strong><\/p>\n

100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden; <\/em><\/strong>Carolyn J. Male, Workman Publishing Company, 1999.<\/p>\n

Heirloom Vegetable Gardening<\/em><\/strong>; William Woys Weaver, Henry Holt & Company, 1997.<\/p>\n

Melons for the Passionate Grower<\/em><\/strong>; Amy Goldman, Artisan, 2002.<\/p>\n

The Compleat Squash<\/em><\/strong>; Amy Goldman, Workman Publishing Company, 2004.<\/p>\n

The Great Garlic Book<\/em><\/strong>; Chester Aaron, Ten Speed Press, 1997.<\/p>\n

Heirloom Vegetables<\/em><\/strong>; Sue Stickland, Simon & Schuster, 1998.<\/p>\n

The Heirloom Gardener<\/em><\/strong>; Carolyn Jabs, Random House, 1984.<\/p>\n

Seed to Seed (Second Edition)<\/em><\/strong>; Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy, Seed Savers Exchange, 2002.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Coco isn\u2019t the only one enchanted by heirlooms, which many define as varieties passed down from generation to generation. Inspired by nostalgia and fear of the loss of genetic diversity, today\u2019s gardeners are seeking these time-honored seeds in record numbers. According to the National Gardening Bureau, heirlooms are cultivated plant varieties that have been grown for at least 50 years. Rob Johnston, owner of Johnny\u2019s Selected Seeds in Winslow, Maine, lists 84 heirloom vegetables in his 2006 seed catalog. He regards heirlooms as keepsakes. Explaining that an heirloom is a variety that owes its existence to the seed saving of amateur gardeners, Johnston says, “Something like \u2018Blue Hubbard\u2019 squash isn\u2019t really an heirloom because it has always remained commercial. An heirloom is something you can\u2019t buy any more; you have to maintain it through your own efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnston\u2019s personal favorite is the “Garden of Eden\u201d pole bean, of which its seeds came from a family in New Jersey who received a handful in the 1950s from a neighbor who brought them from Spain or Portugal. “It has a wonderful taste,\u201d says Johnston. “I like beans cooked in all different kinds of ways and you can even let these beans get real big in the pods. When you boil them it\u2019s like having shell beans and green beans in the same dish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grown by Dedicated Gardeners<\/strong>
\nAccording to Kent Whealy, founder of Seed Savers Exchange, the country\u2019s largest preserver of heirloom seeds, 90 percent of the seeds available in 1900 no longer exist today. Whealy says that several forces threaten this irreplaceable genetic diversity, including takeovers and consolidations within the mail-order garden seed industry, the profit-motivated hybrid bias of most seed companies, and plant breeding for mechanical harvest and cross-country shipping. Whealy and his organization are doing their best to save these old varieties with a membership of 7,000 people and a collection of 25,000 vegetable varieties at their Decorah, Iowa, Heritage Farm. “Gardeners should be extremely pleased to learn that 2,657 unique, new varieties have been introduced within the past six years,\u201d says Whealy.<\/p>\n

Heirlooms are always open-pollinated. That means, unlike hybrids, they will duplicate the parent plants in the next generation. “Typically heirlooms are of species that are easy to save seeds for,\u201d says Johnston, “which is why they tended to be maintained. And the seeds maintain viability for a long time.\u201d He encourages beginners to save seeds of tomatoes and beans, two of the easiest to save.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heirloom Seed Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seed Savers Exchange<\/a>
\n(563) 382-5990
\nFounded in 1975, this granddaddy of heirloom suppliers lists 675 varieties in the catalog and maintains 25,000 vegetable varieties as well as facilitating a seed exchange for members who grow heirlooms.<\/p>\n

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds<\/a>
\n(417) 924-8917
\nStarted seven years ago by a 17-year-old, this company lists 1,000 heirloom seeds and publishes The Heirloom Gardener<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n

Sand Hill Preservation Center<\/a>
\n(563) 246-2299
\nLists 1,000 heirloom seeds and rare poultry.<\/p>\n

Filaree Farm<\/a>
\n(509) 422-6940
\n100 strains of garlic from all over the world.<\/p>\n

Marianna\u2019s Heirloom Seeds<\/a>
\n(615) 446-9191
\nTomato, pepper and Italian heirloom seeds as well as live plants.<\/p>\n

Ronnigers Potato Farm<\/a>
\n(877) 204-8704
\nSmall family farm selling heirloom potatoes.<\/p>\n

Johnny\u2019s Selected Seeds<\/a>
\n(877) 564-6697
\nIncludes 84 heirloom varieties as well as hybrids.<\/p>\n

Seeds of Change<\/a>
\n(888) 762-7333
\nOffers a variety of open-pollinated, organic heirlooms from around the world.<\/p>\n

International Seed Saving Institue<\/a>
\n(208) 788-4363
\n100 percent organically grown vegetable, flower and herb seeds.<\/p>\n

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange<\/a>
\n(540) 894-9480
\nEmphasizes heirlooms for the Mid-Atlantic region.<\/p>\n

Vermont Bean Seed Company<\/a>
\n(800) 349-1070
\nSpecializes in beans, but carries other vegetables and flowers.<\/p>\n

Redwood City Seed Company<\/a>
\n(650) 325-7333
\nHeirlooms, hot peppers and herbs.<\/p>\n

Native Seeds\/SEARCH<\/a>
\n(866) 622-5561
\nA nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing plants used by Native Americans of the Southwest. Heirloom squash, corn and melons.<\/p>\n

Harvest Moon Farms & Seed Company<\/a>
\n(505) 398-6111
\nProvides culinary specialty, certified organic, gourmet and heirloom seed varieties.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Princeton, Mass., gardener Kevin Fielding began growing heirloom tomatoes after he met garden photographer David Cavagnaro on the Internet. For many years, Cavagnaro worked at Seed Savers Exchange. He still grows 200 varieties of heirloom tomatoes as well as other old varieties in his own gardens. He taught city-bred Fielding how to start his own seedlings and save the seeds. The experience was a life-changing one for Fielding, who began to reach for his roots by growing “Mr. Charlie,\u201d a red, heavily-ribbed, fluted tomato, and “Chinese\u201d cucumber, a long, curly variety with wonderful flavor.<\/p>\n

The intriguing names of many heirlooms are enough to hook most gardeners.\u00a0 “Drunken Woman Fringe-headed\u201d lettuce, “Radiator Charlie\u2019s Mortgage Lifter\u201d tomato, “Bull\u2019s Blood\u201d beets and “Cherokee Trail of Tears\u201d beans conjure up interesting images with their colorful descriptions. Having grown 15,000 heirlooms over the years, Cavagnaro points to the advantage of finding locally adapted varieties. Among his favorites are “Tommy Toe,\u201d a 1-inch cherry tomato that has repeatedly won taste tests; “Moon and Stars\u201d watermelon with its irregular yellow spots; colorful, striped Italian eggplant “Listada di Gandia\u201d; “FeherOzon,\u201d a pointed, fleshy, pimento-type pepper from Hungary; and “North Georgia Candy\u201d squash, a smaller, extremely sweet banana type.<\/p>\n

Garlic guru Joel Girardin of Cannon Falls, Minn., has been growing heirlooms ever since he perused a Seed Savers Exchange catalog 10 years ago. “When I got their fall catalog listing all the seeds and the people that had them, I just sat down and was totally dumbfounded,\u201d he says. Now he and a friend grow 150 varieties of garlic, 200 heirloom tomatoes, 20 different melons, 20 squash and several other vegetable varieties in their one-acre garden. Girardin sells some of the produce at a local farmer\u2019s market and he\u2019s noticed the public is becoming more educated about heirlooms. “When I first started doing this, I would take the different tomato varieties and cut them up so people could see what they look like inside,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

“Now customers have favorites and they\u2019re asking for \u2018Cherokee Purple\u2019 or \u2018Brandywine\u2019 by name. Letting people taste them makes a big difference so they can see how sweet they are, how much better they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Girardin\u2019s favorite heirlooms include “Matt\u2019s Wild Cherry,\u201d a small tomato thatdoesn\u2019t crack very easily; “French Fingerling\u201d and “Viking Purple\u201d potatoes; “Golden Delicious\u201d squash; “Frog Leg\u201d shallots; and “Georgian Crystal\u201d garlic.<\/p>\n

Favored for Fine Cuisine<\/strong>
\nLike many epicures, Jeff Miller, Executive Chef at Papoose Creek Lodge, an eco-tourism resort in Montana that prides itself on sustainability and fine cuisine, enjoys using heirlooms in his menu. Miller orders most of the produce served at the lodge from Gallatin Valley Botanicals near Bozeman, Mont. “Heirloom varieties offer much greater character in flavor, texture, color and shape,\u201d he says. “I\u2019m not a nutritionist, but I would put a pretty penny down that they are also more nourishing per pound that what we now call conventional produce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among Miller\u2019s favorite heirlooms are “Delicata\u201d winter squash; “Dragon Langerie\u201d bean; “Red Russian\u201d kale; “Rosa Bianca\u201d eggplant; and “Chioggia\u201d beets. “\u2019Green Zebra\u2019 tomatoes give nice acidity to a dish and can compliment a pairing with other tomatoes that offer more meat and sweetness such as \u2018Cherokee Purple\u2019 and \u2018Brandywine,\u2019\u201d Miller says. “At their best, these ingredients can elevate the presentation and flavor profile of a dish. An heirloom four-tomato gazpacho can\u2019t be touched by any hothouse tomato.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To Save Tomato Seeds<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Squeeze out the jelly-like substance containing the seeds from the cavity of the ripest tomatoes from the best plants. Add \u00bc cup water, put in a dish and cover loosely.<\/p>\n

2. Ferment for three to four days in a warm place, stirring once a day.<\/p>\n

3. Pour off liquefied pulp and floating seeds, retaining the seeds that have sunk to the bottom.<\/p>\n

4. Place these seeds in a dish and dry for three to seven days.<\/p>\n

5. Label and store in tightly sealed, glass container in a cool place. Heat and moisture are the worst enemies of stored seeds.<\/p>\n

For a complete seed-saving guide that describes specific techniques for saving the seeds of 160 different vegetables, purchase Seed to Seed, Second edition, by Suzanne Ashworth. This book can be order from Seed Savers Exchange, Decorah, IA.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Kirk Bratrud, chef at the Boathouse Restaurant in Superior, Wisc., grew up in a gardening family; he remembers his grandfather keeping a unique strain of pole beans. Although the short growing season in his area limits their availability, Bratrud incorporates heirloom tomatoes into his menus during the summer months. “You tend to have a greater variety of size, shape, color and texture of the flesh for specific uses,\u201d he notes. “What is wonderful is that you can have a bright-green tomato that\u2019s fully ripe, or a black one or a light-colored one, and tomatoes which are very large or quite small.\u201d Bratrud says people growing heirloom tomatoes are very careful about when they pick them so they are usually absolutely, perfectly ripe. He prepares a tureen that encases various tomatoes in a celery root wrapper with layers of eggplant or carrot puree cemented together with aspic. One of his favorite tomatoes is the “Zebra Stripe,\u201d which is bright-green with purple ribbing.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s absolutely gorgeous and provides wonderful contrast when you cut it and place it in combination with other colored tomatoes,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Owner and chef, Sean Lewis, recently openedNokomis Restaurant on the North Shore of Lake Superior near Two Harbors, Minn. He has organic produce, including heirloom varieties, shipped in via Fed-Ex from Ohio. Among his favorites are “Green Sausage\u201d and “Siberian Pink\u201d tomatoes; “Pink Wink\u201d potatoes; “Candy Stripe\u201d beets; and “Tongue of Fire\u201d beans.<\/p>\n

Coveted by Co-operatives<\/strong>
\nBarth Anderson is director of research and development for Wedge Co-op, the largest consumer-owned, single-site grocery cooperative in the country, located in Minneapolis, Minn. Wedge sells $25 million worth of produce a year and Anderson says heirloom tomatoes are a high point in their produce year. “When they start coming in August and September, our customers really look forward to them,\u201d he says. “They\u2019re the Cadillac that we carry.\u00a0 Heirloom tomatoes are more like a peach or a nectarine. They\u2019re really dense, very flavor-saturated and those tomatoes definitely have a following\u2014a very strong fan base.\u201d<\/p>\n

The demand for heirloom tomatoes increases every year at Wedge Co-op, and the co-operative deals with a series of growers that coordinate their planting, growing and harvesting times to guarantee a steady supply. “We would extend our growers even further south if we could find more growers,\u201d says Anderson. When the last local tomato comes in, Anderson switches to California organic tomatoes. “But people love the local Minnesota product,\u201d he says, “and they can tell the difference if a tomato hasn\u2019t sat in a cooler overnight. Coolers sap flavor and anyone in a produce department knows that. The straighter the line between the shopper and the farmer, the better, and I think heirlooms play right into that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing Tips from Organic Farmers<\/strong>
\nRhys Williams supplies Anderson with nine varieties of heirloom tomatoes from Featherstone Farm, an organic vegetable farm he runs with partner Jack Hedin. He agrees that shipping tomatoes takes a lot of the life and taste out of them.<\/p>\n

“Striped German\u201d and “Cherokee Purple\u201d are Featherstone\u2019s most popular tomatoes, and their heirloom tomato season generally lasts 10 to 11 weeks. The farm has 75 acres under production, and they sell to grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets and wholesale markets in Chicago and the Twin Cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arlene Coco\u2019s Sesame
\nRattlesnake Pole Beans<\/strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 pound “Rattlesnake\u201d pole beans (flat Italian beans are a good substitute), cleaned and trimmed<\/p>\n

1 tsp. kosher salt<\/p>\n

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil<\/p>\n

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds<\/p>\n

Preparation: <\/strong>Heat 2 quarts of water in a large pot, bring to boil. Drop beans into water and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes depending on preference of doneness.
\nDrain beans and plunge into a bowl filled with ice water to stop cooking process.<\/p>\n

Sprinkle with salt, sesame oil and seeds, tossing to coat beans evenly.
\nServe cold or at room temperature.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Williams says heirlooms have been good for the farm, but they are not easy to grow. “Disease is the biggest problem we have,\u201d he says. “They\u2019re very susceptible to blight, and if you\u2019re organic, you\u2019ve got to be on top of it.\u00a0 Applying copper is basically the only thing you can do and you have to be vigilant about applying it when moisture is present. Also, you have to make sure you stake the plants and anchor them well because some of the varieties, like \u2018Striped German,\u2019 get quite large.\u201d Williams grows heirloom tomatoes on black plastic with drip irrigation. He spaces them some distance apart in the row and plants them on a windy ridge for good air penetration.<\/p>\n

Once the tomatoes are harvested, they still require extra attention. “They\u2019re very thin-skinned,\u201d Williams says, “so every step of the way from picking to packing to shipping has to be done with care. A lot of hybrid tomatoes are bred to ship with thick skin, so they can take a lot more abuse. Also, heirlooms don\u2019t keep, so you must pick them and use them quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandi Weller grows heirlooms in her Tamarack, Minn., garden and sells them at a local farmer\u2019s market. Preserving biodiversity and history is important to her.\u00a0 As a cook, the different sizes, shapes, colors and flavors of the old varieties of tomatoes, potatoes, squash, beans, corn, greens and melons appeal to her. Since she began selling her heirlooms at the farmer\u2019s market, most customers\u2019 reactions have been positive. “Most of them embrace the concept of preserving old varieties for future generations,\u201d she says, “and more and more people are looking to the smaller, local grower. They are seeing the health benefits of buying high-quality, flavorful, nutritious food instead of the rather tasteless, plastic produce found in the grocery store.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weller agrees that heirlooms can be more difficult to grow, that they are more fragile and that their yields are sometimes lower. To counter their tendency toward disease, she mixes varieties and rotates crops, believing that this makes it harder for pests to find what they are looking for and disease is not spread as rapidly.
\nWeller\u2019s favorite heirlooms include “Hutterite Soup,\u201d a white bean that cooks into a creamy, hearty soup; “Goldmarie Vining,\u201d a flat, yellow bean that stays tender and flavorful even when eight to nine inches long; “Carouby de Maussane,\u201d a very prolific French snow pea with 4- to 5-inch pods; “Cocozelle,\u201d a summer squash that stays firm when cooked and has a subtle, nutty flavor; “Lakota,\u201d an orange and green winter squash with sweet, deep orange flesh; and “Black Plum,\u201d a rare tomato that makes a mahogany-colored sauce.<\/p>\n

Cavagnaro believes there is ample opportunity for market gardeners to grow heirlooms. “Farmer\u2019s markets\u2019 and CSAs [Community Supported Agriculture farms where members purchase shares each year] now specialize in many of these older, more flavorful and interesting varieties,\u201d he says. “People love something new and are understandably both tired and suspicious of commercial agriculture products.\u201d Amateur gardeners are increasingly intrigued by heirlooms and by the opportunity these time-tested varieties offer to connect them with the past. “When you grow things from seed,\u201d says Kevin Fielding of his heirloom vegetables, “you really appreciate the whole process. You have a feeling of participating in something that is so basic, yet spiritual.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article first appeared in the\u00a0May\/June\u00a02006 issue of <\/em>Hobby Farms magazine. <\/em>Subscribe to Hobby Farms today!<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Heirloom vegetables make a great crop for small farmers. 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