Thursday, March 17, 2011

Gardening - Heirloom Style!

This year we are growing an heirloom collection of veggies. What heirloom vegetables? Heirloom vegetables are old, open-pollinated cultivators. In addition, these varieties also have a reputation for being high quality and easy to grow. The veggies we'll be growing, along with a small description  is listed below.

LONG GREEN CUCUMBER - A direct descendant of the extinct "Green Turkey," dating back to the 18th century.
YELLOW PEAR TOMATOES - Small, sweet, pear-shaped variety dating back to the 1600's.
PURPLE TOPPED TURNIP - Purple above ground, and cream below. One of America's first garden staples.
BLOOMSDALE SPINACH - A Landreth introduction in 1826, it's still the most popular non-hybrid spinach sold today.
BULLNOSE or BELL PEPPER - Introduced to the US in 1759, peppers were originally used mostly for pickling.
NANTES SCARLET HALF-LONG CARROT - A French variety introduced to America in the second half of the 19 century.
GOLDEN BANTAM CORN - Sweet flavor and longer ears made this a mainstay of late 19 century American gardens.
DWARF GREY SUGAR SNAP PEAS - Very early producer, thought extinct until the late 1970's.
FRENCH BREAKFAST RADISH - Introduced in 1879, rosy red with a bright white tip.
GREEN HUBBARD WINTER SQUASH - Originally from the West Indies or South America, distinctive Hubbard flavor.
BUSH BEAN BOUNTIFUL - Introduced by D. G. Burlingame, Genesee, New York at the turn of the 20th century.
EARLY JERSEY WAKEFIELD CABBAGE - While introduced in the 19th this cabbage has been popular right through modern times.
SMALL SUGAR PUMPKIN - Also known as 'New England Pie' this variety is still a favorite among heirloom growers and chefs.
BRANDYWINE TOMATO - The 'original' heirloom tomato that sparked the heirloom craze. From an original strain.
CRISPHEAD ICEBERG LETTUCE - What the supermarket lettuce wishes it could be. From the early 20th century.

We are very excited to begin planting this year! Do you garden? What type of things do you include in your garden?? I'd love to hear all about it!

No comments:

Post a Comment