I've been a longtime lover of heirloom vegetables. I suppose, like many people, I started growing them out of curiosity. Even before I became fascinated by the diverseness of flavors, I was mesmerized by their colors and visual appeal; pumpkins came in shades of orange, gold and green, with bumps or flattened ends, tomatoes could look like red peppers or green grapes or tiny yellow pears, eggplants were splotched or stripped or small and yellow, even egg-shaped and white. As a person who loved eating vegetables, I was being shown a vast, new universe. And then I tasted them. I'll be honest, not every beauty was a winner. But there were so many new flavors that I was determined to taste my way through them.
In a way, I'm the antithesis of a true heirloom gardener. Heirloom seeds have been saved and passed along because folks wanted to ensure they had their favorite varieties. I just wanted more variety. Along the way I have stumbled upon some favorites that I must grow every year. I love the sweetness of golden beets, the way Thai green eggplant pairs so well with spicy seasonings, the perfume of a Charantais melon and the balance of crunch, heat and flavor in a Bulgarian carrot pepper.
I'm working on a project to entice backyard gardeners to try some heirloom varieties. What heirlooms would you recommend to another gardener? Are there any varieties you grow every year? Any that you've given up on, because of disease or a less than stellar performance? Let's start the conversation today and we'll return to it sometime during the growing season, to see if we still agree.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
I can recommend Great Lakes lettuce. It is a head lettuce and easy to grow, forms a real head and is crisp and tasty.
Try Italian zuchetta rampicante “Tromba d’Albenga”, sometimes known as trombocino squash. It will reroot into the ground (it runs like mad) if you are bothered by squash borers. Use like summer squash.
Great online name, Another Thyme.
I don’t usually have the patience for head lettuce, but I was just reading about Great Lakes and it sounds like it might just be able to handle summer in my garden. I’ll add it to the list.
I tried an unnamed trombocino squash a few years back. I liked it a lot, but I didn’t need that much squash. Now I’m thinking it might be a good squash to grow for the Plant a Row for the Hungry program. Thanks for the idea.
I was hoping for more conversation about this. I mean to try several varieties of heirloom seeds from seedsavers.org this year. But while I especially want to be able to grow buttercup squash, I’ve never had any success with it.
I’m a little disappointed myself, that there aren’t more suggestions. I’ve only grown butternut squash, never butternut, so I’m not much help. The only one I know of is simply called butternut.
I love 5-Color Silverbeet Swiss Chard – it’s beautiful & so easy to grow, and tastes great/really versatile for cooking.
Black From Tula is a really great heirloom tomato. I had decent success growing it & they are such delicious tomatoes.
Oh, I almost forgot lima beans!! I grew Sieva limas last summer and they were amazingly productive and so tasty!
Last year was my first year with a real veggie garden at this house, so I started with mostly plants. However, I grow a Roma bean that’s been in my family for 3 generations. Easy to grow (except for the darn groundhog), bears all summer, and freezes great. What I love is that I only have to save seeds every few years, they seem to keep very well.
Linnea, 5 color chard is so pretty, I like to grow it in the flower borders. Unfortunately the animals often harvest it before I get a chance, so I’ve had to move it back behind the fence.
I wish I had more space for growing shelled beans, like limas and chick peas. I envy you.
Renee, Roma beans and the skinny french beans are 2 of my favorite things to grow. I never see them in the grocery store, except in cans, so they’re a real treat. I hope you give your bean a name.