A few weeks ago I wrote a story for the Great Falls Tribune on heirloom vegetables. With the growing concern over genetically modified vegetables, as well as the option to save seeds, more people are seeking out heirloom varieties.
Growing up we always grew a medium hot Hungarian block pepper, and canned them in a pickling mix. I thought everyone did until I moved out of Northeastern Ohio, and realized I couldn't find the pepper seeds in catalogs. The seeds Dad planted on our family farm in Copley came from his friend, Mr. Bender from Bender's Farm Market, who has farmed at our place as long as I've been alive. His mom brought over the seeds when his family moved from Hungary decades ago.
Soon something I took for granted became very special. For many years, Dad sent me the seed in the winter so I could start them in March, but a couple of years ago I was able to harvest my own in October. I brought home the peppers, cut them open and dried the seeds for weeks before storing them in an airtight container. Now I have a little stash, and will do my best to keep a few plants segregated (or else they might cross-pollinate with another pepper) so I can save seed again this fall.
Veggie Tales from the Great Falls Tribune (www.greatfallstribune.com)
With names like the ‘Mortgage Lifter’ tomato and ‘Lazy Wife’ snap bean, the stories behind many of the heirloom vegetables are as delightful as their flavor. Growing heirlooms in the home garden is increasingly popular as gardeners look for better tasting varieties and the option of saving their own seed. Heirlooms are varieties that have been around for at least fifty years, and they typically have better flavor.
On the other hand, Froseth said, “A hybrid is an intentional cross performed by people that attempt to capture the best characteristics of two different varieties. If hybrids are open pollinated and the seed saved, the offspring often bears little resemblance to the parent plant.” Because of this characteristic, varieties can be patented by seed companies, and gardeners have to buy new seed every year instead of saving their own.
Hybrids are known for their “hybrid vigor” – taking the best qualities of the parent plants and passing them onto the offspring. This could mean greater disease resistance, faster maturing time or better keeping capabilities. There is definitely a place in the garden for hybrids, but the danger is many of the heirloom varieties are vanishing as they’re being replaced in catalogs by these flashy new options.
One of the all-time favorite tomatoes is the renowned Brandywine, created by the Amish in 1885. Margie Gillis of Great Falls has grown them for at least fifteen years despite the Brandywine’s requirement of a longer growing season of 90 to 100 days, a stretch for many Montana gardens.
“It depends on the season,” Gillis said, “Last year it didn’t set until August.” She harvested less than a dozen tomatoes.
But the flavor is worth the effort. Gillis said, “It’s supposed to be the world’s best flavored tomato.’
Her husband, Gary, agreed, “It’s like eating candy.”
Last year, she also tried a short-season Czechoslovakian variety called Stupice that produces significantly smaller ( one to four ounce fruits versus a hefty pound) that matures in 60 to 70 days. Gillis was pleased with the results, “The Stupice are almost a smaller version of the Brandywine flavor-wise.”
Gillis has a small home greenhouse where she can keep her tomato plants until the weather cooperates, and sometimes will keep a few plants inside throughout the season to protect them from harsh winds and late season cold spells.
Gillis said the Brandywine have a reputation for splitting, although she hasn’t had that problem. “Be consistent with your watering,” she recommended. “You’re not supposed to over fertilize, either. I give fertilizer when I plant them.”
Heirlooms are a glimpse into gardening history. Some of these fruits and vegetables began centuries ago, and traveled with families as they emigrated from Europe to America, or developed them in the early part of century. But the root of these heirlooms started eons ago with many originating at the dawn of agriculture.
The Living History Farm at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman explores the origin of many well-known vegetables. The two-story Tinsley house, built in 1889, is the focal point of the farm, and features a traditional kitchen garden, which produced the vegetables for the Tinsley family of ten.
David Kinsey, exhibit preparatory and farm supervisor, said they grow heirloom varieties that were commercially available from 1890-1905 to demonstrate what was available during this time period for many Montana homesteaders.
Visitors can see what daily life was like, and learn what plants thrived in this rugged country. During the garden tours, Kinsey said, “We try to give a story behind each plant.”
For example, he noted carrots “aren’t native to the United States.” They actually originated in Afghanistan. “The purple, red and white colors are the older genes. The Dutch made them yellow.”
Saving seeds can be a challenge, particularly in the home garden where neighbors’ plots may be close enough to cross-pollinate heirloom varieties creating an involuntary hybrid and questionable results the following spring.
Kinsey said they save seeds, “but only certain things. Flowers are easier than vegetables because there are not as many to cross-pollinate.”
In the vegetable garden he said they do save, “some bean seeds and tomato seeds. I’ve had (different variety) tomato plants next to each other, and they’ve stayed true.”
Others, like carrots, are biennials so they’ll grow one variety each year, and allow it to overwinter in the garden. “Then when it comes up, it will go to seed,” he said.
The Living History Farm sells many of the seeds they collect during the year at their gift shop to support purchasing more heirloom varieties each year.
Many times people bemoan the fact that fruits and vegetables don’t taste like they remembered from their childhood. Growing heirloom varieties might be the answer. They’re a great way to enjoy the flavors of the past, and preserve our agricultural heritage.
