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Heirloom Vegetables; Have Stood the Test of Time
Topic Started: Dec 8 2017, 09:03 AM (244 Views)
SJC Museum
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Heirloom Vegetables

Those old, open-pollinated varieties that have stood the test of time--have become popular all over again, and for good reason. The best of them are among the finest vegetables ever known. They would be well worth growing for their mouth-watering flavors alone, but they also have other important qualities. Heirlooms are living artifacts. Popular in living history exhibits, these old-time varieties offer a glimpse of life in earlier times. Heirlooms are also a reservoir of genetic diversity. Traits encoded in their DNA may someday prove critical to feeding the world.

And there is more. Heirlooms invite passion. There is just something about all their wonderful shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors that sparks a sense of wonder. Take heirloom tomatoes, for example. They can be big, small, fluted, smooth, red, orange, pink, purple, yellow, green, white, striped, round, pear-shaped, determinate, indeterminate, potato-leaved, and more. They also vary in traits you can't see--taste, hardiness, adaptability, and the like. While tomatoes may be the most popular heirloom, many other vegetables are just as diverse. Peppers come in all kinds of colors, sizes, and shapes. So do corn, beans, kale, eggplant, squash, lettuce, potatoes, and nearly all the other crops.

Today, seed companies and seed savers offer literally hundreds of heirlooms. Some are standard varieties that have never been superseded. Others were popular once, but disappeared from the seed trade. Many of these would have been lost, but seed-saving gardeners kept them alive. Still other heirlooms never made the big-time. They were regional or family favorites, passed down by generation after generation of gardeners rather than sold by seed companies.

As interesting as heirloom vegetables are, they also raise many questions. Gardeners new to heirlooms may wonder which ones to grow or where they can find a certain variety. Researchers encounter problems documenting the history of these plants, since source material is often scarce or at least buried deep in the stacks of research libraries. The scientific side of these plants is no easier, covering, as it does, everything from inbred lines and F-1 hybrids to biodiversity and gene pool issues. The following pages will address these and other issues. In doing so, I hope they will help both beginning and experienced heirloom gardeners
Edited by SJC Museum, Dec 8 2017, 09:04 AM.
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What is an
Heirloom Vegetable?

:blink:


While people have been talking about heirloom vegetables for more than a decade, they have yet to reach an agreement on exactly what an heirloom variety is. So far, experts in the field agree that heirloom vegetables are old, open-pollinated cultivars. In addition, these varieties also have a reputation for being high quality and easy to grow. Perhaps it is best to discuss the details feature by feature.

Trait 1: Age
Just how old a cultivar has to be to be an heirloom is open to discussion. Some authorities say heirloom vegetables are those introduced before 1951, when modern plant breeders introduced the first hybrids developed from inbred lines. While there are good reasons to use 1951 as a cut-off, many heirloom gardeners focus on varieties that date from the 1920s and earlier. A few, especially those re-creating World War II Victory Gardens, add introductions from the 1920s, 1930s, and the early 1940s. While some first-rate open pollinated cultivars were introduced after 1951, few gardeners include them with the heirlooms.

While many of the varieties are 100 to 150 years old, there are some heirlooms that are much older. For example, experts think certain heirlooms are actually traditional Native American crops that are pre-Columbian. Other heirlooms are old European crops, some of which have been in cultivation for almost four hundred years. Still other heirlooms trace their ancestries to Africa and Asia. They too may be much older than records indicate, but distance and language make it difficult to trace their histories.

Just as different gardeners have different ideas about how old heirlooms are, they also have different ideas about which old varieties are heirlooms. To some, nearly all the old-time varieties are heirlooms. To others, varieties can be old without being heirlooms. They exclude, for example, commercial varieties and those that appeared in the seed trade, limiting heirlooms to those local or regional varieties that were passed down from generation to generation of gardeners.

While I can appreciate the reasoning of those that view heirlooms as a narrow subset of all old varieties, I side with those who include nearly all the old-time varieties with the heirlooms for several reasons. For starters, many of the old varieties that went on to fame and fortune as commercial successes started small. Take the 'Hubbard' squash, for example. There really was a Mrs. Hubbard who found this variety, which was later popularized by seedsman James J. H. Gregory. Similarly, is the 'Brandywine' tomato, recently rediscovered by many growers, to be excluded from the ranks of heirlooms because several prominent seed companies promoted it in the 1880s?

I also consider old varieties to be heirlooms because so many of them are threatened with extinction. Should we not save such varieties just because, at one time or another, they were popular enough to be commercial successes? I am even happy to lump the old, open-pollinated varieties that still appear in seed catalogs today with the rare heirlooms. While such plants may not need preservation today, they could become orphans just as easily as their ancestors.


Trait 2: Open-Pollinated (OP)
When heirloom gardeners refer to open-pollination, they mean that a particular cultivar can be grown from seed and will come back "true to type." In other words, the next generation will look just like its parent. For example, plant a 'Brandywine' tomato, let some of the fruit mature and collect the seed, process it properly, and store it well. The next year, plant the seed and it will grow another 'Brandywine' tomato. Seed saving is a simple enough process, and gardeners have been using it for generations.

Now, however, there are more and more vegetables that will not come back "true to type." For example, plant nearly any F-1 hybrid tomato, and go through the steps described above to save seed. The next spring, plant it, and see what happens. The seed may not even germinate, since it may be sterile. If it does sprout, the young plants will probably not have many of the characteristics that made its parent noteworthy. While hybrids have many outstanding qualities, the ability to reproduce themselves is clearly not one of them.

Heirloom gardeners are, of course, aware that the term "open- pollination" is a bit of a misnomer, because there is nothing at all open about the pollination of many heirloom vegetables. Take squash and pumpkins, for example. They cannot be left to pollinate each other willy-nilly, or the resulting offspring will be mongrels. While some may be interesting, the original type will be lost. Like the squash family, the brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and their kin) also cross readily, as do several other vegetables. Gardeners who hope to save seed of such vegetables have to isolate either the plants or their flowers to prevent such unwanted crossings.

Another problem with the term "open-pollination" is that some of these crops are not even grown from seed, and no pollination, open or otherwise, is required to keep these varieties going. Potatoes, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, and certain others are propagated vegetatively. Calling such crops "open-pollinated" feels awkward, even if such cultivars first grew from seed.

Finally, that open-pollinated varieties can come back true to type does not guarantee that they always will. Gardeners in the past knew that open-pollinated seed would occasionally produce an off-type seedling. To maintain a seed line, they looked for and rogued out off-type seedlings. Gardeners should do the same today.

Trait 3: Quality
What draws many gardeners to heirlooms is flavor. They want a tomato that tastes like a real tomato, not a plastic one. They long for corn that tastes like it did when they were a kid. They search for a sweet, juicy muskmelon, and wonder why cantaloupes are crisp and dry. After trying varieties that look good on the pages of seed catalogs but just don't taste like much, they turn to heirlooms.

What they find may well be something of a mixed bag. The best of the heirlooms really are wonderful. They have it all. They taste wonderful, look beautiful, and are easy to grow. No doubt about it, these varieties are terrific. There are, however, varieties that take a more experienced hand to grow well. Some are local or regional varieties that may or may not be suited to conditions in your back yard. Others are susceptible to problems unknown to earlier gardeners. Today, certain plant problems are much more common than ever before, and new, resistant cultivars may be the only ones suited to areas where certain diseases and pests are entrenched. Your local Master Gardeners or County Extension have information on plant problems in your area, and can fill you in on potential problems.

Finally, heirlooms can be quirky. Seeds may germinate slower than their modern counterparts, or they may straggle in erratically. Some may pop up after you've given up on them. As they grow, some heirlooms have traits that are downright strange. For example, I once grew an heirloom cabbage variety that seemed to tip its crown upside down until it had six or so true leaves. Then it turned right-side up and grew just fine. Other old plants will do similarly wacky things. Unfortunately, information about such traits is hard to find. About all gardeners can do is wait to see what happens, perhaps reflecting on all the things our gardening forebears knew and the wonders of biodiversity.
Edited by SJC Museum, Dec 8 2017, 09:11 AM.
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For gardeners new to heirlooms, sorting out which ones to try can be a challenge. To help, a gallery of tried and true varieties is listed below. Of these, some are among the best of their kind ever known. Some are common varieties listed in nearly every seed catalog. Others are ones that need to be saved. The Hubbard squash, for example, is disappearing from catalogs, and is one of many varieties that may soon be lost. I've only featured varieties still in the seed trade, because those are the easiest to find. There are, of course, many, many other fine heirloom vegetables.





Beans: Kentucky Wonder
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Introduced by 1864, this bean was originally known by the name 'Old Homestead.' Thirteen years later, in 1877, seedsman James J. H. Gregory & Son renamed this bean, calling it the 'Kentucky Wonder.' By 1907, the USDA described it as the best known and most widely grown pole bean in America. Two years later, seedsman H. W. Buckbee summed up this variety's qualities in just three words "Has no equal". Other seed companies, such as D. M. Ferry & Co. in 1926 praised its "showy pods of most excellent quality" and recommended the Kentucky Wonder as the best green pole beans for snaps.
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What made the 'Kentucky Wonder' a wonder was, in part, its size. The beans were extraordinarily long. Even specimens up to nine inches long were still tender, brittle, and free from fiber, three qualities of first-rate green beans. What also made this bean a wonder was its distinctive (and delicious) flavor. As good as they were, the 'Kentucky Wonder' had some faults. They looked rumpled (rather than smooth) and had some strings. Even with these flaws, the 'Kentucky Wonder' was so good it survived for more than 100 years.

Today, about 75 North American seed companies offer the 'Kentucky Wonder,' making it one of the most common pole beans. The vines, which are rust resistant, run five to seven feet tall. They produce beans in clusters over an extended season. 'Kentucky Wonder' beans mature in 58-72 days.




Cabbage: Early Jersey Wakefield
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Developed from an old variety called the 'Early Wakefield' which was introduced from England to Jersey City, New Jersey in 1840, the 'Early Jersey Wakefield' has appeared in American seed catalogs since 1872 and perhaps earlier. It soon became immensely popular. In 1888, Burpee reported that it was more common than any other early cabbage. In 1895, competitor Peter Henderson called it the "best early cabbage in cultivation". In 1901, more seed companies (166) carried this variety than any other. Even a half-century later, it was so popular that the USDA listed it among the principal varieties of American cabbage.

Today, 'Early Jersey Wakefield' is known for the solid, conical heads it produces on compact plants. The heads, which average two to four pounds, are tender and crisp. The USDA rated their flavor fair to good when grown under favorable conditions. In hot weather, their flavor turns unpleasantly strong. To prevent this, 'Early Jersey Wakefield' is typically grown for an early crop. In suitable climates, it can also be overwintered. 'Early Jersey Wakefield' takes 60-65 days to get ripe.







Carrots: Early Horn or Early Scarlet Horn
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Developed by Dutch plantsmen and introduced in about 1620, 'Early Scarlet Horn' carrots are one of the oldest vegetable varieties still in cultivation. Early on, seedsmen carried them to England, where they appeared on some of the first seed lists ever published in that country. Later, they crossed the Atlantic. Experts think they were one of the first two carrots grown in the U.S. Although the name of this carrot seems to suggest that it looks like a cow horn, the name actually has a different derivation. It shows that these carrots were originally from Hoorn, a town in Holland.

In 1889, Philadelphia seedsman I. V. Faust described the 'Early Scarlet Horn' carrot as "One of the best for table use and one of the most popular varieties grown for an early crop." Five years later, in 1894, J. A. Everitt's catalog called it the "best for planting out of doors." Like his colleagues, seedsman Wm. Henry Maule praised these carrots. In 1899, he named it "the best early table variety."

Just as they have been for centuries, 'Early Scarlet Horn' carrots are valued today for their fine-grained flesh and delicate flavor. At maturity, they measure about three to four inches long, and one and three-quarters inches in diameter. They are usually picked at a smaller size, as a baby vegetable. As its name indicates, the 'Early Scarlet Horn' matures rapidly. They are ready to harvest in just 60 days or so. At one time, there were three distinct strains of 'Early Horn' carrots. Of these, both the strain with cylindrical roots used for forcing and the strain with pointed roots have disappeared. Only the standard half-long strain with a blunt tip seems to have survived.

'Early Scarlet Horn' carrots are adapted to shallow soils, where the long varieties invariably fail. While these carrots were first-rate, they were traditionally only valuable as a home garden variety. They were simply too small to be popular in markets.




Corn: Golden Bantam
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While the 'Brandywine' is the superstar of heirloom tomatoes, there is no similar standout among the old corns. Partly, that's due to changing tastes. The new varieties, especially the Sugary Enhanced varieties, seem to satisfy those that want their sweet corn really sweet. And then there's the fact that many of the 19th century corns were field corns, used for corn meal or livestock fodder. Since most of us don't grind our own corn or feed cows, these varieties have less appeal. Still, there are some heirloom varieties that are historically interesting and that taste good.

Among the most famous of them is 'Golden Bantam.' W. Atlee Burpee introduced it in 1902. The seed was developed by a Greenfield, Massachusetts gardener, whose name has been lost. This gardener took an interest in developing what has been called "choice early corn." When he had a variety to his liking, he began passing out ears to friends and neighbors. One of these neighbors served this unusual corn to his cousin, E. L. Coy, a seedsman who was visiting from Washington County, New York. Coy immediately recognized just how good this new corn was. He sent some seed to Burpee, who grew it in trials. Two years later, he offered it in his catalog. The rest, as they say, is history.

When Burpee introduced 'Golden Bantam,' he was swimming against the tide of public opinion. Dwarf corn, which had been known since about 1858, had never been popular. What's worse, yellow-colored corn had acquired a rather unfortunate reputation as horse corn. Nearly all gardeners preferred white-kernel corn, which they thought was sweeter. 'Golden Bantam' changed their minds, and remained remarkably popular for many years. In 1926, nearly a quarter century after it was introduced, Burpee pictured 'Golden Bantam' on the cover of its Golden Anniversary seed catalog. They declared it "America's Favorite Sweet Corn," a claim other garden writers continued to support for decades. Over the years, 'Golden Bantam' gave rise to several strains, including some selected for earliness and others developed to meet the needs of certain geographic areas.

Today, 'Golden Bantam' is known for its flavorful ears, and its ability to tolerate poor growing conditions. The plants, as its name indicates, are short. They grow only about five feet tall. They produce two small, eight-row ears that measure about six inches long. They are known for their robust, sweet (but not cloyingly sweet) flavor. 'Golden Bantam' is a mid-season corn. Catalogs list the days to maturity at about 80.





Cucumber: Improved Long Green
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The 'Improved Long Green' Cucumber has been known for more than 125 years. It was introduced by the D. M. Ferry & Co. seed company in 1872, most likely as 'Ferry's Improved Long Green.' Before that, there was an entirely different (and much older) cucumber known as the 'Improved Long Green.' However confusing it was to growers, seedsmen at the time commonly gave new varieties names nearly identical to other varieties in the trade. Within a few years, 'Ferry's Improved Long Green' eclipsed its rival, and became the standard, known today as simply 'Improved Long Green.'

The 'Improved Long Green' was an exceptional cucumber, at least according to seed catalog writers. Wm. Henry Maule's 1890 catalog, for example, said of this variety, "no words of praise can be too strong for its merits. They are always of superior quality, firm and crisp, growing 12 to 20 inches long. Vines are strong growers, and fruit is always produced in great abundance, making it one of the most productive varieties." Five years later, the seed catalog of E. Annabil & Co. of McPherson, Kansas called the 'Improved Long Green' "The most popular variety in cultivation."

Today, this variety is still recommended for home gardeners. It is easy to grow and bears an abundance of 10-12 inch cucumbers. Gathered young, they are good picklers. Left a little longer, they develop into classic slicing cucumbers up to one foot long. They are medium green, with black spines and just a few warts.




Lettuce: 'Paris White Cos'
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The classic romaine lettuce, 'Paris White Cos' has been grown in Europe since 1835 and may actually be even older than that. In the United States, garden writer Thomas Fessenden mentions "White Cos" lettuce in 1834, and he may well have been referring to this variety. In 1864, American seedsmen listed 'Paris White Cos'. In 1889, the Parker & Wood catalog called it "one of the finest for summer use". In 1901, the E. J. Bowen Seed Annual reported that it was "generally considered the best" of the romaines.

'Paris White Cos' grows into a large to very large upright cylinder of thick, crisp leaves with stalky midribs. The outer leaves fold over the inner ones, producing a self-blanching heart. It is a late-season variety, known for its excellent quality. In 1904, for example, the USDA called it the best romaine for either home or market use and praised its crisp, sweet leaves. Grown on rich soil with ample water, it can produce a head that weighs about two pounds. Under ideal conditions, heads are even bigger, reportedly weighing as much as six and a half pounds.

'Paris White Cos' is a different lettuce than 'Parris Island Cos,' which was named for Parris Island, South Carolina and introduced in 1952.




Melon: 'Jenny Lind'
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Before 1840, gardeners could choose among several musk melons, including one from Armenia called the 'Center.' Within a half-dozen years, it had given rise to the melon which came to be known as the 'Jenny Lind.' Named for the Swedish opera singer, this melon was once one of the leading early green-fleshed varieties for home and market. It was, however, too delicate to ship, and so did not prove popular among commercial growers. In time, the 'Jenny Lind' served another important role, serving as the parent of a number of other popular varieties.

The 'Jenny Lind' is a smallish melon that averaged about a pound and a half, give or take a few ounces each way. Rather than being rounded like most melons, it was shaped like a slightly flattened globe. It had moderately prominent ribs, sparse netting, and a more or less prominent "button" on the blossom end. While it is not the best-tasting melon of all time (Hedrick rated it only "moderately fair to moderately good"), the Jenny Lind has sweet, green flesh that is soft and juicy. The vines have some disease resistance, and are prolific. 'Jenny Lind' ripens in 70-85 days.





Radish: 'French Breakfast'
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Introduced before 1885, this variety was a favorite among French market gardeners, who considered it both attractive and tasty. American seed catalogs offered it in the late 1800s. For example, I. V. Faust's 1889 catalog said of it, "Its beautiful color makes it one of the most attractive for table use, while its superior quality recommends it to all. It is of quick growth, medium size, color red, tipped with white, olive shape, crisp and tender." Ten years later, Child's 1899 catalog called the 'French Breakfast' "A grand little table sort" and reported that it had "delicately flavored flesh, free from coarseness or any biting quality."

Today, the 'French Breakfast' is still considered a first-rate radish. It is oblong (rather than round) and measures about two inches long. It is scarlet with a white tip, and has crisp white flesh. Like many other radishes, 'French Breakfasts' grow quickly. They are ready to eat in just 20 or 30 days.




Squash: 'Hubbard,' 'Blue Hubbard,' 'Warted Hubbard'
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Once the standard against which all other hard-shelled squash were judged, the 'Hubbard' was carried to New England by a sea captain whose name has been lost. He apparently got the seed in the West Indies or South America, and brought the seed north by 1798. One or two gardeners at Marblehead, Massachusetts grew it, saving the seeds from year to year. Sometime around 1842, Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbard noticed just how good this squash was. She brought the squash to the attention of one of her neighbors in Marblehead, seedsman James J. H. Gregory. He recognized that this squash had remarkable properties. He named it after Mrs. Hubbard, and began to sell seeds.

The 'Hubbard' went on to win acclaim. It was (and still is) just like a 1909 seed catalog described it: "fine grained, very dry, sweet and rich flavored, esteemed by many to be as good baked as a sweet potato." Highly regarded as a vegetable, it was ranked second only to apples for use in "pumpkin" pies.

By 1860, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society presented a special award to Gregory for introducing the 'Hubbard.' Later, Gregory introduced the 'Blue Hubbard,' known for its blue-gray rind and creamy yellow flesh. Other plant breeders developed the 'Warted Hubbard,' which was introduced in 1894. It had a thick rind and kept in storage even better than the standard 'Hubbard.' Like many other winter squash, 'Hubbards' develop big, sprawling vines. The fruit, which take 100-120 days to ripen, typically weigh at least 10 pounds and often considerably more. Today, the 'Hubbard' is becoming increasingly rare. Home gardeners often prefer squash that are earlier and smaller, and seed companies are dropping the bigger varieties of squash. Such consumer trends do not take away from the quality of the 'Hubbard,' which remains a classic among squash.




Tomato: 'Brandywine'

All the experts agree that the 'Brandywine' Tomato has been around for more than 100 years. But exactly where it came from has yet to be resolved. Currently, there are three theories. The one heard most often is that the 'Brandywine' is an old Amish introduction. A second theory is that Johnson & Stokes, a Philadelphia seed company, introduced this tomato in about 1889. While it is entirely possible that they were the first to sell it, this theory seems to beg a rather obvious question--Where did Johnson & Stokes get it? Did they develop it themselves or did they get it from the Amish? The third theory about where the 'Brandywine' comes from says Burpee introduced it in 1886. At the time, they called it 'Turner's Hybrid.' Three years later, Johnson & Stokes listed the same tomato, but gave it a better name, 'Brandywine'. Such goings-on were certainly not unusual at the time. Seedsmen named and renamed plants pretty much at will. Period seed catalogs do list a 'Turner's Hybrid,' and it looks and sounds much like the 'Brandywine.' Whether or not they were one and the same is still uncertain.

No matter where it came from, the 'Brandywine' is a potato-leaved tomato that produced generous crops of big, two-fisted tomatoes with memorable flavor. Catalogs described the fruit variously as "deep brilliant red." (Faust's, Philadelphia, PA, 1889), "purplish red," (Annabil & Co., McPherson, Kansas, 1895), and "bright red," (Johnson & Stokes 1904). The truth is, it's mighty hard to describe what color these tomatoes really are. Perhaps the best that can be done is to say that they are a shade or two off clear red on the purple side.

Like many old-time tomatoes, 'Brandywines'' are rambunctious growers with some shortcomings. The fruit are likely to be ribbed rather than smooth, and some of them may crack. Most growers consider these problems trifling, since a well-grown 'Brandywine,' one picked fresh at the peak of ripeness, tastes so good that it may well set the standard for what a tomato should taste like. A mid-season variety, 'Brandywines' mature in 80-100 days.

Today, several seedsmen list the original 'Brandywine.' Some also offer the 'Yellow Brandywine,' a sport of the original. Despite its name, the 'Yellow Brandywine' has orange skin. There is also a 'Red Brandywine,' but how closely related it is to the original is in question.

Edited by SJC Museum, Dec 8 2017, 09:43 AM.
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