Heirloom Vegetables

We want to start off by saying thank you for taking a look at the inaugural instalment of our blog. Please read on and take a moment to add your comment to our article.

The Big Deal about Heirlooms














Photography by: Aaron Harcourt

We thought it would be best to begin with some local information, so we have two stories on heirloom vegetables right here in our backyard. There is a difference between hybrid and heirloom vegetables. A hybrid vegetable is one that is the offspring produced by crossing two individuals of unlike genetic constitution; specifically; the offspring of two plants of different races, varieties, species, etc. Hybrids are produced for their uniformity and vigour. For example the orange carrot is a hybrid produced for its suitability to certain soils. Hybrids are the result of a marriage between two homozygous parents, which produce heterozygous offspring. There are two major disadvantages to hybrid vegetables, one is the grower must purchase new seed each year from the companies that breed and therefore control hybrid seeds. We could say more about seed control but we will save that for another instalment. The second and more significant reason is flavour. When a grower ops for uniformity and vigour, flavour is often sacrificed.

Heirlooms are any treasured possession handed down from generation to generation. This is a definition for heirlooms-in-general but it gives you the idea that we are trying to convey, an heirloom vegetable has been around for generations. If you went to your local grocery store and found a black carrot you would think it was either bad or a new fad but the black carrot has been around, an heirloom. Heirlooms are grown and served for their colour and flavour.

Heirlooms for the Table

Dave Cohlmeyer of Cookstown Greens has been growing and serving heirloom vegetables for many years. He has provided vegetables for dinners served to Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and both Bushes and most recently President Obama. His provisions have landed on the plates of visiting monarchs including Queen Elizabeth II and regularly supply both the Prime Minister’s and Governor General’s chefs. These vegetables are grown on his farm in the rich soil of Essa and include; red, white and black carrots, fingerling potatoes, various types of beets and the titan leek, to name just a few. Cohlmeyer sells out of the Brick Works in Toronto but these heirlooms are available directly from his farm. You can contact Dave at 705-458-9077 or visit on the web at www.cookstowngreens.com. That’s the market but what about the garden?

Heirlooms for the Garden

For your garden you could visit Kelly Gregory and Crystal Anderson of Willow Creek Farm. These two organic gardeners supply about 2,000 heirloom tomato seedlings, half the available heirlooms worldwide. They started out in a basement apartment with 30-35 varieties and continue to search the world for seeds. They now have their operation on Willow Creek Farm just south of Erin. Erin is about forty-five minutes south-west of Alliston or two hours on your bike. They sell out of a local farmers market in Inglewood or directly from their Willow Creek Market Garden. Gregory and Anderson’s tomatoes are “open pollinated” a true heirloom qualification which means their tomatoes are pollinated by insects, birds, wind or other natural mechanisms. The result is tomatoes that are rich in flavour and not like other cardboard tasting ones. Each year, come June, they sell out their seedlings to customers eager to have flavour on their table and their most popular varieties are Brandywines, Green Zebras, Lemon boy and Purple Calabash. If you are interested in these heirloom seedlings they will be available at Everdale Organic Farm and Environmental Learning Centre near Hillsburgh on April 25 only. You can also buy their tomatoes and their other organic vegetables at the Inglewood market, Wednesday afternoons from 4-7pm, starting June 10. More information is available at www.willowcreekheirlooms.com.







Photography (above) by: Willow Creek Farm

Sources:
The Alliston Herald, February 25, 2009.
The Hills, Spring, 2009.
www.yourdictionary.com.