Heirloom Vegetables Are Pure at Heart
Did you know that 90% of vegetables grown at the turn of the century no longer exist?
Most of today’s crops are hybrids, created by crossing two plants. Although many of these genetically engineered plants are prolific and disease-resistant, we’ve lost many of their valuable parent plants in the process.
The seeds becoming extinct are open-pollinated varieties that reproduce themselves. Unlike manufactured hybrids that don’t reproduce true to form, these heirloom plants produce the same vegetables our ancestors enjoyed.
“We’re really shooting ourselves in the foot by not preserving genetic diversity and saving many of these open-pollinated heritage varieties,” said John Jeavons, director of Bountiful Gardens, a nonprofit mail-order seed and supply service based in Willits, Calif., that carries heirloom seeds.
“Even to make good hybrids we need a wide range of genetic diversity to choose from,” he said. “If you want to do something really meaningful for the planet in your backyard, preserve heirloom plant species by growing open-pollinated vegetables.”
People haven’t had a flavorful vegetable until they’ve tried an heirloom variety, said longtime gardener Joyce Smith, a volunteer at the Fullerton Arboretum who assists in growing heirloom tomatoes for the annual Green Scene Garden Show and plant sale at the arboretum April 27 and 28.
“Many hybrids pale in comparison,” she said.
This year, Smith’s group has 70 varieties of heirloom tomatoes for sale, virtually none of which can be found in nurseries.
“Nurseries are full of hybrids, which is why we sell heirlooms at the Green Scene,” Smith said. “People just flock to buy them every year.”
Heirloom open-pollinated seed can also be ordered through mail-order seed companies that specialize in preserving these seeds.
Smith has been growing for the Green Scene for years and says it was initially difficult to sell heirloom tomato varieties.
“It has taken gardeners years to learn that a tomato doesn’t have to be perfectly round and red,” she said.
Unlike hybrids, which are bred for uniformity, heirlooms vary, and their fruit comes in a variety of colors, Smith said.
“No heirloom tomatoes are perfect round, red orbs,” she said. “Some are squatty; others are rippled. Unlike hybrid tomatoes, which are bred for shipping and have thick, tough skin, heirloom varieties have thin, tender skin.”
Smith has several heirloom tomato favorites, including Big Rainbow, a bicolored beefsteak that is golden on the outside and has red streaks inside. Brandywine is pinkish red with a potato-shaped leaf.
There is also Green Grape, a 1-inch-wide fruit with yellow-green clusters. New Zealand Pink Pear is pink, the size of a Bartlett pear and very sweet.
The Garden Grove-based California Organic Gardening club is also responding to a demand for heirloom varieties. It will offer 45 types of heirloom vegetables at the Green Scene.
“Heirlooms are treasured for their taste and consistency,” said the club’s president, Dennis Glowniak. “Some hybrids aren’t that tasty.”
The club has grown a wide variety of warm-weather heirloom vegetables for this year’s Green Scene, including Black Beauty eggplant, which dates to before 1900.
They also offer the Rosa Bianca, an Italian heirloom eggplant that is white with pale purple stripes, a yellow, crookneck squash that has been around since 1840 and a small sweet sugar pumpkin that is great for making pies.
Heirloom popcorn, chard, tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers and beans also will be available.
Although many heirlooms have benefits, there are a few drawbacks.
“The newer hybrids outpace the heirlooms” in production, Glowniak said. “If you want to can your fruits or vegetables, I suggest going with a hybrid.”
Some of the vining heirloom plants such as squash are bred for fields and cover a large region, he said.
“New hybrids were created for urban gardens and grow on compact vines that may only reach 4 feet long. In comparison, some heirloom vines are 20 feet long.”
Many heirloom varieties have naturalized in specific regions, which means there is no guarantee they will perform well in other areas, Glowniak said.
Experts disagree on how disease- and pest-resistant heirloom vegetable plants are. Glowniak said heirlooms are not resistant to soil-borne problems such as nematodes and wilt. Where nematodes are a problem, he suggests hybrids.
Smith, on the other hand, said that many heirloom plants are vigorous and will ignore soil-borne diseases.
“I’ve grown heirloom tomatoes in my garden for quite a few years, and I’ve found that they are resistant to nematodes,” she said. “Sometimes old plants will succumb at the end of the season, but in general, they are strong plants.”
Not only can you improve the environment by growing from open-pollinated seeds, but also you can save resources by harvesting your seed from heirloom plants.
To save seed, Smith suggests the following:
* Saved seed must be from open-pollinated fruit or vegetables. Because of their diverse heritage, hybrids will not reproduce true to form.
* Save seed from plants growing at least 25 feet apart. Plants spaced more closely could have cross-pollinated and will create strange offspring.
* When the plant is young, mark two or three healthy fruits or vegetables with a ribbon. Let them ripen on the vine but not spoil.
* When the fruit or vegetable is ripe, take it indoors, cut it in half and scoop out the pulp and seed. For large seed such as squash and cucumber, simply wash the pulp off with water and leave the seed on a paper towel to dry.
With smaller seeds, such as those of the tomato, scoop out the pulp and seed and put it all in a jar with a little water. Cover the mixture with cheesecloth and place outdoors in the shade for four days. The concoction will ferment and smell bad. Hold your nose and stir it a couple of times a day.
At the end of the four days, remove the seeds and pulp that stayed on top of the water. The seeds that fell to the bottom won’t germinate and should be discarded. Rinse the pulp from the seed in a strainer and sprinkle the seed onto a paper towel. Let the seed dry thoroughly indoors.
* Store seed in zipper bags in the crisper section of the refrigerator, where they will stay dry and cool.
* If stored properly, seed should be viable for four years. Never freeze seed or let it get wet.
The Green Scene Garden Show will be Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fullerton Arboretum, 1900 Associated Road at Yorba Linda Boulevard. Admission is $5. Children’s admission and parking is free. Call (714) 773-3404 for information.
