Category Archives: Heirlooms
Squash Delicata
Introduced in 1891 Delicata’s taste is remarkably similar to that of sweet potatoes but it’s much easier to grow. The vines produce plentiful cream-colored green-striped oblong fruits about 3″ in diameter and 6″ long.
Melon Collective Farm Woman
Cook’s Garden Favorite. This is one delicious melon in a hurry ripening in just 60 days. With a flavor residing in the delectable peach-pineapple continuum Ukrainian heirloom grows to 10 with a yellow-gold rind with and super-sweet white flesh. Harvest when
Pea Thomas Laxton
Thomas Laxton is considered the greatest pea breeder ever and this century-old variety is his masterpiece. Try it and see why. Pods contain 8 peas and often up to 10; vines at 3′ are easy to trellis.
Tomato Riesentraube
Originating in Germany this heirloom cherry tomato was grown by the Pennsylvania Dutch (who were in fact German) as early as the 1850s. The variety’s name fittingly enough translates from the German as “giant bunch of grapes”. The compact indeterminate
Gourd Extra Long Handle Dipper
This is one ornamental gourd that’s worth watching. Leave it on the ground and marvel as the long swooping curved handle-up to 6′ long-twists and turns. If a straight handle is your thing training it on a trellis will do
Squash True Hubbard
True Hubbard has appeared in American gardens and been served on American tables since at least the 1780s. Weighing about 12 lb. each the squash has delicious yellow-gold flesh and deep green skin. The long-storing fruits are excellent in pies
Basil Leaf Green
Cook’s Garden Favorite. Basil found its way into American hearts gardens and kitchens only in the 1970s. Our national love affair with basil has lost none of its passion. We certainly cannot live without this magical herb. We love the
Lettuce Rouge d’Hiver
In 1885 this variety made its debut in the French company Vilmorin’s The Vegetable Garden. A compact romaine type the heads grow to 10-12″ tall producing large smooth leaves that are green at the heart and brownish-red throughout the body.
Bean Trionfo Violetto
Translated from Italian this bean’s name means “purple triumph.” This treasured heirloom is a crisp flavorful treat. Displaying lavender flowers against the bright green leaves with purple veins and stems the very productive 6-8′ vines are highly ornamental. When cooked
Eggplant Louisiana Long Green
For maximum flavor and optimal texture pick the fruits of this Southern heirloom eggplant when young. With appealing light green skin and full-bodied nutty white flesh the slender fruits grow 8 to 9″ long. Tall plants that produce high yields.
Tomato Arkansas Traveler
This 100-year-old heirloom favorite hailing from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas produces goodly numbers of rich flavorful tomatoes. Deep pink when ripe the round 6-8 oz. fruits’ artful balance of sweetness and tartness accounts for its standing as one of
Tomato Super Italian Paste
From Italy with flavor. Primo Italiano heirloom paste tomato produces plenty of elongated reddish-orange 6″ long fruits. Firm and meaty the flesh is piquant and sweet ready to star as paste and in sauces. Fruits hold well after ripening on
Okra Burgundy
When cooked the leaves of this hibiscus relative turn a deep lovely shade of purple. Gorgeous 3-5′ ornamental plants produce high numbers of tender 6-8″ pods. There’s a pretty contrast between the plant’s green leaves against the burgundy stems branches
Squash Red Kuri
This squash commands your attention on account of the fruits’ color and succulent flesh. Red Kuri’s magnificent bright scarlet tear-drop-shaped fruits are packed with dense flesh that’s smashing roasted or in soups. Generous plants produce large yields of 4-6 lb.
Tomato Amish Paste Organic Heirloom
From the Pennsylvania Amish a large meaty bright red heirloom with superior taste a nice balance of sweet and acid. Excellent fresh or in sauces. Certified Organic Seed.
Squash Marina di Chioggia
We’re particularly partial to this Italian heirloom winter squash and we’ve been seduced by its rich superb flavor. Excels in soups roasted or in sauces. Provides high yields of turban-shaped fruits weighing 10-12 lb. The color is beautiful: an unusual
Okra Perkins Mammoth Long Pod
Soup- and gumbo-ready the extra-long 7-9″ bright green pods keep their tenderness even when large. A favorite variety for slicing and freezing the tall plant’s abundant pods can be harvested when young at 4-5″ or fully mature at 7-9″.
Pepper Hot Thai Hot
Originally from Thailand this seriously hot pepper makes a lovely impression in a patio container. The ornamental 8-12″ plants are bedecked with up to 200 small conical 1/2-1″ fruits that ripen to bright red. Extremely hot the peppers can be
Pepper Sweet Friggitello
Generations of Italian families have savored this crispy sweet pepper. This family heirloom variety is used in salads or sauteed with the extras pickled or dried. Large 3′ plants bear large crops of 3-4″ long tapered fruits that turn bright
Chrysanthemum Tricolor Daisy
This “painted daisy” was introduced from Morocco 200 years ago. The plants are about 2 ft. tall and bushy topped in midsummer with bright daisies in a riot of colors;red white or yellow ringed with scarlet mahogany orange or rust.
