sweet corn.” According to Kent, a fellow named Berkowitz visited his aunt Mary in Ohio in the 1930s, became enamored with her corn, and obtained some seeds from her. Two of Berkowitz’s friends, W. W. Williams and his father, helped him produce the seeds. Forty years later Williams gave the seeds to Kent. As Kent said, “When someone like Williams gives me the seeds of something he’s kept pure for forty years, I feel it’s a gift from the past and I have an obligation to keep it going.”
The ‘Old Time Tennessee’ muskmelon is another heirloom that Kent likes. He said it grows larger than a basketball and is unusual because, instead of being smooth, the rind has very deep creases. The way it grows is amazing: at first, it’s very long and creased, like a deflated football; then, as it grows, it balloons and fills out.
‘Grandpa Ott’s’ morning glories bedeck the side of the Seed Savers barn. The teepees are covered with heirloom bean varieties.
Anyone interested in joining Kent and other seed savers can send for a free color catalog detailing the projects and publications of the Seed Savers Exchange (see Resources, page 102). Realize, though, that you are not merely sending for a seed catalog. The Seed Savers Yearbook offers 11,000 heirloom varieties. As a member, you have access to this incredible collection of wonderful vegetables and fruits that are not commercially available—but that’s simply a benefit of what Kent refers to as “saving the sparks of life that feed us all.”
The garden at the Seed Savers in Decorah, Iowa is filled with hundreds of open-pollinated varieties of vegetables. Different selections are grown out each year and the seeds cataloged and saved. The many ‘cages’ are to protect the different vegetables from cross-pollination by bees, thus contaminating the gene pool.
A harvest from the Seed Savers garden includes corn, pole snap beans, and old-fashioned green-shouldered tomatoes.
an encyclopedia of heirloom vegetables
The following entries describe how to grow and prepare heirloom vegetables, the majority of which have been in cultivation at least one hundred years. In the cooking sections, I have concentrated on Native American cooking methods and those used during Colonial times and the early nineteen century. See Appendices A and B (pages 90-101) for information on soil preparation, mulching, composting, and pests and diseases.
Whenever possible, the year that the variety was introduced to this country is given. Most of the varieties are either European or Native American heirlooms, as it was these cultures that had the most influence on early American gardening and cooking. For detailed information on the historical background of heirloom varieties, see William Woys Weaver’s magnificent book, Heirloom Vegetable Gardening. For more information on the varieties, including nursery sources, consult Sue Stickland’s Heirloom Vegetables.
When you buy or trade heirloom seeds be aware that over the years the same variety may have been spelled in a number or ways or may have been renamed altogether (often by seed companies who want it to look like they have a new variety). For example, ‘Kentucky Wonder’ and ‘Old Homestead’ beans are the same entity. Confusion is also caused when one seed company calls a French variety by its French name while another gives it its English name, as in ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ and ‘Merveille des Quatre Saisons’ lettuce. Where possible, I have given the most common alternative names in parenthesis after the variety name. For more information on which variety is which, consult the fifth edition of The Seed Savers’ Garden Seed Inventory.
Amaranth varities Grain amaranths, ‘Joseph’s Coat’ amaranth, and ‘Calaloo’ (or Chinese spinach) amaranth
AMARANTH
Amaranthus hypochondriacus, A. tricolor, A. cruentus, A gangeticus.
Amaranth, a valuable staple of the Aztecs and Southwestern tribes in ancient times, is finally being rediscovered. Some varieties are grown for their leaves; others produce edible seeds or grain.
How to grow: Amaranth glories in warm weather. Start amaranth seedlings after any danger of frost has passed. Plant seeds 1/8 inch deep, 4 inches apart, in full sun, in rich, well-drained soil. Keep seedlings fairly moist and thin to 1 foot. Generally, amaranth grows with great enthusiasm. The leaf types grow to 2 feet, some of the grain varieties to 6 feet. Cucumber beetles are occasionally a problem. Harvest the leaf types when they are quite young. Harvest the grain types after the first frost in the North; in mild-winter areas, wait until the heads begin to drop their seeds. Cut the tops and lay them on a tarp in the sun to dry for about a week; protect them against rain and heavy dew. Thresh the grain by laying the heads on sheets and doing the “tennis shoe twist”—standing on the heads and twisting and dancing on them—to knock the seeds free. Use an electric fan to separate the seeds from the lighter chaff as you pour them into a container.
Varieties
Grain Amaranths
‘Golden Giant’: 100 to 150 days, 6-foot-tall annual grown for its white grain and beautiful golden stems and seed heads, high yielding, leaves are also edible
‘Hopi Red Dye’ (‘Komo’): 100 to 120 days, 5- to 6-foot-tall, reddish purple plant traditionally used by the Hopi as a food dye, both the black seeds and young leaves are edible
Leaf Amaranths
‘Joseph’s Coat’: 70 days, a spectacular tricolor variety—red, cream, and green leaves, originally from India; leaf type, for garnishing
‘Merah’: 75 to 80 days, crinkled bicolored green-and-red leaves
How to prepare: Select young, tender leaves and shoots to use raw in salads. Or use young leaves from the leaf-type varieties as a substitute for spinach. The nutritious leaves are high in calcium and iron.
Amaranth grain has a mild and nutty flavor and is higher in protein than other grains. Amaranth flour contains no gluten, so it must be combined with wheat flour to make risen breads. The seeds can be popped like popcorn; stir ½ cup of seeds in a hot frying pan for about 30 seconds or until they pop. Mix the popped seeds with honey to create a traditional Mexican confection called alegria. The seeds can also be ground and added to breads.
BEANS
Snap Beans (string beans)
Phaseolus vulgaris
Lima Beans
P. limensis var. limenanus
Runner Beans
P.
