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[…] think I shared with you how my homegrown lettuce this year includes some heirloom varieties. An heirloom variety is one in which the seeds have been passed down for generations. They are […]
by Jeanne
[…] think I shared with you how my homegrown lettuce this year includes some heirloom varieties. An heirloom variety is one in which the seeds have been passed down for generations. They are […]
Learn how to grow kale in Virginia, zones 6 and 7, in both spring and fall, using organic gardening techniques. Kale Plant Profile Common Name: KaleBotanical Name: Brassica oleracea var. acephala Kale can be grown in Virginia, gardening zone 7B, spring and fall. Our spring crop survived the winter and continues to thrive, while the fall crop is just…
Snakes in the garden scare many people. I used to be one of them. I thought copperheads lurked around every stone, just waiting to strike. October marks out 17th year living on Seven Oaks Farm in Central Virginia. Over the years, I have gotten to know, appreciate, and love the many snakes we have seen…
We didn’t set out to grow Jonathan apples, but this is the variety that thrives in our zone 7B garden. We purchased seedlings from the Arbor Day Society and planted our home orchard in December 2007. Today, we have many fruit trees, including our beloved Jonathans that are my new favorite apple. Here’s how to…
A no-salt, nutritarian, vegan dinner that’s easy to make on a busy night I made this stuffed peppers without rice recipe last night for dinner. It uses my confetti salad recipe with some added spices for the filling. At this time of year, when fresh tomatoes and peppers are abundant in the garden, it’s the…
Denise D Hammond, CGFM-Retired
Oh how I long for the tomatoes of my youth. Such flavor. I buy heirlooms when I see them in the market.
Jo
I am familiar with Heirloom tomatoes and I 100% agree with what you said about the grocery tomatoes we mostly get foisted on us. Having been alive in a time when tomatoes really tasted good and had access to them subsequently at some farmers markets, I miss them.
I didn’t know Heirloom could be applied to other fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Jeanne Grunert
Hi all! Yes, Jo, they’re now using the term heirloom for older varieties of flowers too, and I’ve recently seen the term applied to livestock. I’m more familiar with the term “heritage” livestock breeds when referencing older breeds.
Denise, thanks for leaving a comment!
Damaria Senne
Your post reminded me of an incident back in the day. A fellow-journalist was still single and she bought a bunch of tomatoes from a retailer that really emphasises the quality of their foods. The tomatoes were fresh, pretty… My colleague kept meaning to use the tomatoes in something but she was so busy she’d end up just buying something on the run. You know: the joy of a single life where you’re just chasing career advancement. THREE weeks later, she wanted a salad and remembered the tomatoes. The scary thing is they looked as fresh as when she first bought them. Fresh, pink, no blemishes, no sign that they were going off. In the middle of summer. She threw them in the bin. We laughed so hard when she told the story, wanting to know: what in heaven’s name did they breed into those tomatoes?