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From the Publisher
Content Of Heirloom Vegetable Gardening
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Chapter 1 The Kitchen Garden In AmericaIn the Greek of Homer, the word for leek, práson, was also the root word for a garden bed: prasia. Such a linguistic connectedness between the kitchen vegetable and its place of cultivation does not exist in English. When the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain, they found an indigenous Celtic culture focused on cattle breeding and husbandry, which they too adopted. Thus, we have inherited a linguistic and cultural perspective of the garden much different from that of the Mediterranean peoples. |
Chapter 2 The Heirloom Vegetable TodayThere have always been seed savers of one sort or another in this country. One of the most well known in recent times was John Withee in Massachusetts, who during the 1970s established the Wanigan Associates Collection, assembled from some four hundred collectors, of old-fashioned bean varieties. Withee was inspired by a passion for beans and by a fear that many of his old-time favorites would disappear. His collection of more than 1,100 bean varieties is now housed at Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa, and maintained by Seed Savers Exchange. |
Chapter 3 A Grower’S Guide To Selected Heirloom VegetablesRaising heirloom vegetables is as much a gardening challenge as it is a world of discovery. It was certainly a surprise to me, when first glancing through the plates of the Album Vilmorin, that I could count over forty five vegetables still available today under the same varietal names. |
Carolina Lima Bean | Phaseolus Lunatus VAR. Lunonnus
This 80-day variety is known to date from pre-Columbian times. It was depicted by Matthias de l’Obel in 1591 and is thought to be the “bushel bean” known in the Carolinas as early as 1700. There are claims that this bean is indigenous, but more likely it was introduced from Jamaica. Thomas Jefferson grew this variety at Monticello in 1794, and visitors can see the beans rambling over their tall poles even to this day. The popularity of the Carolina Lima in the South gave rise to a great many synonyms, among them Carolina Sewee, Saba, Sivy, and West Indian. This bean has the advantage of being one of the earliest of all the limas, and for a dry bean it is prolific, best suited for drying green. As a shelly bean it is not as desirable, although it was used as such in colonial times.
Shown here as dry beans, from left to right: Speckled Saba or Bushel Bean (page 104), Dr. Martin’s Lima Bean (page 102), and Carolina Lima.
Lemon Cucumber | Cucumis Sativus
Introduced in the early 1890s as a novelty, this cucumber has many admirable qualities as a slicer for salads. The fruit is round, or should be, and white skinned, with bright yellow streaks. Fruit is harvested when 2½ to 3 inches in diameter. Paring is unnecessary because the skin is thin and lacks all trace of bitterness.
Organic gardeners have rediscovered this cucumber because it is more resistant to fungus diseases than many white varieties, and particularly resistant to rust. Furthermore, it remains highly productive until frost and tolerates drought. These features have made it extremely popular in California, but since the vines are especially attractive to squash beetles, I find that I must overplant in order to ensure enough cucumbers during the course of the season.
The Lemon Cucumber does not require paring. Beside it, on the right, is a small Boothby’s Blond Cucumber (page 187).
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cthulhuian
Very Interesting Book
Reviewed in the United States on 26 January 2019Verified Purchase
Jane Eyre
Heirloom Vegetable Gardening History of Vegetable Varieties in America
Reviewed in the United States on 12 September 2018Verified Purchase
Dr. Elizabeth Joy Farkas
A must have book for all Heirloom gardeners and gardeners alike.
Reviewed in the United States on 3 March 2014Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Beautiful and beautifully written book
Reviewed in the United States on 28 March 2020Verified Purchase
Laura Haggarty
Truly an essential guide for anyone interested in heirloom vegetables.
Reviewed in the United States on 20 April 2018Verified Purchase
