Heirloom Vegetables

A Horticulture Information article from the Wisconsin Master Gardener website, posted 28 Jan 2008
Heirloom Vegetables
Heirloom vegetables are old, open-pollinated variet-
ies that have been passed down from generation to
generation. They are living artifacts and living history
exhibits. They also are a reservoir of genetic diver-
sity. They can be some of the finest vegetables ever
known. Seed-saving gardeners have kept heirloom
varieties alive, as has the Seed Saver’s Exchange
in Decorah, Iowa.
There is some confusion as to how old a variety

must be to be classified as an heirloom. Some be-
lieve that any variety grown before 1951, when the Many varieties of vegetables are heirlooms.
first hybrids became available, is an heirloom. How-
ever, many heirlooms are 100-150 years old or much older. Native Americans have been saving seed
since the pre-Columbian era while old European crops may be over 400 years old. Other heirlooms
trace their ancestries back hundreds of years to Africa and Asia.
Open-pollinated cultivars mean that plants grown from seed will be true to type and will resemble the
plant from which it comes. Some plants, however, can cross-pollinate and therefore careful practices
must prevent cross-pollination to maintain those varieties. Species like cucurbits and cole crops must
be isolated from other members in their families. This may be achieved by geographic isolation or by
bagging the flowers to prevent cross-pollination.
Flavor is one of the key reasons people like to preserve heirloom seeds. Their flavor is exceptional.
One downside is that heirloom vegetables often don’t have a very long shelf life and are not resistant
to diseases.
Potatoes, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes and other vegetables may be propagated vegetatively and the
offspring is directly related to the parent. Garlic for example, has been found to be 5,000 years old and
cultivars available today can theoretically be traced back to the Middle East centuries ago.
Some of the more common vegetable cultivars found to be true heirlooms include:
Beans
‘Cherokee Trail of Tears’ is an heirloom pole bean that was carried by the Cherokee Indians along
the Trail of Tears. It has a purple striped pod with shiny black seeds.
‘Jacob’s Cattle’ is a small, pretty bean that is pure-white with deep maroon splashes. It is good for
soups and stews.
‘Rattlesnake Pole’ has purple-streaked, 7-inch green pods that curl like a snake. The seeds are
buff-colored with black stripes.
Corn
‘Golden Bantam’ was first introduced in 1902. This is the corn to which all others were compared.
‘Stowell’s Evergreen’ is the standard, late-season white sweet corn before ‘Silver Queen’ was de-
veloped.
‘Bloody Butcher’ is a bright red variety that is used in making flour.
‘Strawberry Popcorn’ is an old variety with small ears that can be used as a decoration and pop-
corn.
Cucumber
‘Lemon’ produces many lemon-colored and lemon-shaped fruit.
‘White Wonder’ matures to an ivory white color.
Lettuce
‘Deer Tongue’ is a pre-1900 heirloom that has pointed leaves and thick mid-ribs. It is heat tolerant
and slow to bolt.
‘Paris White Cos’ has been grown in Europe since 1835, may be even older. It produces a large
upright cylinder of thick, crisp leaves, with the outer leaves folding over to blanch the inner ones.
Melon
‘Jenny Lind’ produces 1-2 lb sweet, lime-green fruits. It originated in New Jersey in 1846.
Potatoes
‘Russian Banana’ is a fingerling potato with yellow flesh
and a waxy texture. It may be finger sized or the size of
a banana.
‘Yellow Finns’ is medium-sized with yellow skin and
yellow flesh.
Squash
‘Cushaw Green-Striped’ produces good-sized, white
fruits with green stripes and long, curved necks. It is
good for pies and baking. Plants are drought tolerant
and the fruit stores well.
Pumpkins
‘Rouge Vif d’Etampes’ is Potatoes-— a variety of shapes and colors.
the Cinderella pumpkin that
produces flat, burnt orange
to red fruit that are deeply ridged. It may reach 1-2 feet in diameter.
Tomatoes
‘Brandywine’ is an
Amish heirloom that
originated in Chester
Pumpkin ‘Rouge Vif d’Etampes’
County, PA in 1885. Fruit
quality stays high late in
the season. It has potato-like leaves and pinkish-red
fruit.
‘Cherokee Purple’ produces purple-black fruit with
brick red interior. Good flavor.
‘Yellow Pear’ is a prolific vining type that produces
many 1-2 inch pear-shaped fruits with good fruit.
‘Mortgage Lifter’ produces pink to red, medium-sized
to large fruit. There are numerous heirloom tomatoes.
‘Amish Paste’ is an Amish heirloom from Wisconsin. It produces red fruit with an ox-heart to teardrop
shape.
‘Black Krim’ is named for the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea. Dark greenish-black shoulders
turn almost black with enough heat and sun.
‘Green Zebra’ is green with various shades of yellow. It has a sweet, zingy flavor.
Watermelon
‘Moon and Stars’ is another Amish heirloom. The rind is dark green covered with bright yellow
spots. The leaves of the plant are also spotted.
– Karen Delahaut, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Additional Information:
Heirloom Vegetables – Clemson University Extension fact sheet HGIC 1255 at hgic.clemson.edu/
pdf/hgic1255.pdf
The Heirloom Vegetable Gardener’s Assistant – a detailed guide to heirloom vegetable gardening,
with references and links at www.halcyon.com/tmend/heirloom.htm
Seed Savers Exchange – a non-profit organization founded in 1975, at www.seedsavers.org/

Heirloom Vegetables

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Heirloom Vegetables

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

A Horticulture Information article from the Wisconsin Master Gardener website, posted 28 Jan 2008

There is some confusion as to how old a variety

– Karen Delahaut, University of Wisconsin - Madison

You might also like