What are Heirloom Vegetables?
Some horticulturists define heirloom plants by the number of years the cultivar* has been in cultivation, with many authorities using 1951 as a cut-off year for heirloom vegetables. Furniture is awarded ‘antique’ status when it is more than 100 years old, but many heirloom vegetables can trace their heritage back for hundreds of years. Others define heirlooms as lines of plants, grown locally or regionally, that have been passed down through families or groups. All heirloom plants are open pollinated – meaning that seed from these varieties can be saved each year by home gardeners and will grow ‘true to type’ from seed each time. In other words, plants grown from seed will look exactly like the parent plant did, having the same plant size and growth habit, as well as fruit size, color and flavor. Before 1951 and the increased use of hybrid plant varieties, which do not ‘come true’ from seed, gardeners normally saved their own seed each year. They chose to save seed from their best tast
Like any other heirloom, heirloom vegetables have been passed down through generations. Their seeds are some of the oldest varieties of vegetables available. They are not used by large industrial farms, but rather by home gardeners. Some common heirloom vegetables grown in small gardens are tomatoes, corn, beans, kale, eggplant, squash, lettuce and even potatoes. To qualify as heirloom vegetables, the variety must have some historic value. The oldest varieties date from prehistoric times. If the vegetable is grown in an industrial setting, it is no longer classified as heirloom. The classification of heirloom vegetables means that they are open-pollinated. The seeds that a plant produces can be harvested and saved to create a look a like plant the following year. This ability to reproduce a virtual clone gives heirloom vegetables the label “true to type.” Because they are pollinated in such a way, heirloom vegetables tend to produce foods that have a superior taste and texture to hybri
Some horticulturists define heirloom plants by the number of years the cultivar* has been in cultivation, with many authorities using 1951 as a cut-off year for heirloom vegetables. Furniture is awarded ‘antique’ status when it is more than 100 years old, but many heirloom vegetables can trace their heritage back for hundreds of years. Others define heirlooms as lines of plants, grown locally or regionally, that have been passed down through families or groups. (*A cultivar is a cultivated variety of a plant with specific characteristics that are carried on through each generation.) ll heirloom plants are open pollinated- meaning that seed from these varieties can be saved each year by home gardeners and will grow ‘true to type’ from seed each time. In other words, plants grown from seed will look exactly like the parent plant did, having the same plant size and growth habit, as well as fruit size, color and flavor. Before 1951 and the increased use of hybrid plant varieties, which do
Put simply, heirloom vegetables are the types of vegetables that our ancestors grew for centuries. During those centuries the vegetables, and fruits for that matter, adapted to their environments becoming drought resistant in dry, hot areas, and cold hardy in northern climes. Since our grandparents saved the best seed from the best plants the plants improved over time and became even hardier and more adapted to the local habitat. Heirloom refers to any plant that was grown before the 1950s. After that time farming was more and more a commercial venture and the investors wanted more and more produce, not necessarily better produce. Hybrids became the new standard, mixtures of two varieties that created a product that ripened early and traveled well, never mind about the taste. From there food producers began to experiment with genetics in plants, changing certain aspects to make the plant more colorful, or have more omega-3, or even just to be bigger. Genetically modified plants don’t h
They’re vegetables grown from seed or cuttings from plants which have not been cross-bred for “better” traits like lasting longer, shipping better, brighter color, etc. In my experience, heirloom tomatoes have a far, far bigger and richer flavor than any other type, including roma and on-the-vine. There’s even a difference between the red, orange, yellow, and purple ones. I haven’t tried other heirloom fruits and vegetables, but I’m certainly open to it, even though they cost more.
