Heirloom Seeds and Gardens

Upon moving to the North, I began to garden. I have typically been growing common vegetables that my family enjoys to eat. In addition, I share with friends, neighbors and donate to the community I have found that I really enjoy gardening. Tomatoes seem to be the crop that we have had the most interest in. The last two years, we have planted anywhere from 13-16 tomato plants. In addition, We have grown cauliflower, broccoli, green beans cabbage. We even grew a 27 pound cabbage. Boy was I impressed. We also grew mini pumpkins, mini watermelons as they were planted too late in the season and accidentally grew wild mini white pumpkins! The wee ones even grew mini carrots in a container this summer!

This is the first year that I have taken the time to actually plan a garden. We will grow our tomatoes and whatever else may come to mind n our garden. However, this year I am planning to grow an all Heirloom garden in a new space. It is going to be a lot of work to till the clay ground without heavy machinery but I am up for the challenge. Having grown up in a city environment, many aspects of gardening are new to me. I have had houseplants and failed tomatoes plants in the south.

I recently learned about heirloom seeds. I understood the term Heirloom but I did not know how it related to gardening. I have since learned fascinating information about heirloom seeds and gardens. I am definitely intrigued by the concept. I love the idea of preserving real food from generations of the past, It is a way to preserve our history and a way to eat clean!

I am in the middle of planning my heirloom garden. So far, I have purchased the Purple Cherokee Tomato Seeds, Purple of Sicily Cauliflower and it is actually a purple head of cauliflower, Chard – Swiss Five Color Silverbeet and Strawberry Spinach, this is strawberries with leaves that may be eaten as a “spinach” raw or cooked! I am still planning additional vegetables to grow. I am really excited about it!

I learned of a lady that was browsing through a seed catalog to plan an upcoming garden.. To her surprise, she found a bean that looked familiar to her. A bean that was cooked in her family home and shared with the family by her Grandmother. As it turns out, the family had not been gardening as she grew up. She decided to give gardening a try. While browsing the catalog she learned that not only was this particular type of a bean familiar, but the bean had actually been mailed to the Seed Savers Program and catalog for preservation for future generations. It turned out that her very own Grandmother had shared this bean that had been grown and passed down through her family many generations back. In fact, her Grandmother, Lina Sisco, had received the bean seeds from her Grandmother. What an amazing discovery. To top it off, the bean is referenced as the Lina Sisco’s Bird Egg ! This is an amazing story of how a special crop was handed down many generations. It must have been an extremely heart warming and special discovery!

You can see the Lina Sisco’s Bird Egg , at the Seed Savers Exchange website: seedsavers.org. You may purchase this Heirloom seed for as little as

SO,what exactly is an Heirloom seed or vegetable?

“Traditionally, farmers throughout the world have raised thousands of different animal breeds and plant varieties. However, since today’s industrial farms rely upon only a few specialized types of livestock and crops, thousands of non-commercial animal breeds and crop varieties have disappeared, along with the valuable genetic diversity they possessed. Fortunately, a growing number of sustainable farmers are preserving agricultural variety and protecting biodiversity by raising “heritage” or “heirloom” animal breeds and crops.

Heritage Livestock Breeds Heritage breeds are traditional livestock breeds that were raised by farmers in the past, before the drastic reduction of breed variety caused by the rise of industrial agriculture. Within the past 15 years, 190 breeds of farm animals have gone extinct worldwide, and there are currently 1,500 others at risk of becoming extinct. In the past five years alone, 60 breeds of cattle, goats, pigs, horses and poultry have become extinct. ⁱ

In the US, a few main breeds dominate the livestock industry: ⁱⁱ

• 83 percent of dairy cows are Holsteins, and five main breeds comprise almost all of the dairy herds in the US.
• 60 percent of beef cattle are of the Angus, Hereford or Simmental breeds.
• 75 percent of pigs in the US come from only 3 main breeds.
• Over 60 percent of sheep come from only four breeds, and 40 percent are Suffolk-breed sheep.

Heritage animals were bred over time to develop traits that made them particularly well-adapted to local environmental conditions. Breeds used in industrial agriculture are bred to produce lots of milk or eggs, gain weight quickly, or yield particular types of meat within confined facilities. Heritage breeds are generally better adapted to withstand disease and survive in harsh environmental conditions, and their bodies can be better suited to living on pasture. ⁱⁱⁱ

These livestock breeds also serve as an important genetic resource, and when heritage breeds become extinct, their unique genes are lost forever and can’t be used to breed new traits into existing livestock breeds. Therefore, by raising heritage livestock breeds, sustainable farmers not only maintain variety within our livestock populations, they also help to preserve valuable traits within the species so that future breeds can endure harsh conditions.

There is no official definition or certification for “heritage” animals, but for a livestock breed to be truly heritage, it must have unique genetic traits and also be raised on a sustainable and/or organic farm. Heritage animals are well-suited to sustainable farms since they are able to survive without the temperature-controlled buildings and constant doses of antibiotics administered to the commercial breeds raised on factory farms.

Heirloom Crop Varieties
According to Seed Savers Exchange (a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving rare plant varieties), an heirloom plant is “any garden plant that has a history of being passed down within a family.” ^iv While some argue that an heirloom variety must be at least 50 to 100 years old, all agree that heirloom fruits and vegetables are unique plant varieties which are genetically distinct from the commercial varieties popularized by industrial agriculture.

Sustainable farmers who grow heirloom fruits and vegetables help to preserve genetic diversity by ensuring that these unique plant varieties are not completely replaced by the few commercial varieties that are mass-produced by industrial agriculture. They also preserve delicious, unique and interesting kinds of fruits, vegetables and grains that add color and flavor to meals that everyone can enjoy.

What You Can Do
There are still small farms throughout the US and Canada that specialize in producing heirloom and heritage foods. Visit the Eat Well Guide to find a farm, market or restaurant near you that sells meat, eggs and dairy products from heritage animals. Try cooking with heirloom crop varieties to add exciting new elements to your meals; heirloom fruits and vegetables have unique colors, textures, and tastes that can’t be found in factory-farmed industrial produce. They can often be found at farmers marketsaround the country.

Did You Know?

• 99% of all turkeys raised in the U.S. are Broad-Breasted Whites, a single turkey breed specially developed to have a meaty breast. ^vi
• Almost 96% of the commercial vegetable varieties available in 1903 are now extinct. ^vii
• Reliance upon modern varieties of rice caused more than 1,500 local rice varieties in Indonesia to become extinct. ^viii

For More Information

• American Livestock Breeds Conservancy This nonprofit organization works to protect endangered livestock breeds from extinction. Their website includes a list of rare and endangered breeds along with numerous links to additional sources of information.
• The ARK USA Created by Slow Food, The ARK is a project designed to preserve foods that are at risk of becoming ‘extinct’ – this includes rare varieties of fruits and vegetables, heritage breeds of animals, and foods created using increasingly uncommon methods of production.
• Breeds of Livestock Created by the Department of Science at Oklahoma State University, this site includes an extensive listing of domestic animal breeds, complete with background information and photographs.
• New England Heritage Breeds Conservancy This organization works to preserve heritage breeds as part of America’s livestock legacy.
• Seed Savers Exchange This nonprofit organization is dedicated to preserving and sharing heirloom seed varieties. Their site includes information about heirloom plant varieties and an extensive catalog of heirloom seeds.

Sources

• Food and Agriculture Organization, “ Farm animal biodiversity .” Agriculture 21, 2006.
• University of Missouri, “American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.” Ag Opportunities, August 21, 1996.
• Ibid.
• Seed Savers Exchange. “Saving Heirlooms.”Seed Savers Exchange. Accessed October 2004.
• Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI). “The Seed Giants – Who Owns Whom ?” RAFI. 2000.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “Special: Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture: Farm Animal Genetic Resources.” FAO. February 1998.
• Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. “Biodiversity and Your Food: Did You Know?” American Museum of Natural History. Accessed 9/30/04.
• World Resources Institute, IUCN-The World Conservation Union, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), “ Global Biodiversity Strategy: Guidelines for action to save, study and use Earth’s biotic wealth sustainably and equitably.” World Resources Institute. 1992, p 9.” (sustainabletable.org)