Heirloom foods

We had a discussion the other night about heirloom foods. While enjoying dinner at The Perfect Wife in Manchester, VT, we noticed that several items on the menu included the term "heirloom". There were heirloom tomatoes, potatoes, and squash available. Just what is an heirloom food, my family wondered.

The Seed Savers Exchange organization at www.seedsavers.org is credited with starting the heirloom foods movement in 1975. SSE defines an heirloom as any garden plant that has a history of being passed down within a family, just like pieces of heirloom jewelry or furniture. Heirloom foods represent a wider range of genetic diversity compared to the industrial-grown foods we've become familiar with. Greater genetic diversity means better resistance to disease, as well as a greater variety in flavor.

So today while I was shopping at one of our local farm markets, I purchased a couple of each of the five heirloom varieties of apples available as well as three different heirloom tomatoes. They don't look as uniformly beautiful as other produce, but the taste is out of this world.

Check out Seed Savers, or better yet, ask about heirloom varieties at your local farmers' market. Your taste buds will thank you.