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an encyclopedia of heirloom vegetables

The following entries describe how to grow and prepare heirloom vegetables, the majority of which have been in cultivation at least one hundred years. In the cooking sections, I have concentrated on Native American cooking methods and those used during Colonial times and the early nineteen century. See Appendices A and B (pages 90-101) for information on soil preparation, mulching, composting, and pests and diseases.

Whenever possible, the year that the variety was introduced to this country is given. Most of the varieties are either European or Native American heirlooms, as it was these cultures that had the most influence on early American gardening and cooking. For detailed information on the historical background of heirloom varieties, see William Woys Weaver’s magnificent book, Heirloom Vegetable Gardening. For more information on the varieties, including nursery sources, consult Sue Stickland’s Heirloom Vegetables.

When you buy or trade heirloom seeds be aware that over the years the same variety may have been spelled in a number or ways or may have been renamed altogether (often by seed companies who want it to look like they have a new variety). For example, ‘Kentucky Wonder’ and ‘Old Homestead’ beans are the same entity. Confusion is also caused when one seed company calls a French variety by its French name while another gives it its English name, as in ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ and ‘Merveille des Quatre Saisons’ lettuce. Where possible, I have given the most common alternative names in parenthesis after the variety name. For more information on which variety is which, consult the fifth edition of The Seed Savers’ Garden Seed Inventory.

Amaranth varities Grain amaranths, ‘Joseph’s Coat’ amaranth, and ‘Calaloo’ (or Chinese spinach) amaranth

AMARANTH

Amaranthus hypochondriacus, A. tricolor, A. cruentus, A gangeticus.

Amaranth, a valuable staple of the Aztecs and Southwestern tribes in ancient times, is finally being rediscovered. Some varieties are grown for their leaves; others produce edible seeds or grain.

How to grow: Amaranth glories in warm weather. Start amaranth seedlings after any danger of frost has passed. Plant seeds 1/8 inch deep, 4 inches apart, in full sun, in rich, well-drained soil. Keep seedlings fairly moist and thin to 1 foot. Generally, amaranth grows with great enthusiasm. The leaf types grow to 2 feet, some of the grain varieties to 6 feet. Cucumber beetles are occasionally a problem. Harvest the leaf types when they are quite young. Harvest the grain types after the first frost in the North; in mild-winter areas, wait until the heads begin to drop their seeds. Cut the tops and lay them on a tarp in the sun to dry for about a week; protect them against rain and heavy dew. Thresh the grain by laying the heads on sheets and doing the “tennis shoe twist”—standing on the heads and twisting and dancing on them—to knock the seeds free. Use an electric fan to separate the seeds from the lighter chaff as you pour them into a container.

Varieties

Grain Amaranths

‘Golden Giant’: 100 to 150 days, 6-foot-tall annual grown for its white grain and beautiful golden stems and seed heads, high yielding, leaves are also edible

‘Hopi Red Dye’ (‘Komo’): 100 to 120 days, 5- to 6-foot-tall, reddish purple plant traditionally used by the Hopi as a food dye, both the black seeds and young leaves are edible

Leaf Amaranths

‘Joseph’s Coat’: 70 days, a spectacular tricolor variety—red, cream, and green leaves, originally from India; leaf type, for garnishing

‘Merah’: 75 to 80 days, crinkled bicolored green-and-red leaves

How to prepare: Select young, tender leaves and shoots to use raw in salads. Or use young leaves from the leaf-type varieties as a substitute for spinach. The nutritious leaves are high in calcium and iron.

Amaranth grain has a mild and nutty flavor and is higher in protein than other grains. Amaranth flour contains no gluten, so it must be combined with wheat flour to make risen breads. The seeds can be popped like popcorn; stir ½ cup of seeds in a hot frying pan for about 30 seconds or until they pop. Mix the popped seeds with honey to create a traditional Mexican confection called alegria. The seeds can also be ground and added to breads.

BEANS

Snap Beans (string beans)

Phaseolus vulgaris

Lima Beans

P. limensis var. limenanus

Runner Beans

P. coccineus

The peoples of the Americas grew beans for thousands of years; explorers brought them back to Europe, where they became integrated into the cuisine, eventually becoming a staple in the Colonial diet.

How to grow: Most types of beans grow well in warm climates. Runner beans, however, produce best when the temperature stays below 80°F. Plant all beans after any danger of frost is past, in full sun, in soil with plenty of added organic matter. Sow the seeds of bush beans 1 inch deep in rows 18 inches apart. Thin seedlings to 2 inches apart. Pole beans need a strong trellis, put in place before planting, to climb on. Plant pole bean seeds 1 inch deep, 2 inches apart. Thin seedlings to 6 inches apart. If your soil is fairly fertile, no extra fertilizing is needed. If beans look pale midseason, fertilize with fish emulsion. They are best watered deeply and infrequently at the base of the plants.

Beans have their share of pests, including bean beetles, beanloopers, whiteflies, aphids, and cucumber beetles. Anthracnose and a number of leaf-spot diseases are most prevalent in humid climates.

Harvest snap beans when the seeds inside are still very small and the pods are tender. Make sure you pick all the young beans as they come along, or the plants stop producing. Harvest young runner bean pods for snap beans (the pods are usually larger than standard snap beans). Fresh shelling beans should be harvested when the pods fill out noticeably but before they get dry. If they get too mature, allow them to dry for winter use.

For dried. beans in rainy climates, drape whole plants over a crude drying frame or store them in the garage. In a dry climate, let the pods dry completely in the garden and harvest the whole plant. Once the bean pods are completely dry, separate the seeds from the pods. For a small batch, just shell the beans by hand. For larger harvests, cut a 6-inch hole in the bottom corner of a burlap bag and tie it closed with string. Put the plants in the bag, hang the bag on a branch, and beat it with a stick to loosen the beans from the pods. When most of the beans are free, hold a pan under the hole, untie the string, empty the beans into the pan, and remove the chaff. Repeat the process as necessary.

Beans from the Seed Savers garden

Clean the beans from the chaff; when the beans are completely dry, store them in a dry place in a container that will keep out bugs. To prevent weevils, first put the jars in the freezer for twenty-four hours to kill the eggs.

Heirloom beans at Seed Savers

Varieties

Hundreds of varieties of heirloom beans are available. The Vermont Bean Seed Company carries a large selection, and Native Seed-SEARCH carries Native American varieties.

Snap Beans

‘Blue Lake’: 62 days, pole, 6- to 8-foot vigorous and productive plant, sweet-tasting green pods

‘Cherokee Trail of Tears’: 90 days, 8-foot pole, prolific, purple-tinged pod, snap or dry beans, tradition says it was carried on the Trail of Tears forced march by the Cherokees from Georgia to Oklahoma during the winter of 1838-1839

‘Fin des Bagnols’ (‘Shoestring Bean’): 55 days, bush, 1880s, French heirloom filet, pick while very young, every 2 to 3 days

‘Hoffer’s Lazy Wife’: pole, stringless green pod; German and Pennsylvania heirloom; named for its ease of preparation

‘Hopi Purple String Beans’: purple with black crescent-moon-shaped stripes; can be grown with little or no irrigation

‘Kentucky Wonder’ (‘Old Homestead’): 68 days, pole, popular since the mid-1800s and is still great, plants are rust resistant

‘Trionfo Violetto’: 65 days, pole, stringless purple-podded Italian heirloom, vigorous vines, deep lavender flowers

Lima Beans

‘Christmas’ (‘Large Speckled Calico’): 100 days, pole, vines to 10 feet, 1840s, nutty-tasting white seeds with maroon spots, high yields, does well in hot, humid weather

‘Dr. Martins’: 100 days, pole, vines to 10 feet, about 1935, developed by a dentist in Pennsylvania, 5-inch pods with two to four huge beans each, plant when soil is warm

‘Jackson Wonder’: 66 days, bush, 1888, developed by a Georgia farmer, small seeds buff with purple-black mottling, good fresh or dried; plants do well in North or South, hardy, drought tolerant

‘King of the Garden’: 95 days, pole, dark green 8-inch pods, rich, nutty-tasting beans, high yields

Runner Beans

(grown for snap, shell, or dry beans)

‘Painted Lady’: 100 days, vigorous vine, 1855, red and pinkish white bicolored flowers, pods to 12 inches, brown-and-white seeds

Scarlet Runner: perennial vine grown as an annual, red flowers, pods to 1 foot, prefers cooler climates

Shelling and Dry Beans

‘Black Turtle’: 90 days, bush, South American, from before 1806, shiny black beans, hardy disease- and heat-resistant plants

‘Borlotto’: 73 days, bush, Italian heirloom, colorful rose-and-cream pods, delicious creamy white beans with rosy speckles

‘Genuine Cornfield Pole’: 72 days, originally from Mexico, long favored by Iroquois, can be planted among corn plants, 6-inch pods, 10-to 15-foot vines, heavy producer, pods can be eaten when young but they are best shelled fresh and dried

‘Great Northern’ (‘Great Northern White’): 65 days for shelling beans, 95 for dry beans, bush, introduced in 1907 but originally obtained from Mandan tribe, white bean, often available in grocery stores

‘Hidatsa Shield Figure’: 90 days, pole, from Hidatsa Indians in North Dakota, large white bean with speckled tan “shield”

‘Jacob’s Cattle’ (‘Trout’): 85 to 95 days, bush, New England favorite, originally from the Passamaquoddy tribe, white seeds with maroon splotches, for shelling or dry, in baked beans keeps its shape

‘Low’s Champion’: 90 days, bush, 1884, New England heirloom, strain of ‘Dwarf Cranberry Bean’, small deep-cranberry beans with white eyes

‘New Mexico Bolitas’: New Mexico heirloom, these light brown beans cook faster than pintos

‘Santa Maria Pinquito’: 75 to 90 days, vigorous semi-trailing vines, ⅓-inch long squared off pink beans, valued in California since the days of the early Spaniards, stays intact when cooked, great for baked beans and refried beans

‘Soldier’: 85 days, bush, well-known New England heirloom, slender, kidney-shaped, white seed marked with a “soldier” in yellow brown on the eye; does well in cool climates and in drought

‘Black Seeded’ runner beans

‘Swedish Brown’ bean and Soldier bean

‘Christmas’ lima beans

‘Jacob’s cattle’ bean (center), ‘Dr. Martin’s’ lima

Fava beans, ‘Black Seeded Yellow Wax’ beans,‘Blue Lake’ snap beans, ‘King of the Garden’ limas, and the speckled cranberry pods

‘Swedish Brown’: 85 days, bush, very hardy, plump, oval, brown beans with a dark eye rim; popular in Scandinavian-settled areas in the United States

‘Vermont Cranberry’: 75 days for shelling, 98 days for dry, pole; old northern New England variety, for all climates, round, deep maroon beans, a version of cranberry bean; some have speckled seeds, others have colorful pods

‘Yellow Eye’ (‘Maine Yellow Eye’): 95 days, bush, hardy, traditional in New England, oval white bean with yellow eye; prolific, reliable, disease-resistant plant; takes less time to cook than most beans

How to prepare: Most of the old varieties of green beans have a string down the side (hence the name string bean) that must be removed. String or puree them to serve as a side dish or make into soup.

Commenting on how early European settlers cooked beans, Debra Friedman said, “A lot of the old-time recipes for baked or boiled beans were very bland. Cooks might have boiled the beans and added some butter or parsley, or baked them with pepper and salt pork. But the type of baked beans with molasses that everybody is so fond of today had yet to appear. Most of the baked beans were a hardy side dish served at breakfast or dinner.”

BEETS

Beta vulgaris

A close relative of chard, beets originated in Europe almost four thousand years ago. The ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed both red and white beets. Yellow beets were popular for centuries. Early settlers to America appreciated the beet’s keeping qualities and relied on them to provide food in early spring.

How to grow: Sow beet seeds directly in rich, well-drained soil in early spring or in the fall, in full sun. In mild climates beets can be grown most of the year. A soil pH of 7 seems best. Many gardeners agree that beets become sweeter with some chilling as they mature. They can take some frost. Plant the seeds ¼ inch deep in wide rows or broadcast them over a 3-foot-wide bed. Beet seeds are a cluster of seeds; therefore, thinning is essential to prevent crowding. Thin modern beets to 3 inches apart and large keeper beets to 6 inches apart. Fertilize midseason with a balanced organic fertilizer and water evenly.

Occasionally, leaf miners tunnel through the leaves; control them with neem or floating row covers. A more common problem is cercospora, a fungus that thrives in humid conditions and leaves orange spots on the foliage. A rust fungus can also be a problem.

Harvest modern varieties when they are 3 inches or smaller. The large keeper beets (which will grow up to 6 inches across) are planted 90 days before your first expected frost. Mulch them, and they will winter over if temperatures aren’t too cold. In severe climates the roots can be stored for up to four months in damp sand in a root cellar kept just above freezing.

Golden, white, and ‘Chioggia’ red and white beets

‘Burpee’s Golden’ beets

‘Chioggia,’ ‘Golden,’ ‘Bull’s Blood’, and ‘Detroit Dark Red’ beets

Keeper beets ‘Lutz Green Leaf’

Varieties

‘Albina Verduna’ (‘Show White’): 65 days, Dutch heirloom, pure white, large and sweet, used to make white beet sugar

‘Chioggia’: 50 days, Italian heirloom known since the middle of the 1800s in America, red on the outside, white inside with red rings like bull’s-eyes

‘Crosby’s Egyptian’: 50 to 60 days, introduced in 1880, small dark red bunching beet, early beet of choice, has a rather flattened shape

‘Cylindra’ (‘Formanova’): 60 days, 1880s, sweet dark red long cylindrical-shaped beet, good for slicing, keep the top of the root covered with soil while growing

‘Detroit Dark Red’: 60 days, 1892, U.S. heirloom and for years the standard beet of commerce, popular with home gardeners, uniform color and shape

‘Golden Beet’: 60 days, before 1828, European, sweet golden roots that don’t “bleed” so won’t discolor salads and other dishes, low germination rate, so plant extra

‘Lutz Green Leaf’ (‘Winter Keeper,’ ‘Lutz Salad’): 80 days, sweet and tender even when 6 inches across, reddish purple roots, great storage beet; wonderful for roasting in coals

How to prepare: The “keeper” beets take a little longer to cook but are still the best for making borscht, pickling, or baking. Debra Friedman recounts, “Back in Colonial times, the tops were used as well as the roots. The beets themselves, with their fairly tough skins, could be roasted as potatoes might be—whole in the embers of the fire.” Today you can bake them in a covered casserole to closely duplicate this presentation (see page 86 Steam the greens and serve them with butter.

CABBAGES

Broccoli, Sprouting Brassica

oleracea var. italica

Brussels Sprouts

B. oleracea var. gemmifera

Cabbage, Heading and Savoy

Brassica oleracea var. capitata; B. o. var. bullata

Cauliflower

B. oleracea var. botrytis

Collards

B. oleracea var. acephala

Kale

B. oleracea var. acephala

Cabbage is the progenitor of many other vegetables, often called cole crops: broccoli, cauliflower, collards, and kale. Brussels sprouts are essentially tiny cabbages that pop out along the length of the plant stem. Broccolis are but the flowering stems of plants that evolved from ancient cabbages. Collards are large-leafed, nonheading greens that are a cross between cabbage and kale. Knowing that all these vegetables are related is important because related plants often fall prey to the same pests and can interbreed and so upset your seed-saving efforts.

How to grow: Cole crops are best grown as cool-season annuals. Collards prefer cool weather but can do quite well in hot weather too. All need full sun, or light shade in hot climates. Transplants of heirloom cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower are seldom available from local nurseries. Start seeds indoors eight weeks before your last average frost date. (Plant cauliflower a little earlier, as it grows more slowly.) Transplant seedlings into rich soil filled with organic matter about two weeks before the last average frost date. Cabbage and broccoli seeds or plants can also be planted in midsummer for a fall crop. Space small varieties of cabbage 1 foot apart and larger ones 2 feet apart. Broccoli and cauliflower plants should be spaced 2 feet apart. Cabbages tend to be top-heavy; when transplanting, place them lower in the soil—up to their first set of true leaves (the first leaves after the seed leaves). Start brussels sprouts about four weeks before the last average frost date and transplant them in a month. Space the plants 2 feet apart. Kale and collards can be started from seed in early spring, but most gardeners start them midsummer. Plant collard and kale seeds ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart, and then thin seedlings to 18 inches apart.

‘Winningstädt’ cabbage at Old Sturbridge Village

‘Long Island Improved’ brussels sprouts

‘Early Purple Sprouting’ broccoli

‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ cabbage

Most cole family seedlings are heavy feeders, so add a balanced organic fertilizer: 1 cup worked into the soil around each plant at planting time. Side dress with blood meal or other organic nitrogen fertilizer worked into the soil a month after planting. Kale and collards need a bit less fertilizer. All cole crops need regular and even watering and a substantial mulch.

All cabbage family members are susceptible to the same pests and diseases, though kale and collards tend to have far fewer problems. Flea beetles, imported cabbageworm, cabbage root fly, and cutworms are potential problems. Prevent these pests with floating row covers. Rotate members of the cabbage family with other vegetable families to prevent diseases.

Harvest cabbages anytime after they have started to form a decent head but before they become so large that they split. Mature cabbages can take temperatures as low as 20°F. If you expect a hard freeze, harvest all your cabbages and store them in a cool place. Harvest broccoli when the buds begin to swell but before they open. Once the primary head is harvested, many smaller heads form. If planted in late summer, broccoli will produce into fall and can withstand light frosts. Cauliflower heads need protection from the sun. Modern varieties have leaves that grow over the head, but most heirlooms need to have the leaves tied up around the head a few weeks before harvesting. Harvest cauliflower heads at the base when they are very full but before the curds (the partially developed flower heads) begin to separate.

Harvest brussels sprouts in the fall or winter, when frost improves their flavor. Toward the end of their development, cut off the growing tip of each plant and remove the leaves growing between the sprouts. This diverts the plant’s remaining energy to developing the sprouts. If the plants are kept well mulched with straw, sprouts often develop and mature well into the winter. Brussels sprouts mature up the stem, from the bottom to the top, so harvest a few at a time in that direction. Harvest them when they’re no larger than 1 inch in diameter.

Harvest a few very young kale leaves at a time as they are needed for salads, or use mature kale leaves for cooked dishes. The flavor and color of kale improve after a frost, and kale winters over in most climates. In the very coldest areas, cover kale with floating row covers.

Harvest collard leaves while they are young. If harvested a few leaves at a time, collards produce over a long period. Like kale, collards are valuable as a fall crop since their flavor sweetens with frost.

Varieties

Broccoli

‘Calabrese’: 58 days, 1880s, Italian heirloom green sprouting broccoli with a long season of side shoots after main head is cut

Collards

Collection of kale

‘Russian Red’ kale

‘Early Purple Spouting’: 125 days, before 1835, 2 to 3 feet high, very hardy, purple-green leaves, purple flower buds

Brussels Sprouts

‘Bedford Fillbasket’: 85 to 100 days, large sprouts, good yields