As we start to think about the new year's garden, I came across this video on some old heirloom varieties. I have grown, or attempted to grow, all of these except the okra, the Wethersfield onion and the fish peppers. I was the only one in the family who liked okra, and I only liked it fried, so I didn't grow it when I could...and now I can't grow it as it is too cold here. The onion might grow here, but our long days trouble most varieties of onions. I already grow almost 30 varieties of peppers, and I have just not gotten around to growing this particular variety. Any heirloom gardeners???
I'm not, but an acquaintance grows an heirloom yellow tomato. I have no idea how far back the line goes.
I try to grow a mix of open-pollinated and heirloom varieties mixed with hybrids. I have even developed a couple varieties of my own, both of them hot peppers.
I have tried a few heirloom tomatoes but they always turn out so weird shaped and some colors are strange.
Most of them are bred for taste without much regard for shape or color, but if you are making a sauce, it doesn't matter much what the shape is.
Here are some heirloom varieties I recall growing. One thing I recall about heirloom plants, one year they could be really good, the next not so much. Heirloom Tomatoes I Grew Delicious (my favorite) Mortgage Lifter Abe Lincoln Brandywine Amish paste San Marzano Arkansas Traveller Black Krim Better Boy For Other Heirloom Vegetables California Wonder Bell Pepper Tahitian Melon Squash Danver's Half-Long Carrot Hale's Best Cantaloupe Hubbard Pumpkin Black Zucchini Summer Squash There were many more I grew over the years which I can't recall right now. I generally planted some hybrid also just in case the heirloom variety which was susceptible to disease and fungus didn't do well.
I've grown Brandy Wine and better boy tomatoes. Other name's I forgot, although I stayed organic, Heirloom and non-GMO, Until we tried Hydroculture and didn't like the fishy smell, so we used Master Blend ,Epsom Salts for that. We did very well with both. Haven't had a garden in several years now though. Hydroponic's, Not good pic,but the plants were loaded with tom's. I have a thread here somewhere.
That is normal in nature sometimes, they still taste good. We've been looking at grocery store produce too long.looks can be deceiving.