4/28 Heirloom Seed Trial
About a month ago I found a local program called the Heirloom Seed Trial. It was created by the Slow Food Huron Valley Group “to promote seed saving and genetic diversity in foods adapted to our region.” The group signed up participants and gave away 30 different varieties of heirloom seeds from the Great Lakes Region. All they asked for in return was your authentic participation and feedback about your growing experience, insight about the taste of your finished products and seeds from your harvest at the end of the season. Seriously?
If you remember my near fanatical heirloom enthusiasm and Edible Legacy post you are saying to yourself, “They gave her these seeds for free? She would have paid an arm and a leg for them.” Yes, you are right, I would have. So, when I stood in front of the Slow Food trade show booth listening to details of their Seed Trial, I felt like I was bamboozling them as I signed up to take their legacy seeds for free. Dream come true I thought. This is such a cool honor and I am really thrilled to be a part of it. This feels so important to all of us that grow, consume and love great food. Unaltered seeds grow intrinsically perfect food. I want that.
Here are the heirloom varieties we will be growing. Please send plenty of suggestions and loving, growing thoughts our garden way.
Detroit Dark Red Beets
Green Prolific cucumbers (aka. Boston)
Chicago Pickling cucumbers (aka. Improved Chicago Pickling, Westerfield, Westerfield Chicago)
Green Tasty tomatoes (aka. Evergreen)
Yellow Pear tomatoes (aka. Beams Yellow Pear)
We will plant around Memorial Day. I will keep you posted on our growing success. Single-handedly wiping out a legacy of seeds that have been passed down for generations is not an option. This crippling fear may have crossed my mind one or twice. Nah, I can do this.
Do you have a seed trial similar to this near you? Have you had heirloom success or adoration? Please share.
Have a delicious day.
Tags: buy local, compassionate eating, going veg, heirloom seed trial, heirloom seeds, heirloom vegetables, plant based diet, Slow Food Huron Valley, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan experience, vegan wannabe
April 28th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Oh those Detroit beets that I love!!!!! Lucky you!!!
May 3rd, 2011 at 8:26 am
Jennifer, I am both nervous and excited but anything grown with love and admiration should be okay. Cant wait to see them.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:02 am
I love Detroit beets, too! I’m just starting to explore the world of heirloom seeds: http://foodliteraturephilosophy.blogspot.com/2011/05/urban-land-scouts-saving-seeds-with.html
May 11th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
Kat, I am really looking forward to growing them and enjoying a bounty of home grown heirloom beets. Thank you for the link to the beautiful post.
June 28th, 2011 at 6:02 am
[…] April I told you about the Heirloom Seed Trial that we are participating in and I wanted to share an update. Early in the season we gave our tomato […]
June 29th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Please sign me up for any trial growing seeds. We are trying to become vegan
and do our own planting. Where can I buy unaltered seeds? thanks
July 4th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Hi Bev,
The Heirloom Seed Trail we are participating in is through an organization called http://www.Slowfoodhuronvalley.com.
Here is a link to the Seed Savers Exchange where you may purchase heirloom seeds. http://www.seedsavers.org. I have not ordered from Seed Savers because this is my first experience growing heirloom plants. From what I have read, they look like a beautiful organization with incredible seeds.
How is your vegan journey going so far? What has been your favorite thing to make? If I can help in any way, please let me know.
January 10th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
My 2x great grandfather, John Gedney Westerfield move from Yonkers, NY to what is now Wilmette, IL in the 1840s. There he bought the farm formerly owned by Antoine Ouilmette.
Along with his Gedney and Dingee relatives he began farming cucumbers. He is reputed to have the first pickle factory west of the Allegheny Mountains. He developed a hybrid pickle cucumber variety which was known as Westerfield’s Cucumber and later was sold to a Chicago firm which marketed it as Westerfield’s.
I have his son Charles Pomeroy Westerfield’s Civil War diary from the 8th Illinois cavalry. One entry in it reads, “Received keg of pickles from home”.
His daughter, my grandmother, was Mary Westerfield May. My late father was Philip Westerfield May and I have a daughter named Wendy Westerfield May Martin. We would very much like to have some Westerfield cucumber seeds if any are known. Even more, we would love to have an old, original Westerfield cucumber paper packet or a picture of one.
Have you any knowledge of any of this? Help would be much appreciated. Best wishes, Phil May
January 16th, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Phil,
Thank you for sharing such interesting information. I am sorry but I do not know any more about Westerfield cucumbers. I have contacted Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa and the Slow Food Movement organization (the creators of the heirloom seed trail we participated in) to see if they have any information. I will let you know what I find out and please do the same. Would love to hear more.
December 23rd, 2015 at 11:03 am
Hi Sherry. If this site is still working, I just checked. After 3 years I finally saw your response to my query. This confused me. After saying I was trying to locate Westerfield Cucumber seeds you responded you didn’t know anything more about them. Yet in the early part of this site you said you were planting, “Chicago Pickling cucumbers (aka. Improved Chicago Pickling, Westerfield, Westerfield Chicago)” Please advise how you were able to do that without any seeds? Thanks, Phil