Heirlooms are actually Heirlooms
Call me stupid, but when I saw Heirloom tomatoes at the local grocery store, it never dawned on me that these were actual antiques. Or maybe they are more like ancient family recipes, handed down the generations.
Either way, the current debate around the lack of diversity in the global food supply has more people buying heirlooms—both the food and the seeds.
Small groups of local and organic farmers have made it almost an elite practice/underground supply chain/cult following—more than a hobby, not quite an obsession, but possibly something close.
And who could blame them? The idea of a genetic strain of tomato that extends back 50 to 100 years is pretty cool. Though not all heirloom fruit and vegetable varieties go back that far, all have been passed down within a family or community. They are also unique and genetically distinct from commercial options.
Many claim that heirloom varieties taste better and are more naturally resistant to pests and disease, potentially making them better for our immune systems, as well.
And it’s not only vegetables. Heritage breeds of cows, turkeys, chickens, pigs, and sheep are also available, and preferred by many for their resilience and taste, not to mention their ability to self-breed. (The most common breed of turkeys requires intervention. Don’t ask.)
According to Sustainable Table, a nonprofit educating consumers on food-related issues, “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.”
The nonprofit also offers a guide to stores and services that offer heirloom or heritage varieties across the nation. A preliminary search of my former hometown (a small town established by lobster and fishermen) brought up 4 farmer markets and 1 store within 5 miles. Searching my current hometown (SF Bay Area) brought up 134 listings. Not too surprising. But some of the listings were duplicates (2 of 4 butchers were the same locale.)
To search the services in your area, check out the Eat Well Guide at: http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?id=Home
August 14th, 2008 at 2:01 am
Here’s an August 12, 2008 article from Sierraclub.org’s newsletter “The Green Life” entitled “You Say Tomato, I Say Heirloom”.
http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2008/08/you-say-tomato.html
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