Dishing on Heirlooms

What exactly is an heirloom vegetable? There is some confusion out there about what “heirloom” really means. Heirloom vegetables come from seed lines that are genetically unaltered. So what does that mean? Well, first you have to understand why scientists began genetically altering plants in the first place.

Back in the 1950s, food researchers began looking for ways to improve the ability of vegetables to be transported over long distances without bruising or overripening. Consumers were beginning to expect uniformity in their store bought vegetables, so large scale growers wanted to develop a method for these plants to grow the same way no matter where they were planted. To do this scientists began altering fruits and vegetables on the genetic level.

When this started taking place, small scale farmers and gardeners began to preserve the original seed lines of staple fruits and vegetables to ensure they would always be around. They passed them down from generation to generation, which is where we get the term “heirloom” when we talk about these plants.

The seeds for heirloom vegetables come from lines that range from anywhere between 60 to 120 years old. When you eat an heirloom tomato, you are eating the exact same vegetable that people were eating as far back as the late 1800s. You are actually taking a bite out of history! How cool is that?

There are two main benefits to heirloom vegetables compared to their modern counterparts.

• First, you get a much wider variety when you grow these types of veggies. The size, shape and color of the vegetable from a single seed can all be very different.
  
• Second, there are a lot of people who feel that heirloom vegetables are much tastier than the generic types. Personally, I think the taste is also affected by variables such as water, soil and amount of sunshine.

So if heirlooms are so great, why isn’t everyone growing them? Like anything else, with the benefits you also get some drawbacks. The biggest problem with heirloom seeds is that some of them require very specific growing conditions. You just might not be able to grow that variety of heirloom bean that you love if the soil isn’t just right. Gardeners are often willing to sacrifice a little variety and flavor for the peace of mind that they’ll be able to actually grow the veggie in their gardens.

So which type of vegetable should you use in your recipes? Honestly, it’s really up to you. I like to grow and eat heirlooms sometimes just to keep the seed line going, but I don’t see any major difference between heirlooms and regular veggies, as long as they are grown organically.