THE ANSWER IS....

On Thursday, March 17, we posted the first WHAT IS IT?.  Leah had the first answer and she guessed tomato.  More specifically an heirloom tomato was the answer we were hunting for, but we will gladly accept tomato!

Heirloom's are generally considered to be a variety that has been passed down, through several generations of a family because of its valued characteristics. Since 'heirloom' varieties have become popular in the past few years there have been liberties taken with the use of this term for commercial purposes.

Tomato experts, Craig LeHoullier and Carolyn Male, have classified heirlooms into four categories:

1. Commercial Heirlooms: Open-pollinated varieties introduced before 1940, or tomato varieties more than 50 years in circulation.
2. Family Heirlooms: Seeds that have been passed down for several generations through a family.
3. Created Heirlooms: Crossing two known parents (either two heirlooms or an heirloom and a hybrid) and dehybridizing the resulting seeds for how ever many years/generations it takes to eliminate the undesirable characteristics and stabilize the desired characteristics, perhaps as many as 8 years or more.
4. Mystery Heirlooms: Varieties that are a product of natural cross-pollination
   of other heirloom varieties.

(Note: All heirloom varieties are open-pollinated but not all open-pollinated varieties are heirloom varieties.)
(Adapted from What is an Heirloom Tomato? - Tomato Fest.)

2010 Green Zebra, Red Zebra, Hartman's Gooseberry, and Stupice.

This year we are offering 28 heirloom varieties.  Some new, some our favorites, some little, some green, but all of them loaded with juicy, mouth watering flavor. 





Leah will be able to pick out six ready to go plants in 4" pots from either our sweet and hot pepper varieties and/or our herbs.  We will also include her choice of six tomato plants!

Thanks for participating and watch for the next installment of WHAT IS IT?