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About Heirloom Plants
 Heirloom
plants are varieties that were commonly grown
during earlier periods in human history. There is no consensus as to how
old a plant variety should be before it can be considered an heirloom,
although many gardeners consider 1951 to be the latest year a plant can
have originated and still be called an heirloom (since 1951 marked the
widespread introduction of hybrid plants). Heirlooms are open-pollinated
and can adapt over time to whatever climate they are grown in.
Heirloom plants are never genetically modified or engineered.
Heirloom plants present a bounty of
tastes, colors, shapes and sizes for us to enjoy. Tomatoes come in a
rainbow of shades (from white to purple) and cucumbers can look like
lemons. Many growers and consumers choose heirloom varieties strictly
for the incredible richness of taste that they provide.
However, there are other reasons to
support the growing of heirloom plants. The genetic diversity of the
world's food crops is eroding at an unprecedented and accelerating rate.
The vegetables and fruits currently being lost are the result of
thousands of years of adaptation and selection in diverse ecological
niches around the world. Plant breeders use the old varieties to breed
resistance into modern crops that are constantly being attacked by
rapidly evolving diseases and pests. Without these infusions of genetic
diversity, food production is at risk from epidemics and infestations.
 Barbara
Kingsolver calls heirloom plants our "insurance policy," and she feels
that we are (unbelievably) engaged in a race toward vegetable
monocultures that threaten to extinguish our access to genetic
diversity. She explains the importance of genetic diversity eloquently,
clearly and simply in her essay "A
Fist in the Eye of God." I think it's important that everyone who
eats food (i.e. everyone) understand what she is teaching us.
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