An heirloom vegetable is a cultivar of a plant that is maintained by gardeners and farmers, usually in communities with ethnic minorities of the Western world. These were mostly during the earlier times of the human world but aren’t used in industrial agriculture. Most of the heirloom vegetables kept their traits due to open pollination. Growing heirloom vegetables in gardens in North America and Europe is becoming popular once again.
Heirloom Vegetable Trivia
- Heirloom vegetables are usually considered tastier than the regular ones because they had time to adapt to a certain region.
- In Colombia, preserving seeds is illegal
- Before World War II, the majority of the plants grown were heirlooms.
Heirloom Vegetable Buying Guide
You shouldn’t be worried about the strange appearance and the deformities of the heirloom vegetables as they don’t look like conventionally grown vegetables. There can be details you should be looking to avoid when buying a particular vegetable but in general you should ignore if they’re looking weird in their shape or size. The best place to buy them would be from the farms themselves or the farmers’ markets.
Heirloom Vegetable Production & Farming in Texas
Growing and producing heirloom vegetables in Texas is very popular as people don’t mind giving extra bucks for something of great quality and very tasty. People also grow heirloom vegetables in their own gardens as that is a cheaper option.
Pesticides
When looking at heirloom vegetables, you can’t know what the pesticide residues are in general, they’re connected to the particular vegetable. For instance, onions have one of the least amounts of pesticides in them, and potatoes have among the highest amounts of pesticides in them, which is also the case for heirloom vegetables.
Geography
Heirloom vegetables have been around from the 16th century to the early 20th century because of its huge diversity. Old nursery catalogs were full of different heirloom seeds that you can choose from. The seeds in the catalog were carefully selected and they gave clear instructions on each seed. After World War II they have been used in great monocultural plots.
My advice to you is to start growing heirloom vegetables that are easier before doing something more difficult. Some of these are beets, cucumber, beans, tomatoes, pepper, and lettuce. Seek the seeds that suit your needs, but also diversify your garden with vegetables and re-use the seeds to get them used to your region.
Packaging
The packaging of heirloom vegetables again depends on what kind of vegetable it is. For example, potatoes are usually packaged in net bags, while cherry tomatoes are packaged in either small plastic containers or paperboard boxes.
Enjoying Heirloom Vegetables
Heirloom vegetables are really delicious and you can eat them in any way you’d like as there is a wide variety to it. The taste of the vegetables is the number one reason people are buying them. Many vegetables have been saved for more than a decade, the reason being is that they’re the best vegetables in the market and home gardens.
Storage:
Store heirloom vegetables just as you would as normal vegetables. Some are stored in the fridge for a week, some can last in dark rooms for many weeks.
Cooking:
Heirloom Tomato & Zucchini Salad is the perfect way to get the best taste out of heirloom vegetables. Merge tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini in a large bowl and whisk vinegar, oil, salt, and sugar, and then stir in the herbs you prefer. Before serving, sprinkle dressing over salad and you’re good to go.
Nutrition:
On a whole, other than the better taste of the vegetables, heirloom plants are known to be also more nutritious than the regular ones.
