Springtime and Blue Genes

Previously, I posted about picking tomatoes and making some lovely sauce and briefly mentioned this article . You see, sadly, this is the sort of fate much of our food succumbs to. Think about it for a second, does ketchup taste like tomatoes? REALLY? Did we really go through the 80's as children where ketchup was classified as a vegetable? How many people have a tomato experience like I did as a kid, or the guy in the above mentioned article?
Not to many, unless you are one of our more seasoned members of society, grew up on a farm,had hippies for parents or just someone you knew who gardened, you prolly have never had a good tomato. Among other fruits and veggies.

I can tell you from experience that south American fruits are much better in Ecuador, then they are here. hmm...So, if you have the opportunity, go to a farmers market or a local foods grocery ( Whole Foods doesn't count!) and buy some in season tomatoes.Try an heirloom if you never have before. If you like tomatoes. I also recommend doing this for any other fruit or veggie you think you love, 'cause you will love it more, or think you hate, 'cause you just might like it, when it tastes like it oughta.

This year I grew tomatoes from Home Depot. They are grocery tomatoes but in my yard. more or less. NEXT year, I get to do something cool with my garden, that I have been wanting to do. Thanks to a thoughtful gift from my sister and brother-in-law, I will be getting heirloom seeds to plant.

What is an heirloom seed? Good question. Heirloom seeds are seeds from variates of garden plants that have been lost to the agri-business takeover of farming. Most of our crops are engineered (genetic or otherwise), single varietals. Genetic variation is to be frowned upon and controlled. The very process that creates diversity and adaptability to things like pestilence and disease is not allowed to self select.You see, we used to have a whole lot more biodiversity amongst our foods. Things were seasonal, local, and regional. Plants were carefully cross bread and cultivated for unique flavors and colors and nutrients. One tomato is not like the other!

So, I will grow heirlooms. If you would like to try this too go to this site or others like it to find seeds.










The whole heirloom variety thing is just one step, Norway is going out on a limb with this. Sad to think it's necessary.