heirloom varieties

Chances are you enjoyed an heirloom tomato or two this summer--those wizened, wrinkled, motley-colored yet thoroughly delicious fruits grown from the same kinds of seeds your great-great-grandmother might have carried across the Rockies in a covered wagon long before anyone ever thought to genetically engineer a seedless beefsteak the size of your head. (And if you've never tried an heirloom tomato, get thee to Trader Joe's this minute, where out of season heirlooms still grace the shelves. They go nicely with the organic basil leaves and fresh mozarella, with just a drizzle of olive oil.)

We were delighted to read in the Alternative Consumer this week about Trees of Antiquity, an outfit that deals in heirloom trees--that is, specimens that haven't been cross-bred to a fare-thee-well like some exotic variety of teacup poodle. Which doesn't mean you can't have variety, as the online store stocks everything from Apples and Apricots to Jujubes and Pawpaws. Now is the time to order your trees, which can be shipped in their dormant state in January for early planting.

If you'd like to shop around, blogger William Rubel has a nicely curated list of sources for heirloom fruit trees posted on his blog, where you can also find fascinating information about traditional cooking methods from around the world, should you decide to bake an heirloom apple pie. 

And the iVillage Garden Web has a lively Heirloom Plants & Gardens Forum--you've gotta love how technology makes it easier for us to get back to the basics.