I really fancy adopting a vegetable. Slightly crazy though it sounds, there are lots of rare varieties that are about to fade from memory entirely unless the HDRA can save them. For £10 a year you can 'adopt' any vegetable from this list - some of the names are fantastic. I love the sound of peas called Table Talk and Telephone, dwarf french beans called Ernie's Big Eye and Parfree's Dragon Tongue, and tomatoes called Broad Ripple Yellow Currant and broad bean Globster Bounty.
July 27, 2004
We have a similar organization in the States called the Seed Savers Exchange. Their url is www.seedsavers.org, but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment.
Posted by: Kathy | July 27, 2004 at 06:33 PM
I remember seeing the tall pea Telephone in the HDRA Heritage Seed Library Catalogue. I was therefore surprised to find it available in the shops here in Australia - I got some in Bunnings (the equivalent here of B&Q) and they are currently growing in one of my borders. Maybe I'll send a photo when they are fully grown. As an HSL member, I grew and saved seed of many old varieties before moving to Australia, and one of my favourites was the tall pea Ne Plus Ultra. About 8 feet tall and with peas so sweet they didn't need cooking!
Mark
Melbourne, Australia
Posted by: Mark Tobin | May 27, 2006 at 03:06 PM