Garden Favorites
The ‘Pioneer Pinto’ bean is one of Arne Boresson’s family heirlooms. It originally came to Oregon in the 1880s when his ancestors carried it via the Oregon Trail.
Donated by Alan and Linda Kapuler
Glenn Drowns developed ‘Lenore’ flint corn as part of his senior project in college. Glenn hoped to breed corn that was entirely maroon red for his thesis project.
Donated by Glenn Drowns
Even though this variety looks extremely similar to the ‘Pioneer Pinto’ bean, they have wildly different backgrounds. Denise Dunton’s grandparents brought the ‘Valena Italian’ pole beans back to the United States in 1966 after visiting their extended family who remained in Italy.
Donated by Mike and Denise Dunton
‘Lancaster Surecrop’ corn was developed by Isaac E. Hershey and his son Noah Hershey of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early part of the 20th century. It was used as a parent for many varieties of modern field corn.
Donated by Landis Valley Museum’s Heirloom Seed Project
Suzanne Ashworth received this unusual ‘Hmong Bitter Red Ruffled’ eggplant from Mrs. Tria Thao, a parent of a student at the Sacramento Pacific Elementary school. Suzanne uses them for Japanese flower arranging.
Donated by Suzanne Ashworth
‘Schimmeig Creg’ tomato: Tom Wagner bred this beautiful, striped tomato when he was only 13 years old. Giving varieties like the ‘Schimmeig Creg’ Manx names is Tom’s way of honoring his maternal grandfather, who was from the Isle of Man in the British Isles.
Donated by Tom Wagner
‘Pennsylvania German Red’ lima beans trace back to E.B. Raybe who got the seed from a Lancaster County minister and his wife. They used them to add color to their recipe for a regional pickled relish called “Chow Chow.”
Donated by Landis Valley Museum Heirloom Seed Project
‘Gilo Verde Escuro’ eggplant: This eggplant traces back to John M. Riley, the co-founder of California Rare Fruit Growers and an eggplant enthusiast.
Donated by Suzanne Ashworth
More to Explore
As these intrepid visionaries demonstrate, seeds are all about community. Like-minded gardeners and seed savers build this community on the Exchange, a network for sharing and swapping seeds. If you are passionate about seeds and gardening, we invite you to explore the thousands of varieties available on the Exchange. Become part of this vibrant community by sharing seeds of your own or requesting seeds from other gardeners.