By Thom Kirk, Heirloom Acres Seeds
Ask the average consumer to name the colors that a tomato comes in and they’ll probably say “Red and yellow.” Ask that same person to name three varieties of beans and you might hear “Baked, soup and green.”
Tomatoes come in over ten distinct color variations and there are thought to be over 700 varieties of beans in existence.
Why don’t we see these colors and varieties in our grocery stores or in our restaurants? Produce companies and the industries that supply or are supplied by produce companies are driven by one motive: Economics. They have developed the perfect round, red tomato that looks pretty and will sit on the grocery store shelf for days. It doesn’t smell like a tomato or taste like a tomato, but it did survive the 1,000 mile trip from the farm to the store.
They have developed the perfectly-straight green bean that can be mechanically harvested, packed into boxes and emerge resembling a green bean in appearance. It doesn’t smell like a green bean or taste like a green bean, but it got to where it needed to go. Over the last fifty years, taste, smell, color, unusual shape and other variances — hallmarks of genetic diversity — have been ignored for the sake of profit.
Heirloom seed has been handed down from generation to generation. The seeds will breed true, unlike hybrids, and are free of genetic engineering. They have been preserved by thousands of folks who still appreciate biting into a vine-ripened, dew-covered tomato and having the juice run down their chins. They have been preserved by people who like their green beans to actually be purple or who prefer that all of their eggplants not be black. And they are still being preserved by thousands of us who just plain don’t like being told what kind of food we have to eat.
What should you do about this? Grow you own food. Even the most black-thumbed of us can learn to garden and gardens can be built on rooftops, on patios, in containers and in any sized back yard. If you can’t grow it, buy it locally. Farmers’ markets, CSA’s and food co-op abound in numbers and afford almost anyone the opportunity to discover many of the varieties available. Local farmers know which varieties taste best and love bringing variety to their stalls!
Most importantly, don’t let your food choices be dictated by profit or convenience. Don’t let our genetic diversity be compromised by economics. Become educated about the risks of genetically-modified seed. We are blessed with the greatest variety and abundance of food in the history of human kind. It is our obligation to be good stewards of this abundance. T.K.
