Easy to grow, especially in cooler climates. It needs plenty of water, otherwise it won't be as tender. This variety doesn't have a name, it is issued from a cross that happened in our field. Gives beautiful medium-sized chubby bulbs. Leave the roots in the soil over winter, numerous smaller bulbs will grow back the following spring. Package: 75 seeds

Also known as the "Montreal Market Muskmelon" or "Montreal Nutmeg Melon". This mythical green flesh melon with a nutmeg flavor has almost disappeared.

 

The earliest records come from the Jesuits, who cultivated this variety in the Montreal Plain in 1684. According to the Potager d'Antan : "this melon went through many selections during the 17th Century, before being introduced under the name "Montreal Melon", in 1870. In the 1880s, it was listed as one of the best seller in New England by American seed company Burpee".

 

Very popular at the beginning of the 1900s and until the 1950s, it was largely commercialized and grown by three families : the Aubin, the Décarie and the Gorman. But lack of labour force, rises in wages and the spreading of the city triggered its decline. As highways paved the island, it slowly faded from our collective memory. When farms vanished from Montreal, it risked being obliterated. Until a journalist found its trace in a seed bank, in the United States.

 

This melon is a living proof of our seed and food diversity decline. Save your seeds and share them.

 

Heirloom variety. Listed on Slow Food Canada's Ark of Taste.

 

Pkt : 12 seeds.

Coy in the garden, salsify can be mistaken for grass when still young. But its hardiness and lack of pests makes it a wise choice for enthusiasts of curiosities. Not the highest-yielding plant but its taste, somewhere between hazelnut and parsnip, widely makes up for it. It's also a true sundial: as soon as the first lights of the sunrise appear, the flowers will open towards the sun, and will then follow it for the whole day, until it sets. It is from the same family as dandelions. The roots are tender and do not have a hint of bitterness, as long as harvested before the flowering stem starts to grow. The leaves are also edible. When the flower buds start appearing, on the second year, it is possible to eat them just like with viper's grass. Culinary uses: -raw roots chopped for salads, -cooked roots sliced (with white wine to avoid blackening), -young leaves in a salad, -cooked leaves as vegetables, -raw flower buds in a salad, or cooked as vegetables. Package: 25 seeds

** CANNOT BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF CANADA**

KEEP REFRIGERATED AS SOON AS RECEIVED AND UNTIL PLANTING TIME!

Also known as potato bean, hopniss, Indian potato, hodoimo, America-hodoimo, cinnamon vine, American groundnut, or groundnut. Quebec-native climbing plant. It belongs to the legume family Fabaceae. Grows well on river banks and shores, but also in the garden. Its flowers have a strong perfume, reminiscent of glycine. It is sometimes referred to as 'glycine tubéreuse' (tuberous glycine). The bean part of some of its common names refers to the edible beans produced from its flowers, when climate allows. Its tubers, also edible, are interconnected by a liana-root giving it a rosary-like appearance. The apios was widely eaten by First Nations. Nowadays, it is still common to see it growing where their settlements once were. Highly nutritional, it contains up to 18% proteins, 3x that of potatoes. It can be eaten boiled or fried. However, make sure to peel it thoroughly as the skin contains latex. Please note, although very rare, that some people might feel unwell from Apios americana consumption.

 

Package: 8 small tubers. Germination rate: 100%

On the outside, with its pale white skin, this ball-shaped radish looks boring. But inside awaits a splash of pink-colored flesh, truly like a watermelon.

 

Crisp and sweet taste, milder than many radishes. It is better to peel the hard skin. Ideal for carpaccio, can be eaten raw, roasted or stewed. Great if you wish to cause a sensation or want the children to discover radishes ! 

 

This Chinese heirloom is of the daikon type.

 

Pkt : +150 seeds.

** CANNOT BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF CANADA ** ***Keep the root cuttings refrigerated until planting time, and make sure they stay moist. The taproot of this plant has a spicy yet delicate taste. It was once referred to as the "poors' pepper", given the historical high price of pepper. Grated, the root can be used as a condiment, to substitute mustard. It has purgative, digestive, rubefaciant, and stimulating properties. It is also rich in Vitamin C. Its absorption eases fat digestion. Package: 5 root splices