Aji Charapita Pepper

This spinach variety is very rare. It comes from a convent, the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul in Kingston, ON. These sisters grew over 400 different cultivars of vegetables, fruits, and herbs. They're offered us some treasures that have been grown for over a century. Some of their seed packages were even written using a typewriter. For more information, visit Le Potager d'Antan (in French): https://potagersdantan.com/2011/01/06/lepinard-norfolk/ Package: 130 seeds

The smallest tomato you will ever eat! Currant tomatoes are cousins with the common tomato we all know, both originally from Central and South America. The plants grow clusters of several tiny sweet fruits. The seeds we are selling however have a peculiar story... Léon was a grumpy gardener who didn't like kids. Always a smoke between his lips, he would chase them with the back of his hand whenever they got too close to his parcel in Montreal community garden. Yet the kids couldn't help but want some of his tomatoes, which were shining under the sun just like rubies. Truth be told, Léon didn't really like anyone regardless of age... but how did we love his tomatoes! So, under the full moon (for real!), I sneaked into the garden, and stole a couple seeds. Ever since I've been growing them, and my kids love them!   Package: Around 35-40 seeds  

Tetragon is usually grown for its leaves, which can be added in salads or cooked. Thanks to its ability to withstand difficult climates, this plant grows readily in the wild in China, Reunion Island, and New Zealand. It is also fairly easy to grow in Quebec, but it will behave as an annual since it cannot tolerate frost. Held up by a round stem, tetragon has a really unique look with its thick leaves and quadrangular fruits. Good source of vitamin B1, B2 and C; the New Zealand spinach is both delicious and nutritious! Package: 20 seeds Germination rate: 89%

Shelling pea variety dating back from the 1880s. The peas are round and sweet. This variety can be eaten fresh as snow peas or dry, and can also be canned or frozen. Early yields well-adapted to short seasons like we have in Quebec. Setting up nets or stakes can help with harvest as the plants can reach up to 1 m in height. Package: Around 30 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.

Determinate. This Italian variety gives plenty of long yellow fruits, very sweet but not too juicy. Perfect for sauces and canning. Do not let its funny name scare you. Package: 30 seeds