Gaspé Flint Corn

The farmer got confused and messed up, but in the process created this mix of different varieties of tomatoes grown on our farm. Includes: Mémé de Beauce, Oncle Tom, Petit Moineau, Sun Drop, Téton de Vénus, Poil Blanc, Savignac, Plourde, Black Cherry and Black Ruffle. For diversity fans.

Package: 35 seeds

Crisp green lettuce with long serrated leaves. Its taste is mild and not at all bitter. Very easy to grow and self-seeding if you let it bolt. Cut and come again variety. Italian heirloom.   Package: 200 seeds

This little plant is usually found in prairies or abandoned lands. Its leaves are edible; they're slightly sweet and taste a bit like green peas. Brother Marie-Victorin writes in Flore Laurentienne 'the leaves get soapy juste like soapweed.' The melliferous flowers attract varied pollinators. Its common names in French refer to kids have fun bursting the flowers to create an explosion sounds. Just pinch the opening between two fingers to trap the air, and smack it against the back of your hand. Package: 100 seeds

Antoine D'Avignon was a ancient vegetable lover. A pioneer in Quebec for heirloom seed saving, he grew, harvested and shared the seeds of numerous varieties that would have otherwise been forgotten by now. Notably, Louis-Marie's Crotte d'ours potato, Suzanne Bourgeois's Ice Grow tomato, Huron wheat, and... this corn. In an interview in the late 1990s he reached out for help to the public: the Quebec corn that our grandmas used to cultivate has disappeared. Nobody is growing flour corn anymore. After the interview, a lady called the radio station claiming that she did have seeds of a flour corn that had been grown by her family for ages. This is how she came into contact with Antoine and shared with him her precious treasure. Then, during that summer, Antoine ends up mentioning the corn to a friend, Mrs. France Bouffard. She is really interested and ask for a couple seeds. Reluctant as he as only a few, he ends up giving her 6 seeds. She grew those and multiplied them, enough to make flour for her pancakes. The story could have ended there. Sadly it did not as Antoine died still young and took with him the corn story. More recently, Mrs. Bouffard reached out to me while I was working for Seeds of Diversity. We chatted, and she ended up mentioning the corn. She then sent me some seeds by the mail. We had a good first harvest from those seeds and, thanks to that, we can now share this variety with you. Luckily, Antoine has also gifted a few to another one of his friends, René Paquet, who has since carefully kept the envelope. On it, a name: Anita Fournier, from Nicolet. We are looking for this lady (probably deceased by now) or her offsprings. Please let us know if you know her. Please note that some of the seeds have been sent to Seeds of Diversity for preservation. With the hopes that you might also contribute to writing a chapter of this story. For more information, please visit (in French): Antoine d'Avignon (1948-2003), jardinier de la dernière chance" Please send us pictures of your crops and harvests! We will share them! Package: 40 seeds

Scorzonera hispanica Black salsify or Spanish salsify is a vegetable cultivated for its long black skinned taproot. The name Scorzonera derives from the Italian scorza (bark) and nera (black). As we might be able to guess from its yellow flowers, the plant belongs to the Asteraceae family. Just like the root, the leaves are edible and so are the flowers before they open, like small broccolis. The white fleshed root may be harvested during the first or second year. To develop up its full potential, the plant needs to grow in a soil deep enough. If you let it overwinter in the ground, even here in Quebec, the plant will produce flowers the following year. Once they are ripe, it will be time for you to harvest the seeds, but beware : birds, and especially goldfinch, love them! Black salsify is rich in carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.

Beautiful and strong plant. It has dark pink corolla flowers covered in purple stripes, greatly appreciated by pollinators since they are in bloom for a long period. Self-sows, year after year. Can grow up to 1.5 m in height. Easy to grow, it will surely be a great addition to your garden or flowerbeds. Package: 100 seeds