‘La Semencière s’est trompée’ Tomato Mix (The Farmer Messed Up)

Elegant and surprising flower, this annual flower can embellish our gardens with its multiple colors: sunny yellow, bright orange or vivid pink. Its nectar will also please insect pollinators and hummingbirds. Zinnia is mostly found in Mexico. Following the sun, it spread over dry prairies, in an area extending from the North American South-West to South America. 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

Amaranth is a jack of all trades of the plant world. When the plant is still young, the leaves can be eaten just like spinach. The seeds can be used like cereals, raw, roasted, sprouted, or even to make flour. Amaranth is rich in vitamins A, B, and C, and in calcium, iron, and magnesium. But we especially like how its tall stance and bright red color decorate our garden. Package: 200 seeds