Tokyo Bekana Chinese cabbage

Ancient cherry tomato. Very hardy and productive. The fruits are oval-shaped, 4-5 cm by 2 cm. The skin is black, and the flesh dark red. It is used for making dried tomatoes, sauces, or simply in salads. Originally from a russian seed saver, Marina Danilenko. It was first introduced to Seed Savers (U.S.), and then made its way to Quebec. Package: 30 seeds

At a Seedy Saturday in 2016, a lady came up to me and told me that her mother-in-law had a tomato variety called Mon Plaisir that stopped being available in seed catalogues for ages, but that she keeps growing year after year. We chat a bit and exchange contact informations. I end up forgetting about it until, a few months later, I receive a letter in the mail. Inside, a beautiful card containing a paper on which a dozen seeds were attached. The seeds of the lost Mon Plaisir tomato. This is what Mrs. Frappier told me when I reached out to her, after receiving her letter: "We use to order our seeds through the WHPerron catalogue, and another company. I think it was called Norseco. We were growing tomatoes in greenhouses in Abitibi, in Matamic close to Lasarre. It was the Frappier greenhouses (serres Frappier) in 1976. We grow a couple seedlings to sell, but it was mostly for vegetable production. I really like those tomatoes, they would make nice long cherry tomato trusses. We stopped producing in the early 2000s, and I had already been saving my own seeds for about 20 to 25 years because we couldn't find the variety in catalogues anymore. I really couldn't find it anywhere. I think it was replaced by either Sweet 100 or Sweet mignonne. I did taste it, but I definitely prefer Mon Plaisir." (Free translation) It is now our turn to share this discovery with you. A huge thanks to the Frappier family for preserving this variety.   Package: 30 seeds

This very ancient variety was supposedly brought to the U.S. on the Mayflower boat in 1620. The boat was carrying English religious dissidents, the Pilgrim fathers, and other European people seeking a land where they could fully enjoy religious freedom. This variety was widely grown in the Carolinas region. Despite this nice story, and considering most beans are originally from America, it is more likely that the colonizers 'borrowed' this variety from First Nations and named it after their boat. Perhaps. Their pods are small, and contain squarish beans, sprinkled with pink and white marks. Can be eaten as green beans when still young, or as dry beans when they reach maturity after 85 days. Mayflower beans are part of the SlowFood USA's Ark of Taste. Package: 30 seeds

Also called Gombo, this plant produces a fruit that can be eaten raw or cooked, with a taste somewhat similar to eggplant. Young leaves can replace spinach. In some countries, the mature seeds are roasted and used as coffee beans. A member of the hibiscus family (Okra latin name is Hibiscus esculentus), its flower is one of the most beautiful in the garden. Originally from Africa, Okra entered Spain in the 8th Century with the moorish invasion. Later introduced in the United States by African slaves, it was considered for some time as poor people food. It is an essential ingredient in gumbo and is commonly used in Louisiana and Southern States cuisine. To be rediscovered ! Package : 25 seeds.

Perennial. Easy to grow and a must-have for the garden.

 

You can distinguish garlic chives from common chives by their garlic taste and white star-shaped flowers. Their leaves are flat, as opposed to the common chives round and hollow leaves.

Package: 100 seeds

This hardy perennial can decorate your garden as nicely as your salads, with its striking dark red veins. It is also great with sandwiches, omelettes, quiches, and most other egg-based dishes. Slightly more tangy than common sorrel, bloody dock is the first to show up in the spring. Package: 35 seeds