Triamble Squash

A Cross between the mythical Montreal Melon and the American Banana Cantaloup. Its orange aromatic flesh is exquisite. Bred in 1910 in Oka Trappist Cistercian monastery by Father Athanase, Director of the Oka Agricultural Institute. The Oka Melon disappeared after the closing of the school, in 1962, but was rediscovered on Bizard Island, near Montreal. Right where we're growing it ! Heirloom variety.   Package : 12 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

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.

Well-loved by gardeners who have been growing it since a long time, this variety comes from Naples, hence its full name Cocozella di Napoli. The plant is shrubby, and bears numerous tasty fruits. To increase productivity, make sure to harvest young zucchinis. This will extend the harvest season, and provide you with plenty of lil' zucchinis. Once mature, the fruit is 30 cm long. It however tastes best if it is harvested when it is still somewhere between 15 to 20 cm. The fruits are dark green, with lighter green stripes. The flesh is somewhere between white and green. Delicious cooked, fried, steamed, or frozen. Italian heirloom variety. Package: 15 seeds

This squash has a delicate and sweet taste, and the unique feature that its flesh turns into long strings once cooked, just like spaghettis! It is therefore a great healthy alternative to pasta. Productive and easy to grow, the fruits are 25 to 30 cm long and turn into a beautiful golden yellow once ripe. Keeps well after harvest.   Package: 12 seeds   Photo credit: https://jardinjasmin.com/catalogue/product.php?ProductID=2470https://www.amazon.ca/Spaghetti-Squash-Vegetable-Plants-Varieties/dp/B07NS34ZXB

This variety was first introduced to the U.S.A. by the seed farmer Peter Henderson around 1894. It has since been grown and loved by many gardeners. This shrubby plant grows about a dozen fruits per plant, ranging between 0.5 to 1kg. The fruits can be either yellow or ivory, with green streaks. Their flesh is very sweet and tastes somewhat like chestnuts. Fun fact: delicatas are among the very few winter squashes whose skin is edible once cooked. Given its small size, it is well-suited for stuffing. The small squashes can be kept for 3 to 4 months.   Package: 15 seeds Photo credit: Le Grainier