heirloom
forget the champagne this NYE: we found lost apple cider
[vimeo 147721444 w=640 h=360] Shacksbury Orchard out of Vergennes, VT is collecting lost apple varieties and creating remarkably distinctive hard ciders from them. In the best thing since Rodolph came to the Island of Misfit Toys, the orchardists have grafted a Lost Orchard, propagating 12 carefully selected wild and heirloom apple varieties to over 1000 trees. […]
purple straw wheat- an heirloom wheat for whiskey, cake and biscuits
In their ongoing quest to revive and preserve ancestral grains, a Clemson University scientist and his collaborators have begun the process of restoring a nearly extinct variety of wheat that traces its American roots to the 1700s. Purple Straw is the only heirloom wheat to have been cultivated continually in the South from the Colonial […]
heritage grass discovered in wisconsin
A forgotten forage grass imported from Europe in the 1800s could soon begin to help boost cattle and dairy production in parts of the Upper Midwest. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in Madison, Wisconsin, recently released the grass for commercial production. The grass, named "Hidden Valley," was discovered on a farmer's shaded hilltop in […]
a beautiful book about pears
The Book of Pears is a one-of-a-kind guide to this extraordinary fruit, following its journey through history and around the world, accompanied by beautiful botanical watercolor paintings and period images. Noted pomologist and fruit historian Joan Morgan (The Book of Apples) has researched and crafted the definitive account of the pear’s history and uses, from […]