Saturday, December 1, 2012

Sustainable Saturday -Little Potato Cucumbers

Our growing season is over here in upstate NY.  We look forward to gardening again in 2013. 

We review the last gardening season, and look forward to old favorites.

Part of the joy of gardening is trying new fruits and vegetables, and new varieties of favorite fruits and vegetables.

One of my favorite catalogs for browsing is the Seed Savers Exchange catalogue,  If you are used to modern varieties, you will be surprised (and delighted) by what is available.

One variety I am planning to purchase, and look forward to trying, is the "Little Potato Cucumber".  Quoting from the catalog:  "Originally from India....nearly round 3 inch fruits with brown rusted skin are borne heavily on robust semi-bushplants.  Delicious lemon flavor.  Stays crisp in storage". 

The only downside is that these are 7 days, which is a little long-growing for our area.

The seeds are not organic, but that is not a deal breaker for me.

We have a small garden, so the semi-bush is desirable.  The staying crisp in storage is a plus.  But, most of all - it looks different.

I like novelty.

A downside of growing heirloom/open pollinated varieties is that disease resistance is sometimes (well, more than sometimes),  If you understand that limitation, though, heirloom varieties are a joy to grow, and their flaor will make you forgetabout modern, commercial varieties.

Are you starting to get your seed catalogs in the mail?  Which is your favorite catalog?  Are you planning to grow any new varieties next year?

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