Old Varieties — Page 7 — Celebrating and remembering old fruit and vegetable varieties

Jul 01 2010

Carlin Pea in Flower

Earlier in the year we published an article about Carlin peas and Audrey from Lancashire decided she would have a go at growing some.

Shortly after Easter she planted a few Carlins which she had purchased from the grocer to eat.

The peas were planted in spring, just the same way as one would plant any other pea. The resultant 6 foot pea plants have just bloomed in the last week of June.

The Carlin pea flower is small and delicate, typical of the pea family, with a pale, almost translucent lilac upper (banner) petals and a rich wine or burgundy wings and keel.

The opposing leaves of the Carlin plant are almost heart shaped, unlike the oval shape of cultivated peas.

Deep veining is prominent in both the flower and the leaves.

Much like sweet peas, the Carlin pea does require something to grow up, as these plants in Lancashire have currently reached around 6 feet or more.

Audrey is going to keep us posted on their progress

Jun 30 2010

Scotland’s New Heritage Orchard

Elmwood College, in partnership with The Forestry Commission have recently unveiled plans for a new orchard.

Elmwood and The Forestry Commission identified the need for a “Model Orchard” to provide education and training in Orchard planting and management techniques. The Forestry Commison provided the initial set up costs and Elmwood hope to secure further funding from Scottish Executive Agriculture Department in due course.

The Orchard area is located on The Elmwood College Farm and has a total area of 0.73 hectares. It is fully organic and Soil Association certified and will be developed over three years. The first planting is complete and comprises 50 trees split between cider apples and desert apples. In addition a blackthorn/sloe hedge will surround the orchard, which was chosen for its biodiversity as well as the bumper crop of ‘Sloe’s,’ which are expected to appear in a few years time. The perimeter of the Orchard is protected with a Deer/Rabbit proof fence.

Wayne Roberts, Section Leader for Greenkeeping & Horticulture, said, “The development of the orchard as a teaching resource for use by college students and the wider community is a fantastic opportunity to ensure that we can help to identify and preserve heritage varieties and develop new rootstocks for the future. As Scotland’s Centre for Production Horticulture, we can ensure that skills and knowledge associated with both fruit production and management help to support the national economy and assist to develop employability in the sector. The support and encouragement that we have received from partners and the industry have helped to identify that there is a strong need for this area of horticulture and we will ensure that we support industry as best we can.”

In the area not planted this year, Agriculture students at the College are about to sow a clover rich cover crop to increase the fertility of that portion for future year planting. The first fruit is expected in the Autumn of 2012, with major harvest from the Autumn of 2013. All trees have been chosen to be ripening into the College’s Autumn term to ensure the students are involved in the harvest.

More information

Elmwood College website

Forestry Commission – Scotland

Jun 14 2010

Preserving America’s Rose Heritage

Roses are often thought of as being quintessentially English but our friends in the USA also have cultivars dating back to the 1800’s which they are doing their utmost to trace and record.

Thought to be native of Asia, the rose could have been in cultivation over 5000 years ago and fossil records show that they may be some 35 million years old.

Now there are over 30,000 species of Rose all over the world and an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer shows how “Rose Rustlers” are scouring their countryside for signs of heritage roses in need of preservation and propagation.

Many heritage rose varieties bloom for only a few weeks of the year and often have the most powerful perfumes but these have given way to the modern varieties which have larger blooms and longer flowering periods and although some still have tremendous fragrance, they usually struggle to meet that of their ancestral varieties.

Along with human colonisation of the Unites States came many varieties of plant, including the rose and the Heritage Rose Foundation aims to find as many of these as possible.

The Heritage Rose Foundation is a US nonprofit organization established in 1986, devoted to the preservation of old roses and their website has a wealth of Information, many images and even a database of public rose gardens around the world.

Goals of the Heritage Rose Foundation

The collection of roses originating in the nineteenth century or earlier and roses with particular historic, educational, or genetic value (heritage roses).
Establishment of one or more gardens wherein heritage roses may be grown and displayed.
Advancement of research and investigations into heritage rose history, identification, genetics and breeding, propagation, diseases and pests, and suitability for landscape use.
Publishing and dissemination of information about heritage roses, including any and all research that emanates from the foundation.
Establishment and maintenance of a library of books, periodicals, research papers, manuscripts, catalogues, and other items to facilitate further research and investigation into heritage roses.
Encouraging public knowledge and perception of heritage roses through seminars, meetings, forums, panels, lectures, tours and exhibits.

More information

The World Federation of Rose Societies
The Heritage Rose Foundation
Heritage Roses in Australia
The Thomas Jefferson Centre for Historic Plants
The Royal National Rose Society
Canadian Rose Society

Jun 13 2010

Apple Varieties for Shropshire

Karen from Shropshire contacted us requesting details of traditional apple varieties for the region.

Her school is taking part in the Learning Through Landscapes “Fruit-full Schools” project.

They are planning to establish a community orchard in the school grounds and would like to be able to grow old local varieties.

If anybody can help with information about varieties of apples that have traditionally been grown in shropshire, then please contact us via the comments section at the end of this post and we will forward the details.

More information

Learning from Landscapes believe passionately that children and young people who miss out on good school grounds miss out on the best start in life.

School grounds play a vital role in every child’s learning and development. They are unique spaces, providing safe and diverse opportunities for understanding, achievement, healthy exercise and play.

Learning From Landscapes will help you;

* Identify how to make physical changes to your grounds, and find people who can help
* Deliver the curriculum in a stimulating and meaningful way
* Increase learning and play opportunities
* Improve the environment for children and staff, making a better, happier place to be and developing a positive, caring ethos.
* Provide a range of formal and informal opportunities for physical activity, improving health, well-being and motivation to learn.
* Create opportunities for genuine participation for all to be involved in this process.

Apr 05 2010

Carlin Peas

The Carlin pea is a traditional drying pea which seems to date way back in the English medieval monasteries and was certainly used in Elizabethan times.

Carlins are associated with the North and Especially North East of England where they often eaten on Passion Sunday. Legend has it, that they saved many Northumbrians from starvation during the Civil war of 1644.

Now classified as a heritage or Heirloom variety, Carlin or Maple Peas can still be obtained and grown from seed.

Planted and grown in much the same way as Sweet Peas, the plants can reach an average height of about six foot, bearing beautiful white and lilac flowers.

If given full sun and plenty of water, the crop quite prolifically. The seeds can be used fresh or allowed to ripen and dried for storage.

Many heritage varieties of seed are not available for public sale due to licencing leglisaltion but these seeds are available to members of the Heritage Seed Library.

or from seed exchange websites.