Heirlooms and Peppers

One of my chief aims for this blog is to rave about my favorite heirloom or open pollinated vegetables.  I'll do this in no particular order--just whatever I'm thinking/dreaming about.

For instance, even though I've hardly gotten any of the normal early spring veggies planted (besides my peas) I put out my sweet peppers last night.  I have 22 of them and they're still tiny things but we have a crafty little mouse that climbs onto my shelves of seedlings via the dresser next to it and snips the tops off of my peppers.  What a crazy thing!!  I've been moving the shelves into the middle of the room now before bed but I was afraid that I'll forget and lose more of my peppers.  So yesterday evening I put them out into the garden with empty 2 liter soda bottles placed over top of them (I cut off the bottoms and removed the caps) making their very own personal mini greenhouses.  (And no, I didn't "harden" them off like I'm supposed to.  They are in a sheltered part of the garden and the 2 liter bottles make a coldframe of sorts so they should be safe.)

Let's see if I can remember what all is planted now...

• 6 California Wonder
• 2 Chocolate Beauty
• 4 Diamond
• 3 Golden Treasure
• 1 Golden California Wonder
• 2 Orange Bell
• 4 Purple Beauty 

I love the wonderful array of colors of these peppers--and my dill relish and salsas look just gorgeous!!  I always go for the unusual and unique in my garden.  I can get everyday vegetables at the grocery store if I want them but if I'm going to take the time to grow it myself, they've gotta say "Wow!!" in looks and taste.  And I always choose heirloom or open pollinated first!

Why heirloom or open pollinated?  I love being able to save my own seeds and not be dependent on having to buy new seeds every year.  Don't get me wrong, I love buying seeds.  I just buy those that aren't hybridized (and don't even get me started on GMOs) so that if I like them enough I can save the seeds and grow them again, year after year.  This is just one of the ways our family practices self-sufficiency.  

One of my favorite things to do is get onto eBay when I have a few minutes to "play" and search "heirloom" in "Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living".  It's amazing how many "new" things, that I find that are in fact quite old, that I've never seen before.  Amazing.