Quick-Growing Heirloom Veggies

I've had the great fortune of raising a daughter who never needed prompting to eat all of her vegetables. Other Moms were amazed by this since they spent half the dinner hour coaxing their own children to do the same.

What's the secret? Home grown! Even the pickiest eaters enjoy the downright delectable flavor of sun-kissed, vine-ripened, fresh-picked vegetables.

Bonus: a veggie garden can save you a fortune on grocery bills.

Time & Sunshine
Veggies happily grow anywhere you care to plant them ~ in containers on your balcony, in raised beds in the garden, or planted directly into the soil. Give them time and sunshine and they'll take care of the rest.

Storage containers make great, deep planters for veggies. (Add drainage holes in the bottom.)

How much time?
How about fresh lettuce in 4 short weeks? Mountain growing seasons are very short so we mountain gardeners need to get creative. If you've not heard of these goodies, you're not alone but most every vegetable has a quick-growing cousin that reaches harvest in short order and tastes terrific.

Quick-growing Heirloom Veggies that do well in the mountains:

• Bountiful Bush Bean - this easy-growing small vine bean reaches maturity in about 51 days. (Heirloom)
• Bull Nose Sweet Bell Pepper - a crisp, crunchy bell pepper bursting with delicious, earthy flavor. Matures in about 60 days. (Heirloom)
• Red Cored Chantenay Carrots - A sweet, tender variety, ready to harvest in 70 short days. (Heirloom)
• Four Seasons Head Lettuce - is as beautiful as it is delicious, with colorful, reddish brown leaves. Matures in 45-55 days. (Heirloom)
• Brandywine Tomato - This yummy Amish heirloom has a neat habit of producing tomatoes that mature at different times, on the same vine, throughout the season. (80 days, Heirloom)
• Cocozelle Bush Zucchini - has a fresh, nutty flavor that is particularly delicious when roasted on the grill. Matures in 55 days. (Heirloom)

Not gorgeous but the plants don't care. Pretty much any deep, plastic container is great for growing veggies.

More useless information!

* When buying seeds, or seedlings, check the 'days to maturity' on the seed packet or planting guide. You may need to purchase these varieties from online or mail order sources.

* Harvest days are measured from transplant time. Allow an extra 10-15 days, if planting by seed.

* Heirlooms are vegetable varieties that have not been hybridized for mass production. Most were born long before you were. These guys are infinitely more flavorful than grocery store 'fresh produce.'

Medium Rare Aspirations

Scrap whatever you're planning to make for dinner. Get thee to the store and start shoppin' for Paprika. Yup. You read right. Paprika!

You can grow* your own Paprika, ya know. It's not that hard. All you need to do is... whoa! Who cares? Back to the matter at hand.

I've found a steak recipe that deserves mention in my will.

You're gonna need a whole bunch of these. To blend. To roast. And, to munch on while you're cooking up a storm.

It's a dry rub plus an amazing steak sauce ~ one taste and you'll happily discard any bottles of A1 kicking around the frig.

Here's the rub recipe:
And, the steak sauce:

Created by Iron Chef extraordinaire, Bobby Flay.

I imagine I'm breaking all sorts of laws by posting his recipe in my blog. But, once again, who cares? He's cute! If I make him so mad he calls me up and hollers at me... well... that wouldn't be half bad.

Paprika is made from grinding the dried pods of mild pepper plants. Like most things American, the paprika we're familiar with is bland to the point of being tasteless.

However! Spanish and Hungarian Paprikas impart great flavor to foods. You can grow these little goodies in your garden. Kolosca peppers is a tame variety to try. Kick it up a notch with Dulce Rojo and Alma Spicy.

Heirloom Tomato Plants

For information on quick-growing heirloom tomatoes, click here.

This is way too pretty to be an heirloom tomato. Most tomatoes have been hybridized to look perfect. The downside to messing with the natural order of things is that it also removes most of the flavor.

All I really needed was one itty bitty tomato seedling. One - quick growing, sweet, juicy, perfect for a container, willing to happily flourish on my deck - tomato plant. But, turning me loose at a Community Garden plant sale is just asking for trouble.

So, I went a little hog wild. I bought these luscious veggies pictured below, plus a trunk load of flowering perennials and one ultra risky 99 cent investment in a Rouge Vif D'etampes.

But that's okay. It's for a really good cause: Wasatch Community Gardens

Heirloom Veggies:
When you think of heirlooms, visions of Grandma's jewelry box dance in your head. Well, most Grandmas. Mine preferred junk jewelry over the diamonds, rubies and emeralds we all hope to inherit.

When you think of heirloom tomato plants think.... ugly. Ugly, ugly, ugly... the best tasting tomatoes you'll ever find would have a tough time winning a beauty contest.

This is what I'm planting in my garden:



Black Russian Tomatoes











Armenian Cucumbers












King of the North Red Bell Peppers





It's entirely possible to grow veggies at high altitudes. Raised beds, with amended soil, improve your odds. Containers are great. Because up here in the mountains Mother Nature really is out to get you. If she discovers you're trying to grow veggies, she'll schedule a late season freeze in your honor, just to ruin your plans.

Veggies grown in containers grow faster. Plus, you can drag them back into the house on an exceptionally cold night.

Looking for unusual veggies and heirloom seeds? Look no further than Seeds of Change. They are working hard to improve your odds of growing heirloom, ultra rare, and good old fashioned farmhouse vegetables.