It is an odd thing to look at newly plowed field and get hungry imagining all the wonderful food that will soon grow there. This weekend our task was to purchase the seeds for our upcoming CSA. Wise advice is never to grocery shop when hungry and I would make the suggestion never to seed shop while hungry. But even if you are not hungry when you start chances are you will be when you are done.

Over the years first gardening in our backyard and now farming my tastes have “evolved” but into a more simple form. There is nothing like the pleasure of a thick slice of fresh from the field tomato (or grape tomatoes in the field for that matter). One of our farming friends introduced me to the taste sensation of thick cut zucchini baked until just tender and drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.

Two loves skinny, purple, Japanese eggplant battered and fried but for some reason not the Italian ones and don’t get me started on basil right from the garden. There I go again–oh and sweet boiled turnips in borscht with beets, carrots, and onion all from the garden. Yes evolved is a relative term. When eating from the grocery store it is much harder to enjoy the simple taste sensation of an ages old variety of vegetable.

It took us over 4 hours to select and purchase the varieties that will eventually make it to our table and that of our CSA members. I am really excited and can’t wait for some good eating again.

I thought I would share with you some of my favorites. These are either varieties I have tried before and love or ones I am really excited about. 

Musque de Provence Pumpkin

Cucurbita moschata HEIRLOOM Gorgeous French variety also known as Fairytale. Richly colored with green and orange splashes and a deeply ribbed, flat shape. Fruit are large, often reaching 15-25 lbs. or more, with very high yields and uniformity. It is eaten cooked like all squash, but traditionally, also eaten fresh. Cut from the middle like a wedge of cheese or pie, and slice very thinly like salmon for sushi. The flavor is exceptionally complex and sweet with a nice light crunch. May sound strange, but it will surprise you! Days to maturity: 125 days

Little Finger Eggplant

Solanum melongena More slender and petite than your standard eggplant. Dark purple skin is thin and tender. Flesh has a silky texture with few seeds and mildly sweet flavor needing very little cooking time. Little Finger is intended to be harvested young when 3-6″ long and glossy. Days to maturity: 60 days

Walla Walla Onion

Allium cepa Famous for its sweet flavor and fresh eating, Walla Walla is a medium to large mild onion with white flesh and light brown skin. Very cold hardy but not a keeper. Can be directly sown in mid-spring. Long day. Days to maturity: 110 days

Sugar Baby Watermelon

Citrullus lanatus Also known as Icebox watermelon, this excellent northern, short-season variety produces reliable yields of 6-12 lb, perfectly round fruits, 7-8.5” in diameter. Flesh is deep red and very sweet; rind is solid dark green. Tough rind resists cracking. The standard for small watermelons. Our strain has been selected for cool growing conditions and high yields. Shows resistance to drought. Days to maturity: 75 days

Dragon Langerie Bush Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris Also known as Dragon’s Tongue. Unique purple streaked pods are 6-8” long and flat, like a Romano bean. Commonly eaten fresh as a snap bean with superb flavor and crispness – a clear winner in our 2008 taste tests. Streaks fade when cooked. Can also be shelled when beans fill pods for tender, creamy shell beans, or used as a dry bean. Purple seeds. Days to maturity: 55 days fresh, 95 shell

Touchstone Gold Beet

Beta vulgaris From the breeders of Red Ace F1 and Guardsmark Chioggia comes another improved open-pollinated beet. Touchstone Gold offers higher germination rates, more uniform round roots and less zoning than standard golden types. Solid green tops are long and attractive, and quickly shade out weeds. Vibrant golden yellow flesh retains its color when cooked and is sweeter and more mild than red beets. Best germination occurs in warm temperatures. Days to maturity: 55 days

Amish Paste Tomato

Lycopersicon esculentum HEIRLOOM One of the sweetest paste tomatoes. Amish is flavorful and juicy enough for slicing, but still meaty enough for timely cooking down. Best of all, it has few seeds, which can make sauces and pastes bitter. Heart-shaped fruits are 8-12 oz and bright red. Ripens to a sweeter taste than many other paste tomatoes. Indeterminate. Days to maturity: 80 days

All these varieties are from High Mowing Certified Organic seeds. We also chose seeds from Wood Prarie Farm, Johnnies and Territorial Seeds.