In the communities of the Six Nations territory, the past is never far away. Its example guides us, and we respect the great wisdom that we find there.
As a restaurateur in Ohsweken, I feel the same way about the cornucopia of heirloom fruits, vegetables and grains that once fed our ancestors across this magnificent land. Many of these varieties are on the verge of extinction. They have certainly disappeared from mass-market stores, where only the gleam of a wax coating will sell an apple, and shelf life often trumps taste. Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of one of my favorite childhood books, Treasure Island, was also a farmer. He had some great advice: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” In my view, the seeds that deserve more planting are heirloom fruits, vegetables and grains. These varieties do more than awaken extraordinary flavors. They rekindle memories, evoking special places and times. They tell vivid stories, and challenge every listener to imagine a world without them. In a sense, we are already living in such a world. There are over 2,500 species of apples grown in North American orchards, yet fewer than a dozen account for 90 percent of total production. In the U.S., Eureka, Newell’s Winter, Northern Spy and Paw Paw apples still grow in parts of the Midwest. In the Northeast, canopies of Aunt Penelope Winslow, Strawberry Chenango, Granite Beauty, Newton Pippin and Paradise Sweet shade the land. The Southeast has Red Limbertwig, Red Horse, Kinniard’s Choice and Winter Jon. In the Southwest it’s Carolina Red June, Grimes Golden and Mollie’s Delicious. And the West has Pink Pearl, Golden Russet, Hidden Rose, Williams Pride and Sierra Beauty. These varieties became marginalized over the decades for a variety of reasons. In her book, Edible Memory: The Lure of Heirloom Tomatoes & Other Forgotten Foods, Jennifer Jordan describes how the concentration in apple supply began: “Orchards full of standard apple trees (as opposed to dwarf and semi-dwarf) that grow to twenty-five feet once containing tremendous biodiversity were felled by the thousands as developers subdivided farms and orchards, built houses, and carved roads and freeways into the changing landscape. Apple production became more standardized and centralized, shifting from tall trees in backyards and farms and small orchards to short trees in large orchards growing only a few varieties.” These almost-forgotten fruits, vegetables and grains offer so much more than just incredible flavor. Many also have fascinating stories to tell. For example, the plump strawberries that replaced the small forest berries that grew wild in Europe’s forests started out as a gift from a cartographer touring Chile to Louis XIV. The Perinaldo Artichoke got its start as a present by Napoleon to the residents of a small Italian village. Rediscovering these lost varieties can truly be a storybook adventure; a journey deep into our past that can do so much to enrich our future. |
AuthorJason Hill is a respected entrepreneur and innovator who learned important lessons about life, business and success growing up in Six Nations, Ontario. Archives
January 2023
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