by MIKE butler photos KRiTsADA and pETE KRuMHARDT
she says
tomato
June’s warm days and nights send backyard tomato plants
into overdrive. And there seem to be a lot more tomato plants
growing in a lot more backyards this summer than last.
F amilies may start new- era victory gardens to
help make ends meet, but they often discover
along the way that it’s also just plain fun. It’s an
idea that makes Khanh Hamilton smile as she
strolls among her vines, eyes scanning for
caterpillars and aphids or any sign of blight.
“It’s good for people to have gardens and to
slow down a little bit,” she says.
Khanh can’t afford to slow down too much.
This summer, her
10
-acre garden in central
Iowa, Sunstead, is packed with five to
10
plants
each of nearly
90
heirloom varieties. Most of
her bounty ends up in the hands of local chefs
and 10 community supported agriculture
shareholders. “We ran a little short last year
because we picked up some new restaurants,”
she says. Until she met her future husband,
Neil, who grew up on a family farm, Khanh
didn’t know she even had a talent for garden-
ing. Director of the Agricultural Law Center at
Drake University, Neil founded the Slow Food
chapter in Des Moines and serves on the
boards of the National Gardening Association
and the Seed Savers Exchange. Sunstead is in
its
15
th year now, and the Hamiltons are the
go-to experts on growing heirlooms, enjoying a
renaissance these days thanks to farmers’
markets and chefs.
Heirloom tomatoes reverberate to the
original victory garden days of World War II—
and before—when most vegetables were eaten
within a few miles of where they were grown.
Unlike subsequent post-war hybrids that were
engineered for their ability to be picked green
and endure long-distance shipping, heirlooms
were grown for their bold flavor. Gardeners
gave their favorite plants fanciful names, such
as Prudens Purple, Brandywine, and Mortgage
Lifter, and handed down seeds to children and
grandchildren.
“I love the idea of raising these plants from
seeds that were saved and passed on by
individual gardeners generations ago,” says
Khanh. “They’re the most beautiful vegetables
in the garden—and the most delicious.”
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JUNE 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
