Baker Creek founder Jere Gettle has been fascinated by heirloom varieties since childhood, and
he’s seen, grown and tasted more heirlooms than we could count! Each year, we trial new
and exciting varieties for our catalog, and while he loves them all, Jere does have his
favorites. Here are his top picks for 2021.
We are thrilled to bring the fluffy blooms of Chinese Wool Flower celosia back from obscurity.
Introduced to American gardeners in 1915 by the John Lewis Childs Seed Company, they had
largely faded from seed catalog pages by the 1960s. The bright blooms really do resemble
tangled balls of yarn, so different from other celosias!
Chijimisai is a stunning “new” Asian heirloom green that’s a cross between tatsoi and
komatsuna — two of the most delicious and hardy greens! This new superfood contains
four times as much vitamin A as carrots, as well as minerals and protein. We love its
velvety texture and light umami flavor. Better yet, it’s both heat and cold tolerant, making
a terrific spinach substitute.
Tankuro soybean is absolutely perfect for edamame. Highly regarded in Japan for its
sweet flavor, it’s also ideal for making soymilk, tofu and so much more. Flavor aside,
its vigorous growth habit makes it a natural soybean for homesteaders and home gardeners
alike.
Sweetheart cherry tomato really lives up to its name! This cherry tomato is packed with
sweetness and crunch. It’s a wildly productive little jewel, and the strong vines produce
tomatoes longer than any other variety we’ve tried. They even did well in our cool winter
greenhouses!
Chinese String eggplant is hands down our favorite new eggplant — slender, tender
and oh so tasty! Sweet enough to eat raw in salads, it is a superior choice for sauteing,
grilling and stir frying in the wok! The plants yield profusely, and we grow this East China
variety almost year round in our greenhouses.
Satsuma Long eggplant has long been a favorite of Japanese chefs and gardeners. This long,
minty green eggplant with firm but tender white flesh lends its sweet and buttery flavor
in curries, soups, tempura and even salads. It’s also perfect for roasting, grilling,
pickling, frying or steaming!
African Nunum basil has it all — a rich basil taste with a hint of oregano, and a
little kick of spice, too! We think it’s the best for pesto, but it’s also wonderful
in all kinds of other dishes. Basil is also important in traditional medicine, and in
clinical tests, Nunum was found to have impressive antibiotic properties. Our strain comes from
Ghana, an epicenter of basil genetics.
Like tiny works of art, the petals of Brush Strokes viola bloom with their own unique
markings. Brush Strokes is a reselection of the striped pansies and violas of yesteryear,
and they’ll bring old-fashioned color to your garden. This pansy loves cool weather,
and the flowers are delicious in salads, desserts and more.
Damaun sweet corn is our sweetest variety yet, perfect for fresh eating, canning, freezing
and cooking! It comes from a traditional seed breeder in Germany, bearing loads of old-fashioned
corn flavor and large yellow kernels. Best of all, you can save your own seeds for future
gardens and sharing!
Falling In Love poppy is an early bloomer — and its silky, blushing double blooms
keep on going all spring! This self-sowing annual produces tall plants with big blooms
that beckon pollinators and enthrall onlookers. We think you’ll fall in love with this poppy
as much as we have!
The bubblegum colored pods of Okinawa Pink okra are packed with antioxidants and phenomenal
flavor. It’s one of our favorite new edible ornamentals from the famous “blue zone”
of Okinawa, Japan, where more people live to 100 than nearly anywhere else in the world.
Short and stout Wasabi arugula is a spot-on substitute for true wasabi, imparting a spicy
bite to salads, sandwiches, pesto and sushi! It also has more vitamin A and C than other
arugulas, perhaps because it’s a different genus and species.
Let us know how these varieties do in your garden!