Sixpence Garden
Truro-Grown Organic Produce
Sixpence Garden grows the kind and quality of vegetables once grown in Truro over a century ago. We grow heirloom varieties whenever possible. Why Sixpence Garden? In March 2008, Peter Burgess converted an area of pine woods into a garden. Along one side are still-visible ruts of a road built in 1714 to allow Reverend Avery, Truro's first pastor, to ride between the Old Meetinghouse, which once stood 50 yards west, and his farm at Tashmuit near the Highland Light. This road became the Truro section of the King's Highway. While digging out some roots, he turned up a thin, grey wafer - a silver sixpence coined in the reign of William III (1689-1702). It appears to be the oldest European artifact found in Truro.
Beans:
Gold of Bacau - from Bacau, Romania. Wide, golden, 6-10" pods.
Rattlesnake - called "Preacher Bean" in the southern Appalachians.
Blue Coco - pre-1775 french heirloom named for its bluish-purple pods and chocolate seeds.
Traditional Anasazi - from the Navaho reservation at Canyon de Chelly, AZ. Light green bean that probably predates 1600.
Cabbage:
Danish Ballhead - very old European heirloom valued for long storage. Sweet light-green flesh. 8-10" heads.
Mammoth Red Rock - 1889 American heirloom is purple to the core. 8-10" heads.
Carrots:
Scarlet Nantes - old-time French heirloom with small dark core. Nantes Fancy - popular home-garden carrot.
Red Cored Chantenay - circa 1789 French heirloom
White Satin - long, cream colored non-bitter white carrot.
Collards:
Champion - tall, rich, dark green leaves.
Cucumbers:
Poona Kheera - 4-5" potato shaped Indian variety changes from cream, to gold, to russet brown as they mature.
Lemon - mild lemon flavor, 3-4" lemon-shaped 1890's heirloom.
Super Zagross - green, smooth non-bitter fruit.
Eggplant:
Nursery-supplied.
Garlic: Hardneck
Russian Red
Garlic: Softneck
German Extra Hardy
Kale:
Winterbor - highly-ruffled, blue-green curly leaves.
White Russian - Siberian heirloom. Silver-green, white-veins, flat.
Onions:
Stuttgarter - yellow.
Red Baron - red.
Peppers: Sweet:
Orange, red and green. Nursery-supplied.
Peppers: Hot:
Anaheim - a/k/a/ "California Chile, Chile Verde". Not particularly hot red fruit.
Hungarian Hot Wax - smooth, waxy yellow 5.5" long x 1.5" semi- hot fruit.
Long Red Narrow Cayenne - pre-1827 Cajun heirloom. Twisted, curled wrinkled fruit 5-6" long. Less hot than Jalapeno.
Czech Black - 2.5" long "lustrous garnet" fruit runs with cherry-red juice when cut. A bit less hot than Jalapeno.
Hot Portugal - narrow, 5-8" glossy scarlet 1" diameter fruit. Are
hotter than Jalapeno.
Bulgarian Carrot Chile - a.k.a. "Shipkas". Smuggled through Iron Curtain 25 years ago. "Colored like a polishedfluorescent-orange carrot". "Holy Shit! Help-Me-Jesus" hot.
Fish - 1870's heirloom extensively grown by African-Americans in Philadelphia area listed on Slow Ark Food's Ark of Taste. Curved fruit looks like swimming fish. Turns from white w/green stripes to orange with brown striped to red. Excellent with shellfish. Hot.
Potatoes: Fingerlings
Austrian Crescent - large moon-shaped, tan skin, yellow flesh.
Rose Finn Apple- beige skin, moist bright yellow flesh swirled with rose blushes. Medium sized.
Banana - large tubers with cream-colored flesh.
LaRatte - old European favorite. Smallish, turnip- colored flesh, exquisite flavor of chestnuts or hazelnuts. Amazing sliced thin and sauted in garlic/olive oil.
French Fingerling - dark rose skin, yellow flesh. Firm texture and creamy taste.
Potatoes: Standard
Sangre - deep red medium-size red potato with white flesh.
German Butterball - An old Maine heirloom. Yellow skin and deep, mildly dry, flour-y golden flesh. (Achtung: Frauleins und Fraus reportedly experience spontaneous multiple orgasms after eating these),
Red Pontiac - red skin, white flesh. Excellent mashed.
Sangre - red skin, white flesh. Excellent new.
Pumpkin:
Long Pie - also "Nantucket Pie". Oral tradition has it brought from Azores to Nantucket in 1832 on a whaling ship and then brought to Maine. Sold in 1888 as "St George". Saved from extinction 30 years by Maine farmer LeRoy Souther and re-introduced 1980 in Montana. Butternut-shaped fruit. Best pie pumpkin - ever.
Shallots:
Yellow Moon and Picasso (reddish).
Cherry Tomatoes:
Black Cherry - "two bite" amazing sweet taste.
Sungold - "one bite" orange-gold with an amazing sweet taste.
Juliet - "two bite" scarlet excellent for tangy sauce, stewing, salad, and drying into "raisins". Also an amazing tangy sweet taste.
Early Tomatoes:
Cosmonaut Volkov - From theUkraine. Excellent tomato taste. Deep red slightly flat 8-12 oz. fruit known for sweet, rich juice. Named for Russian who fell into space. Ripens in early August.
Regular Tomatoes (bought potted to ripen in early August):
Green Zebra - ripens yellow. Known for delicious tangy flavor. 4-5 oz. fruit green inside. Perfect exterior. An experiment this year, so a limited supply.
Cherokee Purple - Tennessee heirloom variety. 10-13 oz. dusky brown fruit, green shoulders, brick-red flesh. Wine-like taste. Are thought to be of Cherokee origin. An experiment this year, so a limited supply.
Paul Robeson - Russian heirloom. Maroon 6-12 oz. fruit with dark green shoulders. Smoky sweet taste excellent for sandwiches. An experiment this year, so a limited supply.
Pink Brandywine - heirloom tomato seed saved by Hill family 100 years. Introduced 1979. 16 oz. thin-skinned, tart "beafsteak" fruit.
Yellow Brandywine - same as the above but creamier texture.
Mr. Stripey - a.k.a. "Hillbilly". 16 oz. beautiful rainbow-colored fruit. An experiment this year, so a limited supply.
Turnip:
"Eastham" Turnip - locally famous of unknown variety. Possibly "Gilfeather" discovered by Gilfeather in Vermont in late 1800's (a recluse batchelor who cut off tops and bottoms so people couldn't propagate them. A neighbor store seed and it became popular in New England). Is sweeter and later to mature than others but less woody fruit. Listed on Slow Food's "Ark of Taste".
Winter Squash: Pepo Acorn Group
Carnival - acorn-like, very sweet multicolored green/gold/yellow.
Paydon - maintained by Paydon family since 1860's. Extremely rare large tan acorn. Fruit turns bright yellow after storage.
Pepo Delicata Group
Zeppelin Delicata - 1894 heirloom with 1 lb., ivory fruit striped with dark green.
Maxima Banana Group
Sibley - a.k.a. Pike's Peak. 1830's Missouri heirloom probably evolved by Winnebago Indians. Slate-blue, 8-10 lb. fruit bulging in middle and pinched at ends.
Maxima "Sui Generis" Group
Candy Roaster Melon Squash - close to best-tasting squash ever. Warty, pinkish-orange, buttercup-shaped fruit.
Moschata Butternut Group
Waltham- bred in Waltham, MA by Massachusetts Agricultural Extension Service. Extremely popular 4-5 lb., orange dry flesh.
Moschata "Sui Generis" Group
Seminole - Grown by Seminoles before Spaniards came. "Chassa-\howitska" in Creek means "hanging pumpkin". Rated among top 10 most endangered American foods. Climbs trees to 40' - deep orange flesh sweeter than Butternut. Coconut-like hard rind.
Zucchini:
Raven - smooth, glossy black fruit. PLAYS OUT IN AUGUST.
Costata Romanesca - deeply striped and ribbed. Can reach 20 lb.
