FOR many years growing heirloom or 'heritage' vegetables was considered a labour of love, sustained by hobbyists and seed collectors who were often secretive about the varieties they hoarded.
Growing heirlooms commercially was an undertaking that faced several obstacles, both logistically and aesthetically.
End users became accustomed to thinking that a tomato should be red and a carrot should be orange.
With the recent drift towards organic and non genetically modified food, as well as renewed interest in home cooking due to television shows such as Masterchef and My Kitchen Rules, some farmers have found a niche in the consumer market to supplement their regular income.
Steve Waugh from Farmer & Sun in Gympie, Queensland is one such producer.
Supplying markets throughout southern Queensland for more than 30 years and distributing beans and peas to various markets in Melbourne, Mr Waugh sells his home grown produce in Noosa, Brisbane and their Gympie shopfront.
“We originally started growing heirlooms as it was hard to find a decent tomato seed on the market,” he said.
“We ended up saving seeds from Trena's [Steve's wife] grandparents' tomatoes that they grew in their back yard at Widgee.”
Fortunately there are now many sellers of heirloom seed varieties, although producers must still ensure they purchase the right stock for their intended purpose.
A hands-on approach to keeping enough seeds remains important.
"We source our heirloom varieties from both our seedling supplier at Glasshouse Mountains, and we also save our own seed. It's hard to find good varieties from the seedling supplier due to GM,” Mr Waugh said.
Heirloom growers cluster around metropolitan centres, where they supply chefs at restaurants looking for something unique and colourful for their dishes, although home cooks have also taken a shine to this 'old-fashioned' produce.
"Our main customers are middle aged city people. People that are into health trends are into the weird and wonderful shapes and sizes. We don't find much of a market in Gympie for them, but mostly in Noosa and Brisbane," he said.
Growing heirlooms is not without challenges. As they are not bred for commercial production, they do not stand up to the logistics of growth, distribution and sale as well as commercial varieties. "Heirlooms, because they are an older variety and not GM, they are more susceptible to pests, they have a lower yield and they split in the rain. Also because they are so soft, they are very hard to transport."
Many heirloom growers will supply local markets to avoid this distribution problem and ensure their produce stays its freshest.
Heirloom varieties are not limited to tomatoes and carrots: melons, sweetcorn and apples (among many other fruits and vegetables) all have a cornucopia of varieties available.
Growing heirlooms also provides an arguably valuable public service: with commercial varieties of seed often being patented by large corporations, as highlighted briefly in the 2008 documentary Food Inc, the preservation of heirloom varieties helps to ensure diversity in variety, taste and presentation.
Nicholas David Gowan was awarded a Fellowship from the International Specialised Skills Institute and Pratt Foundation on the Collation and Collection of Heirloom Fruit and Vegetable Cultivars in 2009, with the aim being to “obtain first hand practical experience of heritage fruit and vegetables, and their relevance in Australian horticultural production systems”.
In his report he stated: “The demise in heritage fruit and vegetable stock has been underpinned by market forces and a lack of public awareness to the importance of diversity in food security and supply.”
Mr Gowan identified many strengths of heirloom fruit and vegetable growing including preservation, altruism, taste, texture and quality and epicurean appeal, as well as a number of weaknesses.
The big supermarket chains have taken notice of this renewed interest in heirlooms.
The Hatters “heirloom-style” seasonal vegetable range at Coles (in partnership with Perfection Fresh and The Integer Group Australia) offers, among other things, coloured carrots and radishes, Kabocha pumpkin and Oxheart tomatoes.
And Woolworths now sell purple carrots, the original “ancient” coloured carrot with a reputation as a superfood due to a 2010 study by the University of Southern Queensland which found they had 28 times more anthocyanins (a type of antioxidant) than orange carrots as well as anti-inflammatory properties.
While the growth and sale of heirloom varieties may not overtake monoculture/broadacre farming, it's a potential niche for growers interested in doing something a little different and catering to both health-conscious and epicurean consumers, and those who are keen on ensuring seed diversity for the next generation.