Thanks to the Web, there’s a new way to find old seeds.

It's 15 degrees outside. I'm checking my garlic, which is covered with plastic and frozen in the soil. The sun hits my cheek, but there’s little warmth in its kiss.

To me, nothing provides more comfort on a winter day than sipping coffee and cruising through seed catalogs. In those pages rest the promise of spring and childhood memories of my Grammie's beans, hot and seasoned with bacon, salt and pepper.

Today, it's easier to sprout past memories in real life, because old is new in seeds. Heirloom varieties, considered new and improved in their day, are now old and reliable. That's because "heirloom," means varieties introduced at least 50 years ago that are open-pollinated, not the result of hybrids. People are re-discovering the diversity in color, texture and taste that heirlooms provide.

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While many seed catalogs offer a selection of heirloom seeds, the best way to find companies specializing in them is on the web. One of my favorites is Seed Savers Exchange at seedsavers.org. This organization was founded in 1975 by Kent Wheatly, when his grandfather passed on heirloom tomato seeds to him. Seed Savers has more than 35 categories of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs. Of note is the wonderberry, originally bred by Luther Burbank, horticultural genius of the last century. The wonderferry is said to rival blueberries in all ways.

While crunching through the snow, writing this piece in my head, it's a bit of a shock to realize seeds that were introduced during my childhood are now designated as heirlooms.

I need a cup of coffee.

More Resources:

Johnny's Selected Seeds
Offers vegetable, flower, and herb seeds, gardening tools and other garden supplies.
www.johnnyseeds.com

Victory Seeds
Victory Heirloom Seeds offers a wide variety of rare open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables, heirloom herbs, and heirloom flower seeds. www.victoryseeds.com