Charentais Cantaloupe
(Page 2 of 3)
August/September 2003
By the Mother Earth News editors
Although on the small side, averaging about 4 inches long and 1/2 inches thick, these whitish-purple, bottle-shaped bulbs are the best storage onions available in my opinion. They are raised mostly from sets and certainly outlast any of the milder flavored varieties in storage conditions.
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Grown for generations in the Pennsylvania Dutch county, old-fashioned bottle onions still are quite popular there as a home remedy, particularly as a poultice for colds.
As far as I know, no commercial sources exist, but I will sell sets to Mother Earth News readers, as my supply allows, for $2 a pound, plus $4 for shipping.
JEPTHA I. YODER
150 Red Lane Milroy, PA 17063
Boothby's Blonde Cucumber
Boothby's Blonde,' an heirloom variety from Maine, is my favorite cucumber. Medium-sized and whitish-yellow in color, it has seeds that are slightly smaller than the more widely grown 'Lemon' cucumber, but it is more reliable than the 'Lemon.'
'Boothby's Blonde' has crisp, meaty flesh and a flavor that is soothing, cool and creamy — never bitter. It lends a sweet, mild cucumber taste to any dish and blends well with vinegar to make sliced pickles for the table that never need much added sugar.
`Boothby s Blonde' was grown by the Boothby family of Livermore, Maine, for at least five generations before being collected and introduced to the trade by Will Bonsall as pan of his Scatterseed Project, a heritage seed preservation program based in Farmington, Maine.
Will describes this cuke as especially sweet and nutty tasting, fine pickled but best as a fresh nibbler. Very early and prolific, it is at its best when no longer than 3 1/2 inches. Typical of heirloom cucumbers, 'Boothby's Blonde' has thinner fruit walls and a larger seed cavity than modern types.
Seed is available from Abundant Life seed [ www.abundantlifeseed.org ; (360) 385-5660]; High Mowing Seeds [ www.highmowingseeds.com ; (802) 888-18001; Pinetree Garden Seeds [ www.superseeds.com ; (207) 926-34001; and the Seed Savers Exchange catalog www.seedsavers.org ; (563) 382-5990].
