Heirloom vegetables grow in a rainbow of colors, an infinite variety of sizes and a delicious array of unique flavors. Local farmers who specialize in growing these vegetables provide tempting selections that may include yellow, round cucumbers with a light citrus flavor; white, firm watermelons with an extraordinarily sweet taste; or green-striped, hollow tomatoes perfect for stuffing with a favorite salad. While this produce may sound futuristic, heirloom vegetables are actually the pure and beautiful “antiques” of the food industry.

Seeds from heirloom vegetables have long been passed down through the generations, saved year after year from the harvested crop. The non-commercial home or market gardeners select vegetables to grow based mainly on their flavor, unlike most growers of commercially produced vegetables. Commercial growers choose which varieties to produce based on profit-related reasons. These can include choosing a crop that will be ready to pick all at once, a crop that will hold up to mechanical picking and handling, or one that will travel well and have a long shelf life. Flavor, which ought to be a primary concern, is typically the last factor considered by commercial growers.

By contrast, heirloom vegetables, in addition to flavor, add genetic diversity to our food supply. Commercial produce is raised from a limited number of varieties. These genetically similar varieties risk extinction by a massive disease or pest infestation. If several hundred varieties of a particular vegetable plant are available, some of them will prove immune to the disease or pest. For example, the introduction of resistant American varieties of grapes helped save the French wine industry in the 1800s when their vineyards were devastated by an aphid-like pest.

History bears witness to the destruction that a lack of genetic diversity can cause. Ireland's Potato Famine in the 1840s is a prime example, as is Dutch Elm Disease. Since 1930 it has killed most of the elm trees in the United States. Fortunately, there is increasing awareness about the necessity of genetic diversity. Thanks to organizations like Seed Savers Exchange, more than 24,000 varieties of heirlooms are in circulation. With efforts such as theirs, genetic diversity is guaranteed for future generations.

While heirloom vegetables are often not suitable for commercial production, they are perfect for home and market gardeners. Many home gardeners grow their own heirlooms because these unique varieties are often the first to sell out and command the highest prices at local farmers' markets. Beyond ensuring the genetic diversity of our food base, heirlooms provide the flavors, aromas and colors that many people remember from childhood. They are what vegetables were meant to be.

Heather Kuhne is with Basket of Life Farm, a 5-acre farm in Columbia Station, Ohio which grows Heirloom varieties almost exclusively for a CSA and farmers' markets. For more information go to www.basketoflifefarm.com .