Garfield Farm Museum’s annual Heirloom Garden Show is a hidden-away gem of a gathering, bringing together many growers of these nearly forgotten treasures. The weather is nearly always perfect (this year was absolutely perfect), the museum’s employees and volunteers dress up in the 1840’s garb to help establish authenticity and we took up our accustomed spot in the barn (the barn swallows were mostly absent this year, so we didn’t have to keep close watch for little gifts landing on the magazines and elsewhere).

Heirloom tomato, Howard German

The consensus among the participants was that many of the heirloom tomatoes are just beginning to ripen due to the cool July. The Cimmarrusti family, whose display can be counted on for at least 30 heirloom tomato varieties in addition to heirloom peppers, eggplant and garlic, was uncharacteristically sparse. Late getting the plot ready to plant and the slow-developing season, they reported. Still, the variety of seeds they had available was something to behold. At $1 a pack, a bargain on top. Some of the varieties that had ripened and were displayed: Red Zebra, Costoluto Genovese, Black from Tula, and Howard German.

Soft-neck garlic


Hard-neck garlic

Garlic was in good supply, whether from a grower from Iowa or at the Cimmarrusti’s tent. They had several named varieties and a “no name.” “If you’ve ever grown garlic, you’ll inevitably wind up with a no-name variety,” explained Denise Cimmarrusti. One of the types that did succeed this year is a Sicilian soft-neck type. Joe Cimmarrusti explained there are few differences between hard-neck (a stiff stem) and the soft-necks other than the stems. It was interesting to see that a few small secondary cloves had formed in a portion of the soft neck above the main clove.  


Chicagoland Gardening Booth Guard Dog, Chloe

Mark your calendar for next year: the next-to-last Sunday in August. Or thereabouts. Garfield Farm Museum Director Jerome Johnson was being lobbied for a one-week delay to allow more of the heirlooms to be ready.

And for a look at how heirlooms can look (wow, this is really a scary-looking tomato), check out the My Skinny Garden blog. Then find out how she won a trip to Las Vegas.

—Bill Aldrich