My Heirloom Seeds and Newfound Heirloom Tomato: Sprouting New Life

My newfound heirloom tomato seeds have sprouted and needed transplanting so the roots wouldn't tangle up.

A few weeks ago, I visited Banbury and found a quaint Polish shop that sells so many cool things, from assorted raw honey to fermented goods (my kind of shop). At the back of the shop, there is a little pantry filled with fresh vegetables, where I found this beautiful heirloom tomato, the last one in the tray. I didn't hesitate to pick it; heirloom varieties are special.

One thing I love doing is to collect heirloom and indigenous seeds.
They are open-pollinated, meaning they can be saved and replanted year after year, unlike many hybrid seeds, which do not reliably produce the same traits in the next generation. This makes heirloom seeds more sustainable for small-scale farming and gardening.

These seeds have never been tampered with, and the taste of heirloom produce is more complex. Keeping them going safeguards genetic diversity in our food supply.

These days, people have become too accustomed to normal-looking vegetables and fruits—the same size and color—and some will not eat anything that looks a little different.

My parents are farmers. With my father's passion for farming and cultivating the land, he was awarded as the outstanding farmer in the Philippines, and I am a very proud farmer's daughter; I like working with soil. We survived by farming rice, vegetables, and fruit trees. I have seen so many crops planted since I was little, from eggplant, tomatoes, butternuts, chilies, coconuts, and many more. Hence, I believe that keeping heirloom seeds preserves agricultural heritage.

See how beautiful heirloom corn seeds are.

Nowadays, numerous plants are genetically modified, which may not be good for health, especially for your gut. One research study suggests that genetically modified foods can potentially thin our gut lining, leading to a leaky gut. The gut is our first line of defense and needs to be healthy.

For example, GMO corn seeds are engineered to produce a toxin lethal to insects. Some have raised concerns that it could affect the gut lining or microbiome, potentially contributing to a leaky gut, but there's still limited scientific evidence. I stay away from GMOs.

Anyway, back to my newfound heirloom tomato.

It was big, heavier than normal.

and dense.

It was very tasty, sweet, sour, and had a more complex taste and a very tomatoey aroma. It was very nice, so I kept the seeds and ate the flesh.

I planted the seeds in a tray and covered it with a lid and set it aside.

I forgot about it for two weeks.

When I checked, there were plenty of baby tomatoes sprouted.

They were sprouting with vigor and needed to be separated.

I had some small used plant pots that I had previously used.

I filled them with soil.

I gently picked the baby tomato plants.

I transferred them to their own little pots.

I watered them well and put them where they could get lots of sunshine. Hopefully, they will take root, and I can transplant them to the ground and bigger pots.

I will keep a couple indoors during the winter. Hopefully, they thrive and produce delicious tomatoes year-round.

Thank you for looking.

Have a wonderful day,
Mariah ❤️🍃