Seeds of Change

More seeds to add to my gardening repertoire - Brandywine Tomato, Big Max Pumpkin, Early Prolific Straightneck Squash, Buttercup squash, and Pinkeye Purple Hull cowpeas. Since I have several varieties of heirloom seeds, I thought it might be interesting to learn the history of them. I'm sure you are probably thinking the same thing. If you are, you're as wrong as I was. Unfortunately, I was only able to find some rather sketchy information on three of the varieties of seeds other than the Datil pepper. If you read my previous post and clicked on the Pure Florida link, you already know quite a bit about the Datil. If you didn't read my previous post, what's wrong with you?! Go back and read it now, we'll wait on you.
.............................................................Now that we're all caught up, back to the main thread. I was able to find a little history on the Buttercup squash, Moon & Stars watermelon and the Brandywine tomato. However, what I found was not the thrilling saga of yesteryear full of intrigue, romance, and betrayal that I imagined it would be, but mostly rather humdrum. But, since I went to all the work to do the research, here it is anyway:

Buttercup Squash - Several years ago a North Dakota horticulturist bred a small variety of turban squash as a substitute for the sweet potato, which does not thrive on the northern Great Plains. This little Buttercup squash has flesh surprisingly similar to sweet potato in taste and quality. (Wikipedia)

Moon & Stars watermelon - Called 'Sun, Moon and Stars' when it was introduced in 1926 by Peter Henderson and Company, the melon had disappeared from the commercial market for decades and was thought extinct when, in 1981, as Goldman notes, Kent Whealy, cofounder of Seed Savers Exchange, was contacted by Merle Van Doren of Macon, Mo., who was growing the melon and gave Whealy some of the seeds from the melons he grew. The Southern Exposure Seed Exchange reintroduced the oblong 'Amish Moon & Stars' and a yellow-fleshed, not-so-sweet variety in 1987. (Seed Savers Exchange)

Brandywine tomato - This is fairly certain, Brandywine is a tomato that found its way into the Seed Savers Exchange collection in 1982. It got there via an elderly (now deceased) Ohio gardener named Ben Quisenberry, who received the variety from a woman named Dorris Sudduth Hill. She stated that they had been in her family for over 80 years. The key question is whether Brandywine was a family heirloom that arose from a commercial variety via selection, or was brought from overseas. Burpee reports carrying it in their catalogue as early as 1886. It is reputed to have been developed by the Amish, though there is no evidence of this and may simply be a result of 19th Century marketing. (Wikipedia and Seed Savers Exchange)

Now that I have way too many seeds, I think I'll start my seeds in the little plastic greenhouse tomorrow.