New Project: Old Fruit

Alright I've been sitting on this post for a while...

I've decided to begin research for a book. I'm not sure if I'll ever get it published, or if I'll self publish it, or if I'll just sit at home and clutch it and smile and rock back and forth while humming.

 Anyway, if you've been following the blog you know that I love food and and I love history. There are spectacular books on heirloom vegetables out there, and on growing fruit, but for years I've been looking for a really nice book on heritage/heirloom fruits and there just isn't much out there. Trust me, I've found all of the pretty good ones, but I still haven't managed to find a spectacular book that encompasses all that I'm looking for.

It's kind of like dating. Sure, you can date a guy who is cute, or a guy who is smart, or a guy who is funny, or a guy who has amazing taste in cheesy 80's fantasy movies... but gosh darnit, I want it all in one package! (I really lucked out, in that regard.)

So, a few months ago it just kind of clicked in my brain. As with all things in my life, if it doesn't exist and I want it to, I'll gosh-darned-do-it-myself!

So over the next few years I'll be gathering information, traveling and tasting, documenting and photographing, and I'm sure someone else will write and publish that special book that I'm looking for, right before I find myself feeling "finished" but that's okay.

I'm doing this for the journey, and primarily for myself. Of course, I want to share everything I learn and do for this book with you eventually, too, but this is mostly for me :)

So. Here is my quest for you, dear readers (if you're even there... You are there, aren't you?)

Share with me your favorite pre-1939 fruits, and let me know when you spot heritage or heirloom fruits for sale. I'm going to be doing some traveling specifically for this project, so if you know of a place that grows fruits from the past, let me know! If you spot that perfect Doyenne Gris pear at your local market, shoot me a facebook message! I'm particularly interested in stone fruits and berries since they seem to be harder to find old varieties of.

I really need to know the cultivars and varieties when possible. A greengage plum could be anything from a modern cross to a 16th century original Reine Claude, so variety names are important to me. :)

You can follow the farm facebook page here. I'm really hoping to use that page to collect some heirloom sightings from readers, friends and families. If you're not sure if it's an heirloom, post it anyway and I'll do some research on it!