SC - oyster plant info

[Helen]

In a message dated 1/19/99 1:16:16 PM Eastern Standard Time, mermayde at juno.com
writes:

<< I theorize
 that the earlier fruits of this plant actually WERE poisonous, perhaps
 more so to some than to others.  This might explain why some were able to
 eat them, while the vast majority viewed them with suspicion and
 considered them inedible.  >>

It is certainly possible that any people not used to a new food item would be
particularly sensitive to it. In my own case, the first time I ate kiwi fruit,
the entire inside of my mouth was covered with timy little blisters within
minutes. This does not occur now.  

While I agree that much has been done in tomato breeding, the original tomato
still grows wild in Mexico. It is like a large cherry tomato for lack of a
better term the fruits are produced more sparsely than modern varieties. While
beef steak type tomatoes have increased dramatically in the past one hundred
years there were and are giant sized heirloom tomatos that date from the
1700's that are not beefsteak types and are still available today. So I would
suspect that breeding was an on-going process. As early as the Elizabethan era
there was a white tomato although no size is mentioned which was most likely
used as an ornamental.

A good source of old varieties is the Seed Saver's Exchange. Pine Tree and not
a few other seed houses carry some heirloom types that date back several
hundred years. Bear Creek Nursery is a good source for old time fruit tree
varieties.

The fact that we have produced new varieties in recent years does not mean
that older and original varieties are not still available. It just takes a
little serching. :-)

Ras
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