So, I suppose it's no surprise that my nascent food and environment investigation led me to the gardens at Monticello. I had been to Thomas Jefferson's home before, but I had never paid much attention to the gardens. I was focused entirely on the house and the details of this Virginia landmark. That is incredible to me now. Jefferson's devotion, exploration, and experimentation with agriculture through his beloved garden was astonishing (a view of my girls at the edge is above). He cultivated 330 vegetable varieties and 170 fruit varieties without pesticides! What a concept. It pleased me to no end to find out that this is still the case.
The girls and I eagerly combed every row looking for the treasures that had stood the test of time. Seeds that had been carefully preserved from these heirloom varieties had been planted again, year after year, generation after generation. We were alone in the garden and as we prowled around and investigated it seemed as though we were doing something naughty!
As we approached the other end my heart skipped a beat - someone in gardening gloves!! "Hurry up, girls, before she leaves!" We broke into a half run to find out who had the incredible honor of tending to this historic garden. Lo and behold, it was the vegetable gardener. Not a helper - THE gardener. I am such a dork. You would think I was meeting the President the way I stood bug-eyed and begged for a moment of her precious time. I gushed about how I was a fledgling gardener and my concern with regards to current gardening practices, blah, blah, blah. She was so accommodating. And tolerant. And patient. And, quite frankly, a bit pleased (it seemed) to have run into someone who saw her and this garden as celebrities. So much so, that after talking about organic gardening practices and the importance of preserving heirloom varieties she walked me right into a row of tomatoes, picked two and handed them to me. Wait, wait, wait... don't roll your eyes! Give me my moment! Okay, maybe there are not that many people who get excited over an heirloom tomato, but seriously, can't you see the time capsule relationship here? How many things are preserved from this time period? It's not like I can take home one of Jefferson's books, or a lock of his hair, or his quill pen. Look at the people who treat their antique cars like a living, breathing infant! There is something magical about having something that not only existed, but functioned in another time and place. A place where the person who utilized it has likely gone on to be with the saints! That tomato would have looked exactly the same and possessed the same characteristics if Jefferson had handed it to me himself in 1800. To me, that is something. That would not be the case with the tomatoes most consumers eat today.
So, I'm trying my hand at preserving the seeds. The gardener told me how to do it and I found those instructions corroborated on several heirloom seed websites. Even if it doesn't work, it was truly awesome to be in the garden and so very obvious why Jefferson would have spent so much time in this staggeringly beautiful location overlooking the rolling hills of Virginia.
Click here for details on how to save seeds: Victory Seed Company
