2015 HEIRLOOM CATALOG
Labrosse Farm has been growing and selling heirloom transplants since 2006. Our varieties are from heirloom and open pollinated, Non‐GMO untreated seed. We save our own seed in addition to purchasing seed from organic sources whenever possible. The seeds are started in organic growing mix and we reject the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. We wish to support local agricultural practices that lead to healthier soils, increase access to healthy local food, and ultimately be a positive presence in the community where we live and work. While we specialize in growing heirloom tomatoes and pepper plants, this year we are excited to offer additional vegetable transplants, herbs, and flowers. It is becoming ever more important for the health of the environment to make purchases where our plants have not been exposed to chemical pesticides which harm us and have been shown to contribute to losses in our honeybee and pollinator populations. We are growing bee‐friendly plants that are free of any of these harmful toxins. Much like the lack of GMO labeling, regulations do not require growers to identify when they have used chemical pesticides and labeling can be misleading. We appreciate that you have a choice, and we value that when you choose Labrosse Farm, you are supporting local agriculture and have placed your trust in us to deliver quality plants. Please see our website, facebook and instagram pages for additional information and resources. Sow good seeds, Dawn & Patrick Labrosse Farm NEW FOR 2015 – Heirloom Tomato Ketchup and Heirloom Tomato Jam! We devoted much of 2014 to becoming a licensed food processor with the Michigan Department of Agriculture. In an effort to continue our work for local sustainable agriculture, we felt it was important to include the practice of food preservation. Growing locally and preserving the harvest for use year‐round gives us an opportunity to support the economy of small urban and family farms in and around Detroit. The name Labrosse Farm comes from the original French ribbon farm in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, where our plants are grown. The ribbon farm layout gave multiple landowners access to the waterway. In addition, the long lots increased variation in soil and drainage within one lot, and facilitated plowing by minimizing the number of times oxen teams needed to be turned. Where farmers lived on their lots (rather than in a central village), the ribbon farm fostered communication and socialization, with houses clustered at the ends of the lots.
The Key To Tastiness Fruit Size
Best For
SMALL
SALADS
Harvest Pepper Time Hotness EARLY
60
MILD
days
MEDIUM
SAUCE
70
MEDIUM
LATE
HOT
MID-SEASON
days
LARGE
SLICING
80 days
Fruit Size, Days to Harvest, and Pepper Hotness are estimates. Best For symbols are recommendations.
Brandywine One of the most popular heirloom varieties, and for good reason.
Meaty with just the perfect hint of tartness, the oblate beefsteak fruits average right around a pound. If you like big tomatoes, this one is for you. It would barely fit on the page!
Fruit Size
Best For
Harvest In
80 days
Cosmonaut Volkov Our saved seed since 2007! We’ve seen this tomato described as slightly flattened, but this is nonsense. The fruit is almost perfectly round, with bold tomato flavor. No low-acid foolishness here.
Cosmonaut Volkov cares nothing for your corrupt western greed-fueled system. Why not take your revenge by slicing one open?
Fruit Size
Best For
65
Harvest In
days
Bagley Creek Rare. Sure to become a local favorite!
Juicy sweet and intensely concentrated tomato flavor with medium acid.
Averaging 6-7 oz fruit, with very few seeds, it is grown exclusively from our saved seed bank since 2007. This is Dawnie’s favorite!
Fruit Size
Best For
75
Harvest In
days
Cherokee Purple Normally we shun popular varieties, but season after season, Cherokee Purple makes the cut. Why? The flavor.
Fruit Size
Best For
At least 100 years old and originally grown by the Cherokee Indians (Wikipedia says so!). Large fruits Harvest In are dark pink with darker brown/ green shoulders. Pick when the shoulders look like this picture.
65 days
Black Plum
Fruit Size
Another variety that always makes the cut. Very productive, vigorous plants from seeds Dawn has been saving for years.
Best For
Small elongated-oval fruits are deep mahogany and sweet and fruity. A versatile tomato, suitable for snacking, salads, and sauce. Makes the richest sauce you will ever have.
Harvest In
80 days
Italian Heirloom
Fruit Size
Despite its generic name, this is one of our absolute favorites. Large heart-shaped tomatoes ripen to a deep red and reach 1 lb or more.
Best For
Earlier than other oxheart tomatoes and very versatile: BLTs, sauce, canning, you name it. An abundance of rich, complex, sweet flavors that are well-balanced with good acidity.
70
Harvest In
days
Speckled Roman
Fruit Size
We started growing this variety exclusively for Jeff at Detroit Farm & Garden in 2006. Now you too can learn what Jeff has known for years.
Best For
Orange and red stripes run the length of this pointy-ended Roma type. 7oz fruits, thick flesh, great flavor. By far the biggest true paste tomato we’ve ever grown, and it looks great too. Great for salsa!
Harvest In
80 days
Mexico Midget Our most popular cherry tomato. Customers say they are popular with little harvesters (kids!). Super small and sweet fruits that grow on a monster sized plant. Leave plenty of room and plan on staking. Great in salads, but you’ll likely be cramming fistfuls into your mouth before you leave the garden. Enjoy your tomato coma!
Fruit Size
Best For
65
Harvest In
days
Principe Borghese
Fruit Size
After six years of saving seed for maximum size and productivity, we believe we've identified a superior version.
Best For
Another early producer and a favorite of our friend and neighbor Jon Strand. The classic tomato Harvest In for sauces and sun-drying. Small egg-shaped fruits, averaging 1� in diameter, produce in clusters. Also excellent for fresh eating and salads. days
60
Striped German This West Virginia native is another bicolored slicer. Fruits routinely reach 11/2+lbs in size on medium/tall vines. As Michael Idov of the NY Times noted, “bred for a niche market of devotees who demand undiluted tomatoness�.
"Tomatoness" is not a real word, but what can you expect from the NY Times?
Fruit Size
Best For
75
Harvest In
days
Blondkopfchen
Fruit Size
(Little Blonde Girl)
Small golden-yellow fruits with excellent sweet taste. Enormous yields grow in giant clusters until frost. Seed originated from the Gatersleben Seed Bank in eastern Germany.
Blondkopfchen means “Little Blonde Girl� in German. How cute is that?
Best For
75
Harvest In
days
German Johnson
Fruit Size
An old heirloom variety from Virginia and North Carolina. It is believed to be one of four parent lines of Mortgage Lifter.
Best For
Similar to Brandywine, but more vigorous, more productive, and earlier.
We had very good production from this plant last year. A Favorite variety for slicing and canning.
75
Harvest In
days
Garden Peach Also known as Yellow Peach or White Peach, this variety dates back to 1890.
2" round fuzzy yellow fruit yeilds generously and may feature a blush of pink when ripe. The sweet, juicy flavor has made this one a winner of many tomato tastings!
Fruit Size
Best For
Harvest In
80 days
2015 PEPPERS
Heirloom Peppers A word on peppers... We’re very excited to be offering pepper transplants for the first time this season! Peppers have a culinary history and range of usefulness that in many ways exceeds that of tomatoes. From the ubiquitous roasted red, to hot sauces and pepper jams, peppers can be found in the cooking traditions of nearly every culture.
Unlike tomatoes, however, some peppers require careful handling due to chemical compounds in the fruit (namely Capsaicin). Anyone who has chopped a jalapeĂąo and wiped their eyes without washing knows what we mean. Pepper "hotness" is generally measured on the Scoville scale (SHU), but we've found these numbers to be misleading and sometimes inaccurate. For instance, peppers on the same plant can have significantly different Scoville measurements!
Pepper Hotness MILD
MEDIUM
HOT
We've decided to use the more general guide at right, and suggest that our customers exercise caution when handling peppers known to be medium or hot.
on to the peppers
Bull Nose Our saved seed for nine years and counting! A delicious and dependable pepper, very well suited for this climate.
MILD
Allegedly grown by Thomas Jefferson and still cultivated at Monticello, Bull Nose is an early sweet heirloom bell pepper, popular in the 1800s. With a thick, fleshy, and tender rind, the pepper matures from green to scarlet, getting sweeter over time. Great for raw eating, pickling, and can hold a hearty dip.
Golden Treasure An sweet Italian heirloom variety, excellent for frying, roasting and fresh eating. Longish, 9" fruits ripen from green to shiny yellow. Sweet flavor with medium thick flesh and tender skin.
MILD
These were great fresh eating and a big hit last season!
Hinkelhatz Heirloom pepper variety or old-timey insult?
MEDIUM/HOT
Named for their pendant fruits the size and shape of "chicken's hearts", this small hot pepper is a rare Pennsylvania Dutch variety dating to before 1880.
Our buddy Frank uses these for his famous hot pepper sauce. Only a lily-livered, sawed off, half pint would call Frank chicken-hearted.
Black Hungarian Highly ornamental and useful in the kitchen. Green foliage is highlighted by purple veins and beautiful purple flowers, if you're into that sort of thing.
MEDIUM
Sturdy plants grow 30-36″ tall and produce 3-4″ fruits similar in shape to jalapeños, but black ripening to red. Medium hot with delicious flavor. "Hotness" will vary depending on ripeness.
Georgia Flame A "Russian" heirloom, originating in the Republic of Georgia (part of the former Soviet Union).
Good sized peppers (up to 8" long!), thick and crunchy, on vigorous 24" plants.
MEDIUM
Good to eat fresh, freeze, pickle or dehydrate. A great multi-purpose pepper, also popular in salsas!
Pasilla (Chilaca) This pepper suffers from an identity crisis, as there is much confusion about its name in the fresh vs. dried form.
MEDIUM
In any case, last season was our first year with Pasilla, and production was "off the hook" as the kids say. 8-10" long peppers cover plants, starting off as dark green and turning to dark brown late in the season. The dried form of this pepper (whatever you call it) is used to create the famous Mexican mole sauce.
Bulgarian Carrot A Bulgarian heirloom, these 18" tall plants will produce clusters of peppers that are 31/2" long, and ripen from green to fluorescent orange.
HOT
With an intense fruity flavor which finishes hot, the crunchy flesh is perfect for roasting. Also great for pickles, salsas, chutney, and marinades. Great for everything except fresh eating!
, Joe s Long Long, red cayenne variety with medium heat.
MEDIUM
Bright red fruits are excellent for homemade hot sauce and dry well for delicious, dried hot pepper flakes. A productive variety producing 8-10" long, thinfleshed fruits that taper to a skinny point.
MORE HEIRLOOM AND OPEN‐POLLINATED TRANSPLANTS IN 2015!
Vegetable/Herbs/Flowers not available as pre‐orders at this time, market sales only.
Additional varieties may be available by market dates!
Vegetables Lacinato Kale Red Russian Kale Five Color Silver Beet Detroit Dark Red Beet King Richard Leek Kohlrabi Vienna White Celery Tall Utah Lettuce
Herbs Thyme Bouquet Dill Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Chives Greek Oregano Italian Oregano Leaf Basil Anise Hyssop Lovage “Magnus” Borage
Flowers Red Marietta Marigold Snapdragons Rocket Sunflower Tavico Calendula Benary’s Giant Zinnia Bees Friend Tithonia (Mexican marigold) Firmament
2015 Markets Transplant sales in MAY Saturdays Thursdays Sundays
EASTERN MARKET CORKTOWN MARKET BIRMINGHAM MARKET
Labrosse Farm Presents... SWEET & SPICY HEIRLOOM TOMATO JAM The heat is on in this delectable sweet and spicy spread. Pairs well with cream or goat cheese, serve with crackers or bagel chips. Perfect with roasted meat and a wonderful addition to any sandwich that needs a little “zing”. ORIGINAL HEIRLOOM TOMATO KETCHUP Flavor beyond ketchup - over two pounds of tomatoes in each jar! Small-batch ketchup preserving the brightness that is lost in the commercial brands (they are made from paste!). No salt added – we know you’re gonna put it on salty stuff anyway. HOT CURRY HEIRLOOM TOMATO KETCHUP Currywurst sauce beloved in Germany and Belgium! Traditionally served with sausage and French fries, delicious on brats and grilled sausages. Perfect for sweet potato fries or a great addition to rice dishes. COMING SOON! Heirloom Tomato Sriracha Ketchup
Detroit, MI
labrossefarm.com