Michele Bera has helped introduce a new generation of food lovers to tree-ripened fruits such as those that might have grown in their grandparents’ backyards.
What ' s an
heirloom fruit?
to passionately describe the many varieties of fruit she displays in old-fashioned wooden lugs, each labeled with a sign indicating its history, characteristics and uses. “People enjoy learning about the fruit,” Bera said. “Part of my job as a farmer is to educate.” She’ll tell you about luxuriously sweet Green Gage plums, which can be traced back to 15th-century Europe. Bera also offers the history of nickel-sized Damson plums, used to dye clothes purple during Roman times, and which Bera says make “the best preserves you’ll ever eat.” She’s delighted to share heirloom Heavenly White nectarines, describing their “knock-your-socks-off ” high acid/sugar balance, as well as sweet and aromatic Strawberry Free white peaches. Bera’s green-tinted Blenheim apricots have developed a cult following among customers at the Napa and St. Helena farmersmarkets. There aren’tmany people growing Blenheims in California. “I have a hard time fulfilling the demand for them,” she said. Also called Royals, these delicate French apricots ripen from the inside out. “Some of these older varieties are quite fragile and have a limited shelf life, so we’ll lose some of the fruit. We’d rather take a sma l l loss i f it means having something unique and different,” she said.
Although there are different interpretations of what qualifies as “heirloom fruit,” these treasured varieties generally have a historical or cultural significance that’s been passed down through generations. Some heirlooms are hundreds of years old with international pedigrees, but most are 50 to 100 years old. They are prized for their intensity of flavors and aromas, and can be recognized for a lack of uniformity when it comes to shapes, sizes and colors. Heirloom varieties lost their broad appeal following World War II, when plant breeders began introducing fruit and vegetable hybrids for a changing marketplace. The current popularity and continuing existence of heirloom varieties can be credited to small farmers and home gardeners who have preserved them, often through experimentation. Heirlooms are generally grown on a small scale by farmers who plant and harvest them by hand. Many grocery stores have recently begun carrying heirloom varieties, but you’re most likely to find heirlooms at farmers markets or farm stands.
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