North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Diane Whitehead <voltaire@islandnet.com>]

Cornucopia II, A Source Book of Edible Plants, describes cultivars 
I've never heard of, and where to buy them.

Some examples:

Apple:  Lord's Seedling:  Medium to large, roundish fruit: skin 
yellow, more or less russet; flesh very aromatic, of excellent 
flavor; season late August.  Tree a heavy and regular bearer. 
Originated at Linden, New York by James S. Lord about 1892.  scions 
from Bear Creek and Christian Homesteading Movement, custom grafting 
from Greenmantle, trees from Southmeadow

Pear: Rousselet de Rheims: ...........flesh almost melting, not very 
juicy, highly perfumed, rich in sugar; flavor spicy or musky, causing 
it to be called Spice or Musk pear in colonial America; ripens in 
September, very good for candying.  Of very ancient, unknown origin, 
a favorite of Louis XIV of France.
Southmeadow

Peach: Lemon Cling: ...resembling a lemon..large nipple...juicy, 
sprightly, vinous, with an agreeable acidity; quality very good when 
perfectly ripe; ripens in September. vigorous; highly productive; 
bears regularly.  Dates back to before the Revolutionary War. scions 
from California Rare Fruit Growers and National Germplasm Repository, 
Davis, CA


Cornucopia is a great book, put together by Stephen Facciola.  My 
edition is from 1998, published by Kampong Publications in Vista, 
California.

I am always amazed at what I find when I go to check on something 
else.  For instance, as I was closing the book just now, my eye fell 
on blue bachelor's buttons, also called cornflower.  The flowers are 
eaten as a vegetable, used as a garnish, made into jelly, and added 
to beer.  Also make a blue dye to color sugar and gelatin.  I've 
grown them forever, and never knew any of that. I'll have to toss 
some in the salad this summer, along with nasturtiums and chive 
blossoms.

Diane Whitehead  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada