Yellow and Stripey Tomatoes grown from heritage seeds (Koanga Institute)

Look at these cool yellow tomatoes! They are called "Yellow Cropper", they are heritage seeds from the Koanga Institute.

There are also stripey tomatoes called Guernsey Island that are very very delicious.

I grew them from their "Tomato - 3 Colour Mix" (you can get Koanga Institute's heritage seeds from NZ garden centres or order them online).

The Koanga Institute was started by Kay Baxter, who wanted to preserve old seed lines that had been grown and cultivated in NZ for many years - brought with settlers as their most treasured family possessions, gumdiggers, etc. Also there are diverse varieties of and colours of Maori veggies such as kumara. (Nowadays you just find very few varieties compared to in the past.) Tomatoes you buy in the grocery store must last longer on the shelf - so they've been selected for long-lastingness or their looks. My tomatoes that sprouted from these seeds were tasteless compared with the Koanga seed varieties. They can be eaten from your garden fresh, so delicousness can be their dominant trait!

Koanga Institute

All this is blowing my mind. Learning about Good magazine and all the million inspiring connections and thoughts in there, the earthy growth from worm farming over time, spiritual growth of community I've gotten from being part of the Kohanga Reo, recently finding the book on native Cherokee teaching (referred from my friend Wayne from taking the bus) about "touching" life, and now just looking at the Koanga Gardens website. I feel like I am trying to grow and open up, but am very closed compared to what I could be. Very unearthy, but trying to let it in.

(Links posted here, and also on the sidebar.)

Koanga Gardens Centre for Sustainable Living (and they sell plants and seeds in their original variety):
http://www.koanga.co.nz/

The original institute, started by Kay Baxter:
http://www.koanga.org.nz/

Good magazine made me want to cry when I first found it, and with Koanga Gardens I am having the same feeling. They run courses for self-sustainability and eco-villages, and are fighting this fight.


Here is a little blog from my tiny world, of just having learned to worm farm!