(Pumpkin, Winter Luxury Pumpkin)

This beautiful heirloom pumpkin has a little something for everyone. The small to medium-sized, round, orange fruits have beautiful netted skin and are just the right size for young children to carve. Its skin is also quite thin, which makes carving a bit easier but reduces keeping longevity. The flesh is some of the sweetest for pies and the thin-hulled seeds are delicious roasted with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. 'Winter Luxury' was introduced in 1893 by Johnson & Stokes...

(Pumpkin)

The long, vigorous vines of 'Wolf' bear medium-sized pumpkins with exceptionally thick "handles." Wolf pumpkins are also notable for their thick flesh and rich deep-orange color. The round, moderately ribbed fruits weigh from 15 to 25 pounds (7 to 11 kg) when ripe. This variety grows from seed to harvest in about 120 days. It was developed by Chris Awald of North Collins, New York.

Like other true pumpkins, ‘Wolf’ is a member of the New World species Cucurbita pepo. These warm season,...

(Summer Squash, Yellow Crookneck Summer Squash)

Cultivated for centuries by native populations of North America, summer squash ‘Yellow Crookneck’ remains a popular favorite in the United States. The bumpy, bottle-shaped fruits of this classic heirloom are bent at the neck, and have glossy, golden-yellow skin surrounding firm, delicious, buttery flesh. They are best picked and eaten when very young and tender, and are ready for harvest approximately 65 days from sowing.

Like many summer squash, ‘Yellow Crookneck’ is a member of the New World...

(Summer Squash)

The distinctively patterned, yellow and green fruits of this F1 hybrid squash are also notable for their firm texture and delicious nutty flavor. The slender, club-shaped fruits are mostly yellow, but each has a pale green tip that appears "hand-dipped." This productive variety forms big, bushy, open plants which grow from seed to harvest in about 54 days. The fruits are best when 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long, and will be produced from summer to fall if regularly harvested.

Like most summer...

(Large-fruited Mix Gourd, Ornamental Gourd)

Seed mixtures sold under this name yield a crop of large decorative "gourds" in a wide variety of shapes and colors. Numerous cultivars from several species of Cucurbita (including C. pepo) are typically included.

Most "gourd" seed mixtures contain cultivars of Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, C. maxima, Lagenaria siceraria, and other members of the squash family (the Cucurbitaceae). These warm-season, trailing or...

(Ornamental Gourd, Small Formula Mix Gourd)

Seed mixtures sold under this name yield a crop of small decorative "gourds" in a wide variety of shapes and colors. Numerous cultivars from several species of Cucurbita (including C. pepo) are typically included.

Most "gourd" seed mixtures contain cultivars of Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, C. maxima, Lagenaria siceraria, and other members of the squash family (the Cucurbitaceae). These warm-season, trailing or...

(Cumin)

Mexican and Indian foods are renowned for their flavors of cumin, but surprisingly this annual herb originates from North Africa along the Mediterranean, most specifically Egypt. It is a fast-growing but short-lived plant that completes its life cycle in only three or four months. Cumin may be grown during the frost-free times of year when temperatures are comfortably cool, such as spring or fall. The cumin spice is the dried fruit and the seeds, which are typically ground.

An upright plant...

(Quince)

Long cultivated for its fragrant, tasty fruit, this small, slow-growing deciduous tree from western and central Asia is also notable for its lovely spring flowers and its picturesque multi-trunked habit.

The simple oblong-oval leaves flush light green in spring, soon followed by large, five-petaled, white or pale pink blossoms that are visited by bees. The leaves mature to dull medium green with fuzzy, paler undersides. The pear-shaped to apple-shaped, fuzzy-skinned fruits ripen by early autumn,...

(Quince)

A small, slow-growing deciduous tree from western and central Asia, quince has long been cultivated for its tasty fruits, its lovely spring flowers, and its picturesque multi-trunked habit. The cultivar 'Smyrna' bears large, white-fleshed, pear-shaped fruits.

The simple oblong-oval leaves flush light green in spring, soon followed by large, five-petaled, white or pale pink blossoms that are visited by bees. The leaves mature to dull medium green with fuzzy, paler undersides. The fuzzy-skinned...

(Lemon Grass, Lemongrass)

Fast-growing and clump-forming, lemongrass has leaf blades rich in fragrant oils that smell lemony when crushed. The bases are used to flavor any number of dishes in Indian and Southeast Asian Cuisine. A Southeast Asian native, this tender perennial grass is evergreen where hardy and fast-growing.

The wide, blue-green blades of lemongrass may be coarse or sharp to the touch, so handle with gloves when harvesting the tender, fragrant bases. The blades rise from bulbous rhizomes that spread...