A plate with black-eyed peas and collard greens

Recipe: Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens

Eating black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year’s Day is a tradition in the South and among African American communities. This tradition is believed to bring wealth and prosperity.

Two large jars filled with pickled watermelon rinds along with spices and chopped garlic sit outdoors on a picnic table

Recipes

Recipe: Pickled Watermelon Rind

In the heat of the summer, few things are as refreshing as fresh watermelon! However, while the flesh of the watermelon is enjoyed, the rinds are usually discarded. Next time you eat a watermelon, don’t throw out the rinds! You can actually soften and pickle watermelon rinds for a sweet and sour treat.

A pile of yellow, red, and purple bell peppers

Recipes

Lucina’s Miniature Stuffed Peppers

Seed Savers Exchange member Lucina Cress has been canning miniature stuffed peppers for decades using peppers from her own garden. Lucina’s Miniature Stuffed Peppers were a hit year after year at her local hospital bazaar.

Varieties

‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ Cabbage History

Discover the charm and utility of the ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ cabbage, a beloved historic variety cherished by gardeners and food enthusiasts alike. First introduced in the United States in the 1840s, this short-season cabbage quickly won the hearts of gardeners for its reliable growth and delicious taste.

A pie with a slice taken out on a wooden table, and a basket of small yellow melons and apples.

Recipes

‘Mother Mary’s Pie’ Melon Pie

Recipe submitted by Diane Ott Whealy, SSE co-founder and board member. In 1997, a Minnesota family donated the small, round ‘Mother Mary’s Pie’ melon to Seed Savers Exchange. Named after the donor’s mother, this melon was grown by three generations of the family since about 1914 and frequently used in pies.

Varieties

‘German Pink’: the tomato that started it all

Here at Heritage Farm—the Northeast Iowa home of Seed Savers Exchange—the ‘German Pink’ tomato is perhaps best known as “tomato number one” or “the tomato that started it all.”

Three purple eggplant with green leaves lie on a rock surface

Recipes

Eggplant Caponata

Rustic and versatile, it’s often served cold as an antipasto or appetizer or warm as a side to roast meat or as a pasta sauce or on crusty bread. Chef and SSE board member, Carina Cavagnaro believes the sweet-and-sour sauce paired with the creamy eggplant and briny notes can sway even the biggest eggplant skeptic.

three white squash with long goosenecks and one halved white squash on a straw surface

Recipes

White Pumpkin Pie

Lovers of unique heirloom pumpkins can thank the late Wayne Fortna of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for the delicious, productive, and truly beautiful ‘Fortna White’ pumpkin. Seed Savers Exchange is thrilled to introduce the ‘Fortna White’ as a featured From the Collection variety in 2024.

Recipes

Recipe: Three Sisters Corn Soup

“This soup is a great vegan/vegetarian option that takes advantage of all the nutritional benefits of eating corn, beans, and squash together with other nutritious vegetables,” says Rebecca Webster. Rebecca is enrolled citizen of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin. She serves as assistant professor at the University of Minnesota–Duluth’s American Indian Studies Department.

A whole tomato between two halved tomatoes on a wooden surface

Recipes

Recipe – Sugo: Juice of Life

Sugo: Juice of Life, submitted by Robin Morgan, Seed Savers Exchange intern and Italian chef. The Italian word sugo means both “juice of life” and a tomato-based pasta sauce. To call something sugo is to say it is rich, interesting, and worthy.