A guide to some truly homegrown (and world-changing) New England plants.

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Photo/Art by Rose James

When you travel down the aisles of your local supermarket, you’re seeing the products of thousands of years of food history. Some of that history began in New England. Plants like blueberry, cranberry, and maple were cultivated by Native Americans long before Europeans arrived. Familiar edibles like the ‘Concord’ grape, ‘Butternut’ squash, even the precursor to the russet potato, were all developed here. The original sources of some of these plants might have been found in faraway places such as South America (corn, potatoes, squash), Asia (apples), and the Fertile Crescent (onions), but they developed their familiar forms in New England, thanks to the work of local Native peoples, enterprising amateur breeders, and seedsmen. Today, you can find many of these regional gifts in markets and restaurants—and you can grow them yourself.

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‘Burbank’ Potato (Solanum tuberosum)

New England was an important center of potato development in the 19th century. Albert Bressee of Hubbardton, Vermont, developed the ‘Early Rose’ potato in the 1860s, from which Luther Burbank, a native of Lunenburg, Mass., created the ‘Burbank’ potato in 1876. (He then headed west to California, where he developed the Shasta daisy and the plumcot, among other plants.) In 1902 the ‘Burbank’ mutated and became russeted; it was thereafter known as ‘Russet Burbank’ (cleverly marketed as the Idaho potato) and became the source of the billion-dollar french-fry industry. Where to find it: ‘Early Rose’ is sold by Potato Garden (potatogarden.com); ‘Russet Burbank’ is sold by many companies, including Fedco Seeds in Waterville, Maine (fedcoseeds.com).

‘Whitecap’ Flint Corn (Zea mays indurata)

Northern flint corns were cultivated by Native Americans 1,000 years before the Pilgrims arrived. The Narra-gansetts grew their flint corn in what is now Rhode Island, and it was quickly adopted by white settlers as the basis of dishes such as hasty pudding and jonnycakes. ‘Rhode Island Whitecap’ has been grown ever since. Where to find it: Jonnycake meal from Gray’s Grist Mill (graysgristmill.com) in Westport, Mass. (on the Adamsville, R.I., town line); Kenyon’s Grist Mill (kenyonsgristmill.com) in West Kingston, R.I.; local shops supplied by the Perry Grist Mill of Perryville, R.I.; Davis Farm in Pawcatuck, Conn. Seed is available from Sand Hill Preservation Center (sandhillpreservation.com).

‘Macomber’ Turnip (Brassica napobrassica)

Despite its name, the ‘Macomber’ is actually a rutabaga. Its ancestors probably arose in medieval gardens, a cross between turnips and cabbage, and were further refined in Sweden and Russia. The ‘Macomber’ was bred in Westport, Mass., by farmers Adin and Elihu Macomber around 1880, and became widely grown in fertile South County soils. Where to find it: You’ll see roots in the late fall at farmers’ markets in eastern Mass. and occasionally at specialty markets. Seed is available from Vermont Bean Seed Company (vermontbean.com) and Seed Savers Exchange (seedsavers.org).

‘Wethersfield Large Red’ Onion (Allium cepa)

Developed in ancient Asia and Eygpt, onions were grown by the Pilgrims as early as 1629. The ‘Large Red’ onion first appeared in 1828 in Boston; it was later grown in Wethersfield, Conn., and became associated with Wethersfield seed proprietors Comstock, Ferre & Co. Where to find it: Seed is available from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. (Comstock, Ferre’s parent company, rareseeds.com) and Southern Seed Exposure (southernexposure.com).

‘Black Oxford’ Apple (Malus x Domestica)

Apples have long thrived in many climates, including New England’s. The ‘Black Oxford’ first grew as a chance seedling around 1790 in Maine’s Oxford County and was later revived by Fedco Seeds co-founder John Bunker. It has purple-black skin when ripe, is excellent for fresh eating or cooking, and stores well. Where to find it: Look for it in specialty food stores and at small orchards. Trees may be purchased from Fedco Seeds (fedcoseeds.com).

‘Butternut’ Squash (Cucurbita moschata)

‘Butternut’ was introduced to the U.S. by Breck Seed Co. of Boston in 1936, having been bred from the ‘Canada Crookneck’. Today, you’ll find several cultivars. Some of the best known come from Waltham, Mass. Charles Leggett of Stow, Mass., bred a superior ‘Butternut’ in the 1940s, which he introduced to the University of Mass. Waltham Field Station; in 1970, the field station released an improved version. Where to find it: ‘Waltham Butternut’ is everywhere. ‘Canada Crookneck’ is available from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. (rareseeds.com).

‘Concord’ Grape (Vitis labrusca)

While America’s native grape species yielded many cultivars, it was John Bull of Concord, Mass., who changed the grape world. Beginning in 1843, Bull experimented with more than 22,000 seedlings; out of those, he selected and named one cultivar ‘Concord’. It was hardy and reliable—and it launched the grape-juice industry. Today hundreds of thousands of tons of these grapes are produced annually. Where to find it: ‘Concord’ grapes are sometimes available fresh, although seedless varieties have replaced them. To taste it, just buy some grape jam or juice. Plants are available from Stark Brothers (starkbros.com) and Double A Vineyards (doubleavineyards.com).

‘Connecticut Field’ Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo)

A wide range of both summer and winter squashes, including various sizes of orange pumpkins, were developed and raised by New England’s Native peoples. The exact origin of the ‘Connecticut Field’ pumpkin is unknown, but it was certainly re-selected by the colonials from a Native pumpkin. Widely grown in the 19th and 20th centuries across New England and beyond to feed livestock (it doesn’t have much flavor), it became the iconic carving pumpkin of many a childhood. Since the 1970s, it has been largely displaced by more uniform varieties. Where to find it: ‘Connecticut Field’ is rarely grown commercially today, but seed is available from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. (rareseeds.com), D. Landreth Seed Co. (landrethseeds.com), and Southern Seed Exposure (southernexposure.com).

Lawrence Davis-Hollander

Homegrown New England Plants | New England’s Gifts