heirloom produce

Brought to America by enslaved West Africans, the Carolina African runner was a defining taste of the antebellum South. Now, from just 40 remaining seeds, it's come back from the brink of extinction.

The search is on for heirloom varieties planted at homesteads and coach stops in the late 1800s. The resilient trees, still productive despite long neglect, could prove valuable at a time of drought.

A leading expert of the daguerreotype started photographing a gardener's collection of heirloom vegetables 15 years ago. They've published a book to honor the unusual varieties in the collection.

Heirloom foods have grown in popularity, making their way into gardens, farms, farmers markets and restaurants. A sociologist says they offer a powerful emotional and physical connection to the past.

The Bradford boasted sweet flesh so coveted, 19th-century growers turned to guns and poison to thwart thieves. The melon all but vanished by the 1920s. Now a descendant of its creator is reviving it.