The Birth of “Off the Vine”

After two or three years in the incubation period, Carolyn Male and I are about to publish the first issue of a newsletter entirely devoted to heirloom tomatoes. We have decided to call this newsletter “Off the Vine”, an idea that Carolyn came up with. (We won’t discuss the options that I was able to concoct!). In case some of you are wondering who we are and what we have in mind for the newsletter, here is some information for you.

First of all, we are members of the Seed Saver’s Exchange. I joined in 1986, and Carolyn got bitten by the heirloom bug in 1989. Actually, we have never met! I can recall that one of my first seed request letters of 1989 was from Carolyn, and I was immediately taken by her friendly tone, sense of humor, and dedication to the cause. We shared many varieties of heirloom veggies over the following years, and talked frequently on the phone. Some of this talk led to the eventual direction that our hobbies were taking us. And, one of our ideas was to fill the huge gap in gardening literature, regarding the lack of any tomato newsletters.

Now for a bit of background on each of us. Carolyn tends her gardens at the farm she was raised, near Albany, New York. She grew up with farming and gardens as an integral part of her life; some things do not change! When she is not watering, weeding or picking, she teaches biology-related courses at the college of St. Rose. Carolyn enjoys growing everything, apparently, though she confesses that flowers are a special passion. Somehow, she has found herself the proud owner of somewhere around 800 varieties of tomatoes, and each year must make the difficult yet delightful decision of what to grow!

As for me, I have taken a roundabout route toward landing in North Carolina. Originating in Rhode Island, where I gardened with my grandfather, I have spent time in New Hampshire, where I received my degree in chemistry, Washington (Seattle must surely be what heaven is like), and Pennsylvania. Now, as a pharmaceutical chemist for Glaxo, I need to ensure that my gardening time does not get in the way of the many other interests that I pursue, not the least of which is my family! After joining the SSE, my gardening experience became a real part of my life. And, each year I also must decide between about 800 varieties of tomatoes.

As for our newsletter, we envision a forum for gardeners that have a particular interest in heirloom tomatoes. Among the topics we hope to address are gardening concerns, such as isolation distances, particular varieties, including their various merits or detriments, history, or apparent demise, and interviews with notable heirloom tomato collectors. It should be alot of fun, and we hope that some of you give it a try.

If you would like to subscribe, please send $5.00 (US) to “Off the Vine”, c/o Carolyn Male, 21-2 Latham Village Lane, Latham, NY 12110. This fee will get you three issues per year (if all goes well...), each issue being 5-7 double sided pages. Please remember that this is a very grassroots-style effort. It won’t be glossy, but it will always be interesting! We look forward to hearing from you.