By Jessica Wiant — Daily Staff Writer

A patchwork quilt passed down from generation to generation, an antique chest of drawers or a great-grandmother's piece of jewelry — these are the items we tend to think of when we hear the word "heirloom."

But heirloom also can apply to food, like a white-meat watermelon called Cream of Saskatchewan or a blackish-purple tomato called Black Krim.

These two fruits, and dozens more varieties of fruits and vegetables, too, are passed down through the years.

Unlike most other plants that have been altered in labs, or "hybridized," these heirloom plants have stayed true to their roots, the seeds saved and replanted for decades, if not centuries.

Some varieties are more common, like the red Brandywine tomato. Others don't sound so familiar — like Nyagous tomatoes or Quadrato Asti Giallo peppers.

They yield flavorful fruit, according to Craig Baltrinic, of Front Royal.

"I've raised a few heirlooms over the years, and they're fantastic, some of them," he said.

Baltrinic, 32, and business partner Andy McDonald, 31, have always gardened for themselves, but this year are branching out from their business, Quixote Landscaping, to offer heirloom vegetable plants for sale, and, hopefully, later in the season sell produce.

They started in January, and have constructed a greenhouse at Baltrinic's home and planted on other properties. Every plant they have grown — around 1,800 tomato plants and between 600 and 800 pepper plants, along with cabbage, broccoli, melons and watermelons — is an heirloom variety grown from seeds they ordered from an heirloom plant company.

They chose a wide variety for their first season, picking different types of tomatoes, some cherry, some paste, some of the bigger ones, and all around picking varieties that struck them.

While they don't have the "Organic" seal from the USDA, they have grown the plants organically, without using any pesticides or chemicals.

Now that the plants are the right size, about 6 to 8 inches tall for the tomato plants, the pair are selling them by appointment and each Saturday at the Middletown Farmers Market, itself only in its second season and where one of its founders, Diane Tutelo, said they have been a real asset.

As gas and grocery prices continue to climb, there's also been a growing movement to buy locally, which for many has included growing a vegetable garden.

For residents of the Northern Shenandoah Valley, the owners of Quixote Landscaping see their heirloom vegetable plants venture as a way to do both.

"There's been a lot of interest [in local produce]," McDonald said.

"We offer that niche," Baltrinic said, and they take solace in raising vegetables and plants in the old style.

Baltrinic and McDonald agree that buying from local farmers can be beneficial because they are often better equipped to offer advice. So far, they have answered questions about watering, sunlight, fertilizer and how deep to bury the plants — some of those questions from customers who have never raised a garden before.

But most people's reactions upon seeing the heirloom plants for the first time are the same, McDonald said, either: "That's very strange, does it taste good?" or "That's very strange, can I have one?"

A big part of the interest in the local food movement is knowing and having a relationship with the people who grow the food, McDonald said.

"And that's good. That's the way it should be," he said.

On a recent afternoon at Baltrinic's greenhouse, McDonald said there are two main reasons to buy local plants and food, but he quickly changed course.

"Well, there's more than two, actually," he said.

Among them, he explained, are knowing the farmer, supporting the local economy and getting fresher, riper and therefore more nutritional food.

"It just tastes better," Baltrinic added.

But for McDonald, who along with Baltrinic would like to eventually make farming a full-time venture, a large part of it is a "grass-roots building of the community," he said.

McDonald is originally from Indiana but stayed in Front Royal after attending Christendom College, where he majored in history. And, he explained, he has learned that a healthy agrarian society has often been the structure of successful communities in the past. Local farming is good for families and for restoring true communities, he said.

"It's to return to that stability," he said. "That's kind of what fuels the whole movement."

They would like to find a farm to call home, McDonald said, but in a time where most farm property is being marketed as a potential subdivision, that hasn't happened yet.

In fact, that hasn't been the only difficulty for McDonald and Baltrinic. A drought last year ruined what would have been the first crop the men had grown to sell.

This year, they were more prepared, the greenhouse has made all the difference and the weather has been more agreeable.

"Nothing's dead yet," McDonald said.

"We've gotten a lot of compliments on the quality of our plants," Baltrinic added.

R Contact staff writer Jessica Wiant at jwiant@nvdaily.com

Available Plants

The following are the varieties of heirloom vegetable plants being offered by Andy McDonald and Craig Baltrinic of Quixote Landscaping:

* Broccoli: Calabrese

* Cabbage: Copenhagen Market

* Cucumbers: Parade

* Melons: Amish Mellon, Emerald Gem

* Peppers: Jimmy Nardello's, Joes Long Cayenne, Marconi Red, Tollies Sweet, Red Habanero, Georgia Flame, Quadrato Asti Giallo

* Squash: Black Beauty, Buttercup

* Tomatoes: Amish Paste, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Beams Yellow Pear, Black from Tula, Brandywine, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Giant Syrian, Gourmet Yellow Stuffer, Green Grape, Italian Heirloom, John Baer, Martino's Roma, Nyagous, Ponderosa Red, Purple Russian, Red Zebra, Siberian

* Watermelons: Chris Cross, Cream of Saskatchewan

Plants are $2 each and are available each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, and on July 4, at the Middletown Farmers Market by the Route 11 potato chip factory or by calling 635-1076 or 428-9120 or e-mailing Quixote.landscaping@gmail.com to schedule a visit.

— Source: Quixote Landscaping and Diane Tutelo