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Recipes

Food has the power to connect people. Enjoy these recipes, whether passed down for generations or new modern favorites, using heirloom varieties submitted by Seed Savers Exchange staff, members, and the wider SSE community.

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

‘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.

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Three purple eggplant with green leaves lie on a rock surface

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.

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Nanas pasta sauce with meatballs and spaghetti on a plate.

Nana’s Pasta Sauce

Submitted by Nikki Riccelli-Tygard, inspired by her parents, Nicholas Domenico “Nick” Riccelli, Theresa Grace Ausilio Riccelli, and her “Nana” Rachel Scarcello Ausilio, stewards of the ‘Ausilio Thin Skin Italian’ heirloom pepper. “I fondly remember my adorable Nana spending time with my father, Nick, in the kitchen,” says Nikki.

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

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.

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Wooden bowl of

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, and is a current SSE board member.

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A whole tomato between two halved tomatoes on a wooden surface

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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.

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Close up of a large, leafy head of green and purple cabbage

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Recipe: Cabbage Pasta

Cabbage Pasta, submitted by Diane Ott Whealy, co-founder of Seed Savers Exchange, Diane’s daughter, Tracy Lynn Whealy, never was a vegetable fan, but she discovered how delicious cabbage can be through her mother’s pasta dish. This is a beautiful dish when prepared with red cabbage.

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Many small red peppers, halved covered in seeds, laid out on a metal sheet

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Recipe: Fried Thin Skin Ausilio Peppers

Fried Thin Skin Ausilio Peppers, submitted by the Ogle-Riccelli family, who have stewarded the ‘Ausilio Thin Skin Italian’ pepper for four, going on five generations. These fried peppers taste great on bread or in a sandwich and go well with onions, mushrooms, and diced potatoes.

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A wooden box of red, orange, yellow, and white tomatoes of varying sizes

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Recipe: Golden Tomato Tart

Golden Tomato Tart, submitted by Rosalind Creasy, author, photographer, and Seed Savers Exchange advisor. This spectacular tart can be served as an appetizer or as an entrée for a light lunch. It is quite dramatic made with gold tomatoes or any combination of colorful homegrown luscious tomatoes. Any leftover marinade can be used as a base for a vinaigrette dressing.

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