Chris Smith from Pennard Plants was our speaker at last month's meeting, writes Gillian Hopwood, from Mendip Gardening Club.

His topic was heirloom/heritage vegetables. Chris explained that heirloom and heritage are interchangeable terms, with heritage being the colloquial British term and heirloom more globally recognised, often used by chefs.

Call them what you will but these vegetables are old, open-pollinated varieties, i.e., pollinated by the wind or by bees, without human intervention. These plants are generally better flavoured and more resistant to disease.

Chris led us on a fascinating journey through time. Pennard Plants is based at the Walled Garden, in East Pennard.

We may think that quinoa is new, but in fact, it was the staple food of the ancient civilisations of the Andes in South America. Staying in the Andes, the achocha or slipper gourd was a staple food for the Incas.

Moving forward to the 13th century, we meet the Martock bean, originating in this Somerset town, where it is still grown today.

Back in America, we learned about the Cherokee Trail of Tears, a climbing bean that was taken by the Cherokee Indians when they were forcibly evicted from their homeland in the 1830s and relocated to Indian Territory (which is part of part of modern-day Oklahoma, in the USA).

Many more vegetables were mentioned, and then Chris brought us up to the present day with some sobering thoughts on the future of many heirloom vegetables, which are disappearing due to political dictates.

Chris brought a selection of heritage seeds for sale to members. Watch this space for news of the “Tall Peas,” which I will be sowing in the spring!

Our next meeting sees the welcome return of James Cross, who is the head gardener at the Bishop's Palace, in Wells. James will be talking about the winter garden. He will explore various ways to add interest to the garden in winter, using colour, scent, and structure. His talk promises some surprising and unusual ways to achieve this.

Come along to Ston Easton Village Hall, BA3 4DA, on Wednesday, November 20.

The hall will be open from 7pm, ready for a 7.30pm start.

A warm welcome awaits members and visitors alike.