A Sense of Place, Episode 2: Pop’s Tomato

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7min 17sec
Different varieties of tomato seedlings at Penn's house.
Different varieties of tomato seedlings at Penn's house.

This is the story of an heirloom tomato seed that one family has been growing in Colorado since they came to homestead in the San Luis Valley 125 years ago. Penn Parmenter, an avid seed-saver from Westcliffe, got a hold of the tomato seed just before the man who had been growing it passed away. Over time, Penn was able to reconnect the man's family with the precious heirloom and help them to rekindle their relationship with this extraordinary inheritance. 

A Sense of Place is a collaboration between KRCC and the State of the Rockies, an environmental research engine at Colorado College. Click here to learn more about State of the Rockies. Programming was made possible by the Keller Venture Grant and the Hulbert Center for Southwest Studies at Colorado College. 

To learn more about seed-saving and high mountain gardening, check out pennandcordsgarden.com