Master Gardeners and St. Charles Library team up to preserve heirloom variety

ST. CHARLES, Ill. – Plant a piece of local history this spring and reap the tasty benefits at harvesttime. University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners have teamed up with the St. Charles Public Library for a unique plant sale, featuring the historic Inciardi paste tomato, on Saturday, May 14.

With seeds from the library, Kane County Master Gardener volunteers grew these heirloom tomato transplants, which have a rich connection to Chicagoland, and that were originally brought to America by Sicilian immigrants.

“We are told the Inciardi family sewed the seeds into their clothes so they would not be confiscated at Ellis Island,” said Sarah Fellerer, Master Gardener program coordinator. “Henry Inciardi went on to settle in Chicago, work for General Electric, and survive the Eastland disaster, and his family members continued growing the seeds for decades.”

After it nearly went extinct, the Inciardi paste tomato was brought back by a handful of local gardeners, most notably Vicki Nowicki, founder of the Downers Grove Seed Library. Today, this variety is grown almost exclusively in the Chicagoland area and Midwest, and is said to make one of the best tomato sauces.

Tomato plants will be available for sale from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 14 at the Kane County Extension office, 535 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. About 200 plants will be available, and sale are first come, first serve, in-person. The transplants cost $4 each, and cash or check are accepted.

Learn more at go.illinois.edu/KaneTomatoSale. If you need reasonable accommodation to participate, contact 630-584-6166 or email fellerer@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting access needs.