Amishland at it again! - Page 4

Granny · January 25, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by babylark

The first and only time I met her, since she is local to me, I thought...oh great, someone to talk about heirloom tomatoes with. I told her I grew some of the tomatoes that she had displayed on her plate, like Big Rainbow and Stripped Cavern. She said they were different varieties and spouted off some other names. I haven't seen anything else other then Stripped Caverns called Stripped Caverns. After that she then snubbed me off and chased someone else down. I wasn't impressed.

I did visit her site and looked through things fairly well. I recognized a number of things that she was advertising as "
"Only US Source" or "Very Rare" from other sites, sometimes more than one other site. I also noticed that while those other sites were offering dozens or hundreds of seeds of the variety in question, at Amishland you get 5 or 10 seeds tops - often for more money.

I also noticed a substantial number of varieties where she commented "very similar to" or "often mistaken for" but then stated that these were "completely different varieties."

Left me with lots and lots of questions for sure.

**nctomatoman** · January 25, 2008

There are so many problems at Amishland that it is hard to know where to start. I gave another look the other night - she now has Ben Quisenberry down for having rescued Red Brandywine from oblivion! Ben of course did not have Red Brandywine in his collection....the research there is just plain sloppy, the prose she uses embarassingly drippy, the prices outrageous....a perfect web site for anyone who is just completely helpless with false hype!

**Mischka** · January 25, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by babylark

The first and only time I met her, since she is local to me, I thought...oh great, someone to talk about heirloom tomatoes with. I told her I grew some of the tomatoes that she had displayed on her plate, like Big Rainbow and Striped Cavern. She said they were different varieties and spouted off some other names. I haven't seen anything else other then Striped Caverns called Striped Caverns. After that she then snubbed me off and chased someone else down. I wasn't impressed.

Hearing her reaction to you cracked me up!

No doubt she had something to hide in regard to name-changing those varieties.

I feel badly for people new to heirlooms that unluckily find her site first and believe her hype.

babylark · January 25, 2008

I was lucky enough to have found Tomatoville before meeting her. The thing is, I guess she is pretty involved in a local historic area here. She grows the "garden" there and spreads her propaganda to the people who visit the homestead. So...she has an audience. I found it interesting that she was a bit harsh to me when I showed a wee bit of knowledge.

I've been very impressed with everyone here on T-ville. Sometimes I feel like small beans! But I enjoy it. Even when I get scolded about incorrect names, but now I know why!

I don't think most of the Amish around here grow heirlooms. Unless they are selling to specific places. Most of them grow commercial seeds, from what I can tell.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mischka

Hearing her reaction to you cracked me up!

No doubt she had something to hide in regard to name-changing those varieties.

I feel badly for people new to heirlooms that unluckily find her site first and believe her hype.

kimpossible · January 25, 2008

So, the question is, can anything actually be done to put an end to the blatant misrepresentation/fraud of O/P & Heirloom varieties? - other than educating the public through forums such as these? She obviously is pretty smart about getting lots of positive publicity for her business by soliciting newspaper and magazine articles, representing herself as an authority on the subject of Heirlooms, and consequently getting a whole new group of customers/followers that buy into what she says, because they believe what she says, since it appears in a publication.

We can have these threads in forums, but basically we are preaching to the choir. The first-time-growers, not-yet-knowledgeable about heirlooms - O/P's, probably aren't on these forums yet, reading these posts!

Andrey_BY · January 26, 2008

Dear Carolyn,
as I mentioned here before I sent her only one small package of Belarusian and Russian tomato vareities in 2005 after I seen her web-source and a strong impact on Ukrainian varieties which she was given by her so called Ukrainian friend. Unfortunately that was before Tomatoville was born and I was not allowed to post at GW that times.
Actually I'm doing like this every year. Just choose a certain small or big American/Canadian seed company (or even a single-person web-seed-source) and send them some of my seeds just to support their collection.
Now I'm lucky to know your opinion about their reputation, but back in 2005 I had no access to such kind of info...

So this year I'm gonna send something to Victory Seeds

And I'm with kimpossible and also wonder if we have a chance to stop Lisa's lies somehow? Blacklist of seed companies here is OK, but would be much more efficient to place a truth about her at any web-forums where some of us are participate.
I asked her several times to correct at least some of wrong names at her web-site, but had no success aas well. She replied in a strange manner about a lost father of her in 2006 or had no replied...

Quote:

Originally Posted by carolyn137

and many others VERY RARE varieties from THE ONLY SOURCE IN USA! Sick of Lisa's lies...

****

Yes Andrey, many of us know Lisa and her lies, and how I wish you'd let us know you were planning to send some varieties to her a few years ago b'c many of us would have told you not to become associated with her.

Every time I go to that site I get upset, and I go to it only when someone has asked a question about a specific variety she lists.

When she was asked to appear at GW to defend herself she said that she was trying to make varieties sound unique, which was her excuse for renaming Green Grape Eenie Weenie, or something like, that as well as changing the name of Cherokee Purple to Native American. and more.

Granny · January 26, 2008

Andrey-by, sending seeds to various small seed companies for preservation is a generous & wonderful thing to do. Another company that I would recommend to you is High Mowing Seeds here in Vermont. The owner up there helped author the Safe Seeds Pledge, among other things, and of course the weather here is not a half-bad substitute for much of Russia. (So cold yesterday the car wouldn't start!)

catwabbit · January 26, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimpossible

We can have these threads in forums, but basically we are preaching to the choir. The first-time-growers, not-yet-knowledgeable about heirlooms - O/P's, probably aren't on these forums yet, reading these posts!

Trust me... your "voices" are indeed being heard. Yep, I'm new to tomato growing. I've known for years about a few of the big-name heirlooms, but am just now realizing how much variety is really out there (more than I had ever imagined). Now, I'm a tireless researcher when I'm excited about something, it's always been a good part of the fun for me. I want to know about others' experiences -- the good, the bad, AND the ugly. I want to hear what you think and try some of your suggestions. Then I will make up my own mind, and tweak and fine-tune and play -- and hopefully keep approaching "better." (I don't know that I believe in perfection, which sounds a tad boring if you ask me.)

So. I researched before I found you. I read the forums before I joined. I kept on reading before I decided to write. But even if I don't say much *here*, I'm telling others about this place and what I've learned. And if even a few of them are a bit like me and are willing to do the legwork before they do the physical work, word will spread, new gardeners will become smart gardeners, and you (and members of other forums such as GW) will have been a part of that.

Now I ask you -- how cool is that?

OK... back to reading.

Thanks, all!

kimpossible · January 26, 2008

Welcome, Catwabbit!

Granny · January 26, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by catwabbit

OK... back to reading.

Thanks, all!

Nope. Too late for that now.

camochef · January 28, 2008

Carolyn,
I ordered about $200.00 worth of tomato seed back the end of Dec. before finding this site to join. About $32.00 worth was from Amishland. I just had to have glick's strain of Brandywine ,being a lover of brandywines. then the description of Lancaster County Pink captured my imagination. along with a few others. After reading this thread, my question is do these really exist?, or have I been taken for a ride?
I also have your book on Heirloom tomatoes, it was one of the first tomato books I purchased when I got addicted to this tomato habit, and I love it!!! It's just a notch behind the bible! I really would like to see an expanded version with more of the increasingly popular versions that are appearing all over the web.
Thanks,
Mike (camochef)

disneynut1977 · February 23, 2009

Hi, new to the forum.

So should I be worried about the stuff I did buy from her this year? I had no idea she had that bad of a rep.

I have ordered and recieved:
Brandywine Glicks strain
Mikado White(ran out)

2nd order haven't recieved yet:
Red Ruffled
Tim's Black Ruffle's
Large Mennonite Pink
Summer Cider
Purple Dog Creek
Togorific
Black Brandywine

For the second order, I have no idea if I'm gonna get any of it. The first order I had placed at the begining of Jan. and recieved a email a few days after ordering stating she had an unexpected death in the family and would be late sending orders out. No problem to me since I have a little time. I ended up placing my second order just a few days before my first showed up and in place of the Mikado White (she stated she ran out) I got a check for the same amount but dated for almost a month later. Again that was fine, I got my mikado white seeds else where and will drop off the check to my bank when it hits the date. After reading everything though now, I'm wondering what is gonna end up happeneing with the rest of my order.

Melissa1977

**carolyn137** · February 23, 2009

YEs Melissa, I do think you should be worried about some varieties.

Camo posted just above you and at another site I just reviewed some of the reds and pinks for him, but I couldn't stand to go further, and there are madeup varieties and wrong info given for quite a few varieties.

I have ordered and recieved:
Brandywine Glicks strain, hopefully it's OK
Mikado White(ran out), there is no such thing as Mikado White, it's an invention of someone

2nd order haven't recieved yet:
Red Ruffled, I didn't review it
Tim's Black Ruffle's, I didn't review it
Large Mennonite Pink, ditto
Summer Cider, a well known variety, OK if pure seed
Purple Dog Creek, a known variety, ditto
Togorific, listed for years at several places, ditto
Black Brandywine, it depends on which BB she listed, and I didn't go beyond the reds and pinks , for a good reason.

Trust me, there are much better places to buy tomato seeds and I'm sure you saw in the resources above that Amishland is not a recommended site. Ah, I forgot, you ordered before you came here to Tville.

I try to not get emotional but when she listed Green Grape as eenie weenie greenie and Cherokee Purple as Native American, well........

travis · February 23, 2009

Camo, I ordered Lancaster County Pink in 2007 from Amishland Seeds. Isn't it supposed to be potato leaf? All mine sprouted regular leaf. I didn't grow them out far enough to find whether they were red, pink, yellow or dirt brown.

disneynut1977 · February 23, 2009

Thanks Carolyn.What do you think the white mikado actually is? I ended up getting it from somebody else listing it under white brandywine AKA white mikado since she ran out.

I'm glad Togorific is listed at a few other places. I thought they looked so cute, hopefully they will come true to seed.

Melissa1977

January 25, 2008	#47
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	There are so many problems at Amishland that it is hard to know where to start. I gave another look the other night - she now has Ben Quisenberry down for having rescued Red Brandywine from oblivion! Ben of course did not have Red Brandywine in his collection....the research there is just plain sloppy, the prose she uses embarassingly drippy, the prices outrageous....a perfect web site for anyone who is just completely helpless with false hype! __________________ Craig

January 25, 2008	#50
kimpossible Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Z5b SW Ont Canada Posts: 767	So, the question is, can anything actually be done to put an end to the blatant misrepresentation/fraud of O/P & Heirloom varieties? - other than educating the public through forums such as these? She obviously is pretty smart about getting lots of positive publicity for her business by soliciting newspaper and magazine articles, representing herself as an authority on the subject of Heirlooms, and consequently getting a whole new group of customers/followers that buy into what she says, because they believe what she says, since it appears in a publication. We can have these threads in forums, but basically we are preaching to the choir. The first-time-growers, not-yet-knowledgeable about heirlooms - O/P's, probably aren't on these forums yet, reading these posts! __________________ *So Many Tomatoes ... So Little Time*

January 26, 2008	#54
kimpossible Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Z5b SW Ont Canada Posts: 767	Welcome, Catwabbit! __________________ *So Many Tomatoes ... So Little Time*

February 23, 2009	#58
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	YEs Melissa, I do think you should be worried about some varieties. Camo posted just above you and at another site I just reviewed some of the reds and pinks for him, but I couldn't stand to go further, and there are madeup varieties and wrong info given for quite a few varieties. I have ordered and recieved: Brandywine Glicks strain, hopefully it's OK Mikado White(ran out), there is no such thing as Mikado White, it's an invention of someone 2nd order haven't recieved yet: Red Ruffled, I didn't review it Tim's Black Ruffle's, I didn't review it Large Mennonite Pink, ditto Summer Cider, a well known variety, OK if pure seed Purple Dog Creek, a known variety, ditto Togorific, listed for years at several places, ditto Black Brandywine, it depends on which BB she listed, and I didn't go beyond the reds and pinks , for a good reason. Trust me, there are much better places to buy tomato seeds and I'm sure you saw in the resources above that Amishland is not a recommended site. Ah, I forgot, you ordered before you came here to Tville. I try to not get emotional but when she listed Green Grape as eenie weenie greenie and Cherokee Purple as Native American, well........ __________________ Carolyn

January 26, 2008	#52
Granny Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 507	Andrey-by, sending seeds to various small seed companies for preservation is a generous & wonderful thing to do. Another company that I would recommend to you is High Mowing Seeds here in Vermont. The owner up there helped author the Safe Seeds Pledge, among other things, and of course the weather here is not a half-bad substitute for much of Russia. (So cold yesterday the car wouldn't start!)

January 28, 2008	#56
camochef Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Posts: 707	Carolyn, I ordered about $200.00 worth of tomato seed back the end of Dec. before finding this site to join. About $32.00 worth was from Amishland. I just had to have glick's strain of Brandywine ,being a lover of brandywines. then the description of Lancaster County Pink captured my imagination. along with a few others. After reading this thread, my question is do these really exist?, or have I been taken for a ride? I also have your book on Heirloom tomatoes, it was one of the first tomato books I purchased when I got addicted to this tomato habit, and I love it!!! It's just a notch behind the bible! I really would like to see an expanded version with more of the increasingly popular versions that are appearing all over the web. Thanks, Mike (camochef)

February 23, 2009	#57
disneynut1977 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: CNY zone 5 Posts: 179	Hi, new to the forum. So should I be worried about the stuff I did buy from her this year? I had no idea she had that bad of a rep. I have ordered and recieved: Brandywine Glicks strain Mikado White(ran out) 2nd order haven't recieved yet: Red Ruffled Tim's Black Ruffle's Large Mennonite Pink Summer Cider Purple Dog Creek Togorific Black Brandywine For the second order, I have no idea if I'm gonna get any of it. The first order I had placed at the begining of Jan. and recieved a email a few days after ordering stating she had an unexpected death in the family and would be late sending orders out. No problem to me since I have a little time. I ended up placing my second order just a few days before my first showed up and in place of the Mikado White (she stated she ran out) I got a check for the same amount but dated for almost a month later. Again that was fine, I got my mikado white seeds else where and will drop off the check to my bank when it hits the date. After reading everything though now, I'm wondering what is gonna end up happeneing with the rest of my order. Melissa1977

February 23, 2009	#59
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	Camo, I ordered Lancaster County Pink in 2007 from Amishland Seeds. Isn't it supposed to be potato leaf? All mine sprouted regular leaf. I didn't grow them out far enough to find whether they were red, pink, yellow or dirt brown.