b'INTRODUCING THERAINBOW TO VEGETABLE BREEDINGThe latest on marketing new hues in an ever-growing range of fruit and vegetables.Treena HeinIT WAS ABOUT10 years ago whenraspberries and watermelon, the sky is splashes of new colors in fruit andthe limit.vegetables really began making seriousIts brought tremendous excitement to waves at many farmers markets and gro- consumers in their own cookingtaking cery stores in the United States and otherproduce from a ho-hum good-for-you, parts of the world.comfortable-but-boring part of our diet But as Rick Falconer, U.S. managingto something thats the star attraction. director at Rijk Zwaan USA, points out,As Falconer points out, a plate with if you have access to old seed catalogs,purple, green and orange cauliflower you can fine novel colors in many vegeta- florets on it is far more appealing to the bles. Some varieties that we call heirloomeye than just plain white florets, no matter today were on the market years ago. how it is otherwise served. For example, Baker Creek HeirloomJacques-Yves Gueguen, global carrot Seeds offers the Royal Gold Watermelon,manager at Vilmorin-Mikado, agrees. which has pink flesh and a bright goldNowadays, he says, diversity of colors rind. It was developed from a variety nowand shapes are sought after to bring fun extinct and used to be offered by Willhiteand beauty into our meals. Seed of Poolville, Texas, until they discon- Falconer believes consumer demand tinued it from their catalog in the 1970sfor colorful produce trickled down from and it almost disappeared. culinary innovators, from consumers seeing No one is really sure what kicked offnew hues highlighted by these innovators the huge trend of breeding for colorin food news outlets and in high-end res-about a decade ago. Some point totaurants. Lauren Giroux, Johnnys Selected purple carrots; others to yellow, green andSeeds director of product selection and red peppers. But one thing is certain: overtrialing, echoes the thought. the last 10 or more years, a literal rainbowIn todays foodie culture, colored has been introduced to the market. Fromveggies help inspire home chefs and purple and orange tomatoes to pink pota- take them closer to feeling like they are toes and celery, from white pumpkins andMichelin star chefs, she says. purple cauliflower to yellow kiwis, beets,Novel colored selections have also 52/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2023'