SOL MORGAN

GOLDEN BAY ORGANIC GARDENER, EDIBLE LANDSCAPER, SEED SAVER AND COMMUNITY GARDENING ADVOCATE

Sol Morgan has been gardening since his mum gave him his own plot, aged seven, so he could participate in the agricultural club at school. He went on to do a Bachelor in Horticultural Science at Lincoln majoring in soils and biological husbandry – “the closest you could get to an organic degree in the late 1980s” – studying under Bob Crowder, a profoundly influential figure in New Zealand’s organic movement. Sol is now the chair of the Golden Bay Sustainable Living Centre, and involved in its community garden and the Golden Bay Seed Savers group.

BEAN ‘PEPE DE ZAPALLO’

Sol says his favourite bean is the vigorously growing Chilean bush bean ‘Pepe de Zapallo’. It’s a shell-out bean, grown for drying and storing; and while Sol says it is both easy to grow and productive, what sets it apart is how easy it is to shuck. You just fill a sack with the dry beans and beat it and the beans fall out of the thin-skinned pods, he says. “That’s not true of all beans,” he says. “Some take a lot of work to shuck. In the olden days people wouldn’t watch TV, they would shuck beans!” It has a lovely flavour too, he says, and is quick to cook with no soaking required.

TOMATO ‘TOMMY TOE’

It’s not unusual, Sol admits, but ‘Tommy Toe’ is his favourite tomato. The abundant small fruit have such a beautiful flavour, he says, that it’s won a taste test held by Australia seed company Diggers Club year after year. “It’s considered to be one of the nicest flavoured tomatoes.”

RED-SEEDED BROAD BEAN

Sol got seed for this heirloom legume from Koanga Gardens when he was working with founder Kay Baxter and rates it highly for being ready to pick from early spring. “When you start thinking what can we eat! Everything has bolted, the leeks have gone, the root crops have gone, and if you are lucky you have brassicas. Then all of a sudden, you have this awesome protein source.” This bean can be eaten fresh or dried to store, and Sol says he uses it to make a broad bean hummus. “And all I will say is, compared with chickpeas, it seems to be kinder to my stomach. I won’t go into details about that but I’d say it’s kinder on everybody else too.”

PUMPKIN ‘COURGE OLIVE VERTE’

Sol says this round French heirloom is his favourite pumpkin by a country mile. “It grows a decent sized pumpkin that is absolutely delicious. A lovely flavour, really thick bright orange flesh, it’s great for roasting, great for soup. It’s a maxima, but it stores well too.” The only downside is you have to hand pollinate if you want to save seed, he says. “Like all cucurbits, it’s a promiscuous hybridiser that will cross pollinate with any other cucurbit crop you have!”

LETTUCE ‘DEVIL’S EAR’

Sol says ‘Devil’s Ear’ produces bronze Cos-shaped leaves in an open rosette. It’s beautiful looking with a nice flavour, he says, plus it’s cut and come again.