Selzer Purple

Annual. Early maturing. Most roots are purple, but some are pink and white. Bulbs are mostly buried. Seed is collected from purple roots only. Variation in root shape from triangular to cylindrical to inversely triangular. Smooth skin texture. Obovate, erect leaves with purple petioles. White, crisp flesh. Very good eating qualities. Moderately spicy. A family heirloom variety donated in 2009 by SSE members and Exchange listers Lial & Helen Selzer. Lial's great-great-grandparents, George and Marie Marz Selzer, brought it to the U.S. in 1867 when they emigrated from Zierolshofen, Baden, Germany to the Amana Colonies in eastern Iowa. Formally known as the Community of True Inspiration, the original Amana residents immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1842 and settled in New York state before coming to Iowa in the 1850s. When Lial was a small boy, his grandmother showed him how to save seed in order to maintain the purple color as dominant in this variety. When she pulled radishes, she saved the nicest ones with the most purple coloring, cut the tops off (about 1 inch above the radish), and replanted the tops to allow them to go to seed. Lial has been following this method for 50 years. SSE Accession # 130547