Remember the Cymlin?

The White Bush scallop dates to pre-colonial times, and some sources say pre-Columbian. It still has a following today. There is a Yellow Bush version of similar vintage, but the white seemed to dominate, despite its rather bland flavor.

There appear to be few early attempts to improve the White Bush scallop, T. W. Woods introduced Wood’s Prolific around WWII. This was a fleshier version with better yields, but it did not make a big impact. Benning introduced a pale green version which gained a bit more traction (Bennings Green Tint). As hybrids became popular, green tint varieties (Patty Green Tint 1976, Peter Pan, Starflower) came on line and enjoyed a brief spurt of attention. The yellow versions were rediscovered with Sunburst, Sunbeam, Sunny Delight, Y-Star. There were even dark green scallops (Total Eclipse, G- Star) and multi-color scallops (Flying Saucer).

In the past few years, the old white scallop has made it into the hybrid world with varieties like Daize (2015), Moonbeam (2014), and Starlight (2004) . Are they any better than the original? Join me in trying some new cymlins this year. Maybe we can both answer the question and enjoy a stroll down memory lane at the same time.