Author Topic: Seed Saving Circle 2020  (Read 34903 times)

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #120 on: November 29, 2020, 16:11:28 »
Thanks Ruud. The pickling pepper sounds very interesting. Is it a real scorcher?

I've never tried pickled chillis. I imagine it's a Turkish tradition. Do you know if they're for eating straight from the jar? Quite an intense experience I imagine!

markfield rover

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #121 on: November 30, 2020, 08:51:49 »
They have arrived!! So in comes the Christmas tree I’ll pop them under and when the time is right , what immeasurable joy. Thank you everyone especially JanG , through flood and pandemic ( as for Syrian beans ,war too)we made it happen ,so bring on 2021 we have the seeds. Warmest wishes to you all.

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #122 on: November 30, 2020, 10:36:04 »
Brilliant. Glad they've arrived so quickly.

Here are some notes for my varieties. I'm working on putting all notes somewhere central and hope to have that sorted shortly in a way which might or might not work!

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Rosella tomato

Bred by Mark Rowland of Gourmet Genetics, an English setup now marketing through Kings Seeds.
People comment on a smoky flavour which I’m not sure I noticed but I certainly enjoyed it very much


Black Opal tomato
Also bred by Gourmet Genetics. I’m not sure why they have released two tomatoes which to my taste and eye are quite similar but I like them both

Dancing with Smurfs tomato
A variety bred by Tom Wagner. I found the plants to be pleasingly blight resistant and productive and loved the red blushed dark tomatoes.
It was apparently released in 2012 and offered commercially by New World Seeds & Tubers, and named after the thirteenth episode of the thirteenth season of the TV series South Park. Indeterminate, with attractively dark foliage too.

Dehybridised Sungold tomato

I’ve been seleting since 2017 and only saving seed from Sungold types. From the beginning I’ve had over 50% sweet orange cherry tomatoes and Now perhaps 75%. There is also a striped form which has cropped up a few times which is bigger and keeps going after other varieties have succumbed to exhaustion or blight, so I’ve enjoyed that too but all of this seed has been saved from Sungold types.

Jaerert pea
An unusual Norwegian variety from the area of Jæren. It is little known outside that area but has been taken up by Arco del Gusto as a variety to be protected. The plods and peas are small, rather like a petit pois so a number of pods are needed to make a helping! Apparently it is good also as a mangetout although I didn't try it that way. It was probably grown in the traditional way for the area with oats as support, the two crops being harvested together.

Opal Creek pea
An Alan Kapuler variety. A yellow podded snap pea, The peas have a characteristic curved shape. It's a tall variety but not as vigorous as some. It was quite comfortable on a cane wigwam. It was named after the Opal Creek Wilderness Area in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon.



Magnolia Blossom pea
Another Alan Kapuler pea. This has tendrils in place of normal leaves which are delicate and flavoursome to eat in their own right. It is vigorous and needs fairly sturdy support. Very attractive at all stages of growth

Dill
I love dill and often just enjoy it in the garden as it's so pretty and smells so good. It will grow to about 5' high and produce plentiful seed and it has begun to happily self-seed in my polytunnel.

Magenta spreen - Chenopodium giganteum
This gently self seeds in my garden and I tend to leave it because it's so attractive. The young leaves and the flower shoots, when young, can be added to salads or stir-fries. It grows up to about 5' high if you leave it that long. It is much loved by Carol Deppe

Red mountain spinach/ Red orach - Atriplex hortensis var. rubra
Another 5' plant if allowed to develop and another one which will self-seed gently if allowed. Like magenta spreen it can be used young in salad or stir-fried or wilted like spinach when older.

ruud

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #123 on: November 30, 2020, 16:37:39 »
pickeld peppers are a little bit of a challenge to eat.I find the long green ones nicer to eat,not so hot.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #124 on: November 30, 2020, 17:11:37 »
Both Jayb and myself have seen curved as well as straight Opal Creek peas.  The pod on the left is pretty straight.  Even more so the pod in the middle at the bottom.  A very delicious pea. 
« Last Edit: November 30, 2020, 17:14:05 by galina »

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #125 on: November 30, 2020, 18:07:38 »
Interesting re straight Opal Creek. When I grow them again I'll check more carefully but mostly I think mine were curved. Yes, it's definitely delicious!

Do you mean long green ones amongst the Tursusu peppers, Ruud? Or are you meaning a different charity?

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #126 on: November 30, 2020, 18:12:44 »
Ruud, I guess your Dalyan tomatoes are from Turkey too. Are the Dalyan you contributed a commercial variety or seed from a tomato bought in Dalyan?
 I get the impression you have a special connection with Turkey?

markfield rover

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #127 on: November 30, 2020, 19:44:25 »
Before too long I hope to add some info.

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #128 on: November 30, 2020, 20:01:49 »
👍🏼👍🏼

ruud

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #129 on: December 01, 2020, 14:57:02 »
Long green peppers pickled also called pepperoni.This is a different kind of pepper,Dalyan is a tomato i got from the owner of the appartment i rented while on holiday.Yes i have a connection with the place dalyan in turkey.

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #130 on: December 01, 2020, 17:22:14 »
For the varieties bred by Carol Deppe, please refer to her catalogue for full in-detail descriptions https://caroldeppe.com/Seed%20Catalog%202019.html

Blooming Prairie dual-purpose dwarf bean
Attractive little plants with full purple expression in the stems, veins, flowers, pods and seeds. Good as a filet bean and also when dry. Bred by the late Robert Lobitz.

Beefy Resilient Grex bush drying bean
Carol Deppe bred. Beats every other drying bean I’ve grown for savory flavour. Has an umami taste that you would expect from beans cooked with cured meat.
I harvested on four dates - yields increased as the season progressed, with renewed growth after late-August rains; the earliest were all dwarf bushes and the late-maturing plants had indeterminate forms with slight climbing habits. Interestingly, black beans were absent from the late maturing plants.
I’ve included seeds from the entire crop, so one has the choice to make the best selections for their conditions. My source was Brown Envelope Seeds.

Sweet Meat - Oregon Homestead squash
Thick-fleshed and very sweet when left to cure. A Carol Deppe mass reselection of Sweet Meat maxima squash, selected for the original small seed cavities and exquisite flavour lost from commercial strains. Cured squash make great desserts; less mature squash are good in soup, gnocchi, etc. (IMO cured squash soup is almost too sweet).
My source was Vital Seeds.

Früher Heinrich mangetout
Prolific and hardy round seeded mangetout. Pods 80-90mm, bourne in pairs, 8 seeds per pod, with firm string. Plants up to 1.2m tall. Good balanced flavour and sweet. Had success overwintering in modules for early transplants and heavy crops. By many accounts a German heritage variety, though some references claim that it is Dutch (Vroege Hendriks). My source was the Heritage Seed Library.

Redventure celery
Medium-sized red celery, very aromatic. Hardy overwintering outdoors in the south; withstood frost and frozen ground. Parentage Giant Red and Venture. Bred by Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seeds. My source was the Real Seed Catalogue.

Magic Manna flour corn
A truly beautiful Carol Deppe variety that appears well adapted to the British climate. Sow direct in mid-to-late May after soaking for a day.
Flour corn is quite ‘soft’, it is mostly starch and no more difficult to grind up than nuts or coffee. We’ve ground  some flour with a coffee mill and made delicious drop scones with the white kernels. I know this seems like an extremely obtuse observation, but they were so corny! Nothing like any cornbreads or polenta I’ve tasted, which are much blander. It must be the freshness.
My source was a donation from a kind Austrian grower.

Hooker’s Sweet Indian sweetcorn
(Important to note that this is seed from a small population, so it is greatly advised to let these cross-pollinate with other sweetcorn varieties and reselect to maintain vigour. It wouldn’t be the same variety anymore but I believe this strain could do with some enhancement from new genes anyway).
Short, high tillering. Small cobs with thoroughly enjoyable flavour. Sweet and chewy; I noticed some aromatic berry notes! Bred by Ira Hooker of Washington State, and selected for its hardiness. My source was Dreschflegel Saatgut.
« Last Edit: December 01, 2020, 17:24:12 by Vetivert »

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #131 on: December 02, 2020, 06:17:22 »
And mine have arrived too.   :icon_cheers:   

Thank you very much for everybody's seeds.  Seed share day is always a wonderful highlight of the year.  Yes small circle, but the results are amazing.  I love growing seeds and thinking of their donors when the plants are up and looking bonny.  Far more special than growing from shop bought seeds. 

JanG thank you for doing the honours for us.  Gosh you turned that around extra quick, very efficient.  It is really appreciated.    :icon_cheers:

pumkinlover

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #132 on: December 02, 2020, 12:52:59 »
I am glad to see that you are so early this year. It's great to see the seed circle so active.
I've just had an e-mail from Premier seeds direct saying that they will no longer be able to send seeds to Europe and Northern Ireland without an expensive £125 sanitation certificate. Does anyone know whether these regulations will affect non sales of seeds, ie circles like this.
I've posted on here in the hope that the comments stay on the subject of the seed circle rather than the reason for his happening!

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #133 on: December 02, 2020, 21:42:05 »
Yes, it will be like it is now with USA.  Small packets may make it through, but never a guarantee. One of the reasons for a timely seed circle this year.  Now is the time, the absolutely last good opportunity to get seeds from Ireland or EU, as after the end of the year everything is unknown.  I remember with great fondness how a couple of years ago instigated by Jayb, we collected all the interesting seed sources and that post even got pinned.   Apart from the phytosanitary certificate everybody who wants to sell to UK in case of no deal has to contact HMRC and pay VAT ahead, even for tiny purchases.  No exception like UK has now with USA and other countries where very low value items are exempt.  With a deal it may be a little better, but basically how that will affect seed purchases is unknown.  It is still a third country relationship, even with a deal.  Very sad but here we are.  Non sales still need the certificate in future or the luck of the small package,  And plant material will quite likely be prohibited altogether. 

We got the Heritage Seed Library catalogue yesterday and they advised all their European members to order asap, so that seeds can still be sent before the end of the year.
 
 :wave:
« Last Edit: December 02, 2020, 22:00:52 by galina »

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #134 on: December 02, 2020, 21:51:26 »
Yes, I had the email too. It very much brought it home, though Galina has for some time been warning of the realties of the situation both here and elsewhere. Let us hope that at least some poor minimal deal will soften things slightly and that in time some kind of common sense might prevail. But it certainly looks like it will be tricky for at least a while

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #135 on: December 03, 2020, 07:33:10 »
I’ve collected together the information about contributed varieties sent so far. Thank you very much for that. Further info gratefully received when a few minutes present themselves.
I wanted to put it all somewhere central for easy reference. I’m not at all qualified to create a website though I did look into it and believe you either need to pay out or put up with adverts. So I looked into putting the info free of charge onto Airtable which is a database which I very much enjoy using and thoroughly recommend.
I believe anyone can access this if sent a link, so I’m writing a pm initially to anyone interested but for the moment those who’ve donated seed. I’m just hoping that part works.
If it does please let me know whether you find it a helpful format and whether in general it seems a reasonable idea. Or do say if you have a better suggestion. An alternative is perhaps to creat a pinned post here on A4A but I like the way airtable presents photos and the manoeuvrability of it. Anyway, over to you

saddad

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #136 on: December 03, 2020, 11:04:46 »
I'll support the description of Fruher Heinrich...  very prolific, always have loads and being a round pea it is very hardy and so the first to be sown every year... don't even mind if the mice get some as we have loads... all from the twenty we got from HSL a couple of decades ago.

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #137 on: December 03, 2020, 11:54:53 »
They've just arrived!  :icon_cheers:
Thank you all!

markfield rover

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #138 on: January 03, 2021, 14:12:09 »
Hello all , sorry to do this the Luddite way.......
Some information regarding seeds sent:
Seeds from Adam Alexander... veggingoutwithadam.com

Syrian Broad Bean, originally from Damascus , harvest young and eat whole equally good shelled. Small plant.

Burmese Sour Tomato, multi lobed cordon.Adam found this on a market stall in Yangon
(Rangoon) in Myanmar (Burma)  used in sour cuisine but also good with salt and olive oil.

Syrian Stuffer Tomato, from Future Seeds of Aleppo , semi determinate , thin skinned and aromatic.

Hangman’s Door, Tall pea . Very pretty flowers and purple pods . Adam has no history for this pea. I ate them all raw and they are tasty.

Bloody Warrior, lettuce.  Overwintering loose leaf cos, green with purple splashes . Can be sown as late as October with protection, harvest from March.

From Thomas Etty....
Nasturtium Blue Pepe, bred for culinary use , as seen on about every dish on the last series of Masterchef !! Small steely blue leaves.

HSL
Victorian Purple Podded Pea. Tall with very pretty flowers, purple pods which stand proud of the plant, again can only comment on raw taste , rather pleasant.

Just eyeing up some aubergine seeds , patience I know but......

Cheers

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #139 on: January 05, 2021, 10:48:10 »
Thanks for these helpful notes, Markfield Rover. I've added them to the airtable database.

I've had to make it Read Only now, as I was going to incur hefty charges for having put so much stuff on other bases. And any charges are multiplied for each collaborator.

It would be great though if we could add any observations about the varieties from our growing experiences as the year goes on. If any growing observations are made here on this thread, I'll aim to add them to the database as well for handy reference. This link should lead to it: https://airtable.com/shryC20nRNmUcgT30

 

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