Seed Saving Circle 2024

[JanG]

Apparently it was traditionally grown in botsans which seem to be ancient Turkish equivalents of allotments or small market gardens. Yedikule is a district within Istanbul. One source suggests this variety has been grown in botsans in Yedikule for over 1500 years but I would take that with a slight pinch of salt. Certainly though it does seem to be a variety well established within Turkish culture. But nowhere have I been able to find any information about what 5701 relates to and I would really like to know!

I have misspelled this word for a Turkish allotment. It should be 'bostan'. It seems that the self-sustaining way of life which bostans have allowed is under threat and, along with it, the Yedikule lettuce.

[JanG]

[galina]

Thank you Ruud for the information about the beans.  I had a look at this lettuce online and it looks a really big Romaine or Cos type of lettuce,  perfect for a big salad with croutons on top

Thank you for turning the packages around so fast Jang, much appreciated.  And Vetivert your very christmassy sentiments are shared very much indeed.  I love growing seed circle seeds and sending virtual thanks to the donors. 

[markfield rover]

Landed ! How very exciting. Thank you all, and very best wishes for the coming season.

[ruud]

Hoi jan,the number is only a cataloquenumber you also can leave it.The pumpkin i only growed for decoration .I dont know how it taste.

[juliev]

I have also received them. Thank you so much JanG for your speedy turnaround! I had a quick peak but I'm waiting for a few hours of peace and quiet to go through them all. Coffee, cake and Excel spreadsheet at the ready! 
Best wishes

[Vetivert]

Thank you all for such a lovely parcel this year. A delight as always, and my thanks to you JanG for all of the effort that goes into organising this. 

[galina]

Have just been notified that my parcel has landed too, awaiting our next trip.  Thank you very much everybody.   

[JanG]

Hoi jan,the number is only a cataloquenumber you also can leave it.The pumpkin i only growed for decoration .I dont know how it taste.

Thanks Ruud. The number nearly always seems to be there as part of the name so I would wish to include it. Interesting that you're thinking it's a catalogue number. In the context of the bostan, it was perhaps to do with some kind of listing, position, plot number or the like. We will probably never know.

[Vetivert]

JanG here's the info on my seeds 
Apologies to all for not including the Rakkyo bulbs. I had forgotten they are unusual in actively growing and flowering in autumn. Hopefully I can keep them dormant in storage for next year's circle.

Coree de Sang
Climbing French Bean

Shelling/drying type from South Korea.
https://belleepoquemeise.be/le-roi-du-potager/coree-de-san/

(Guy Dirix, BE, 2023)

Wstęga
Dwarf wax bean

Intensely yellow pods that are flat, wide and fleshy. Early variety with strong branching. Seeds are oval with a pretty blue-grey 'pheasant eye' pattern on a cream background.
https://sklep-nasiona.pl/fasola-wstega-szparagowa-karlowa-zolta.html

(Private Donor, PL, 2023)

Tytania
Dwarf wax bean

Like Wstęga , but the seeds are a graphite blue, becoming more brown and khaki as they age.
https://deaflora.de/Shop/Bohnen/Buschbohne-Tytania.html

(Private Donor, PL, 2023)

Red Beard 赤ひげ葱
Japanese Bunching Onion

Sweet red spring onion, best for winter use, Nov-Mar. Blanching and low temperatures intensify the colour. Multiplies into 5-10 shanks.
A comparative photo of rather pale Red Beard (R) and Shimonita (L)
https://blog-imgs-42.fc2.com/u/j/i/ujiiefarm/20101119114101285.jpg

(Real Seeds, 2021)

Valentine
Semi-grandiflora Sweet Pea

Recent recipient of the RHS AGM 2023; the assessment forum described them as follows:
"Fabulous. Tall growing. Good foliage. Floriferous. Large, pure coloured flowers on long, strong stems. Many stems with five blooms. Spring sown plants looked good early in the season. Final height: Autumn-sown to 230cm, spring-sown to 200cm."

The semi-grandiflora type is characterised by wavy petals and a closed keel, in contrast to the Spencer type which has wavy petals and an open keel, and the old-fashioned/modern grandifloras which have plain petals and a closed keel - so they are halfway between the two.

I don't think it's my imagination that the white grandifloras (at least Valentine and Bramdean) have notes of neroli, jasmine and the so-called 'night scented' flowers.
You should find that their scent is discernibly different from 'Enigma'.

(English Sweet Peas, 2023)

Chinese Pink Celery

An attractive type of cutting celery of the 'kintsai' group, grown more as herb than a vegetable. The aroma can be very strong.
It doesn't have chlorophyll in the stems so won't need blanching to achieve the bright pink colour.
Grew into a huge bush of blooms that were favoured by lacewings and tiny parasitic wasps, so if you want to encourage more pest-predators in your garden then this may be the plant for you. Biennial. Overwintered outdoors.

(Baker Creek, 2021)

Dreadnought
Mid-size salad tomato

Classic old-fashioned tomato, round, red, tennis-ball sized at its largest. Very flavoursome and good texture.
What I found odd about this variety, but appreciated nonetheless, was its skin. It may have been down to the way it was cultivated, but the skin was tough and peeled off very easily, like the fruit had been blanched in boiling water. Maybe it was bred to be that way, from a time where tomatoes were consumed skinless?
Unfortunately, I cannot trace any information regarding the history of this variety.

(HSL, Seed Guardian Gift, 2022)

[JanG]

I don't think it's my imagination that the white grandifloras (at least Valentine and Bramdean) have notes of neroli, jasmine and the so-called 'night scented' flowers.

Thank you, Vetivert, for your illuminating notes. I enjoyed the personal observations and admire the ability to separate out notes of different fragrances. I'm not at all familiar with the scent of neroli, let alone being able to detect it in a sweet pea bloom.
It sounds sumptuous and I look forward to growing it.

[JanG]

An attractive type of cutting celery of the 'kintsai' group, grown more as herb than a vegetable. The aroma can be very strong.

In practice, does this imply that you would cut it up quite finely rather than in larger pieces in a stew or stir-fry, for example?

[galina]

Much to look forward to Vetivert, thank you for the descriptions.

I have one plant of 'cutting celery', which was meant to be a celeriac, but never grew a thick bulb.  It seems to survive winters here which are colder than Britain (zone 6 to 7 with climate change), unlike celeriac.  It is now in its fourth year, disappearing in summer, then throwing up leaves in late autumn but not multiplying from the base or flowering.  These leaves and the thin stems are very tender and I cut them one at a time for extra flavour in our salads, but with only one plant there is not enough to really add to the winter salad provision.

I had perennialised celery in Rushden and also perennialised bulb fennel which both provided a huge amount of new shoots in spring, during the hungry gap.  I wonder whether Chinese Pink Celery could also be a winter survivor here.  Really looking forward to growing it. Unfortunately Red Venture, which we had from you a while ago, does not survive here in the same way, although it is very good as a seasonal celery and makes new seed readily. 

[galina]

A dreadnought was a battleship that withstood practically anything. I wonder whether this tomato can similarly survive anything the weather can throw at it.  Cold, rain and hopefully even blight. We will see.  Sounds more a nickname than a variety name.  I also read it was a 'glasshouse' tomato.  That, and its name, conjures up dig for victory second world war times, when all greenhouses were given over to food production, in particular tomatoes, which could be preserved for winter.

It will be interesting to compare with Blaby Special too.   

[galina]

Sorry forgot the url.  https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/news/heritage-seed-library-heres-what-weve-been-up-to#:~:text=Our%20last%20two%20are%20tomato%20Dreadnought;%20an,fine%20crop%20of%20seeds%20in%20year%20two.

"Our last two are tomato Dreadnought; an exhibition variety suited to glasshouse cultivation that produces a multitude of round, red fruits ..."

[JanG]

Unfortunately Red Venture, which we had from you a while ago, does not survive here in the same way, although it is very good as a seasonal celery and makes new seed readily.

More fortunately, Red Venture has over-wintered here in what I think you might call East Midlands (we're rather difficult to ascribe to a broad area). It self-seeds to a perfect degree and is both beautiful and useful. I value it greatly. It will be interesting to compare with Chinese Pink.

[Vetivert]

An attractive type of cutting celery of the 'kintsai' group, grown more as herb than a vegetable. The aroma can be very strong.

In practice, does this imply that you would cut it up quite finely rather than in larger pieces in a stew or stir-fry, for example?

I suppose you could, I'm honestly not sure how much difference that would make in practice, just be careful not to use it in the quantities one would apportion to regular 'big' celery. I've always presumed the 'cutting' part of the name is because in China this celery is repeatedly harvested by cutting a portion and allowing it to regrow. There Dutch also have culivars of herb celery harvested similarly e.g. 'Parcel'.

[galina]

Has everybody had their parcel by now?  Hope so.  Christmas is coming ever closer and the seed share out has become so much part of the festive season.   

[garrett]

My parcel arrived today!

Everything has been sorted into categories and spread out on the dining table to make notes. I'm already in love with the beautiful Corée de Sang bean.

Thank you to Jan for organising and everyone who contributed this wonderful array of seeds. Christmas has come early!

[JanG]

That's a relief. Thanks for the confirmation. I'm not sure why yours took so long but great that you have it now.

All are safely delivered, including even the one which quite smoothly found its way to The Netherlands. 

[JanG]

I wonder whether anyone has any thoughts about the different strains of Lazy Housewife bean. There is a white seeded version which we have had in the circle before donated by Silverleaf around 2020 or 2021 I think, and which is commercially available, offered for example by Kings Seeds and Pennard Plants.
Then there is a pale pinkish brown strain offered by HSL and Beans and Herbs, for example



Finally there seems to be a slightly darker brown strain. Thank you, Ruud, for contributing seeds of this darker form which is the Bohnen-atlas form

(https://www.bohnen-atlas.de/sorten/l/2361-lazy-housewife-brown-)

The first photo is from Bohnen-atlas, the second from HSL and the third from Beans and Herbs. The first is just like Ruud's seeds.