A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

I did a double run to BOTH H-marts near me in an attempt to secure more of the wild mung beans and such while I could. The first trip was not initially part of the plan, but I could not find the empty bag I had put to the side from the last one for its expiration date (which would tell me which batch NOT to buy), so I had to go back to my "normal" one and double check the date. This actually proved to be somewhat advantageous, as, while check ALL of the bags, I noticed an "old" one I had missed last time (plus, I managed to scare up two package of frozen Chinese buns of the one frozen brand I actually find to be somewhat decent, and confirmed the new bottled ice tea I have become fond of is in fact being restocked for the moment.)

Between the two of them, I walked away with four bags to test. And while, regrettably, none of them proved to be the "correct" ones (it looks like the company must update the expiration date and switch batches quite often, as I found two bags with dates separated by only a week or two [ and remember, this is a dried, not very perishable product, so updating the date so often would not actually be all that necessary.]) I did not wind up TOTALLY empty handed, there were a smattering of bindweed seeds of various species (there pretty much always are, regardless of what else does or does not show up) and a few commoner domestic seeds (regular mung bean, regular rice bean).

The only odd thing was the presence of a lentil in one bag and of a LOT of guar seeds in two others (same batch). The bags say the senna is grown in China, and neither of these are crops I associate with there. Maybe where they are grown borders China AND India (or maybe they're growing it just for export or processing purposes, like how the chickpeas probably would up in the Korean "Healthy Bean Mix."

I went looking for poppy seeds to make lemon poppy seed cake a few days ago, a dessert I haven't bought seeds for in over 15 years. I don't know if the poppy seeds I have from the garden are safe, or the same as what I used to buy from the store years ago. I couldn't find anything. I asked and they said they haven't had them since the Afghan trouble a ways back. He then told me years ago he bought a wreath from craft store White Rose and shook out the seeds from the dried poppy heads on it, and planted them in his garden. He saw that the tag said made in Afghanistan. He said the flowers were a beautiful mix of pinks, purples and reds. That fall he made lemon poppy seed muffins, a dozen of them, and used the seeds from those poppies. He ate the first two and on the 3rd, sailed into the ether. That seemed odd to me, I've eaten lemon poppy seed cake countless times without strangeness. I asked him, how much did you put in? 'Only a cup' he says.

It does make me wonder though, can any poppy seed be used in baking?

 

[heirloomgal]

@Pulsegleaner I just got a message from West Coast Seeds that the Peruvian Black Mint (Huacatay) is back in stock. I'm tempted to get it because I've been wanting to try and grow this for awhile, but it occurs to me now it might not make it to seed here, which would be sufficient reason not to try it after all. Have you grown it?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

@Pulsegleaner I just got a message from West Coast Seeds that the Peruvian Black Mint (Huacatay) is back in stock. I'm tempted to get it because I've been wanting to try and grow this for awhile, but it occurs to me now it might not make it to seed here, which would be sufficient reason not to try it after all. Have you grown it?

No, I don't think I have. I don't do much with the herbal members of the Marigold family.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I went looking for poppy seeds to make lemon poppy seed cake a few days ago, a dessert I haven't bought seeds for in over 15 years. I don't know if the poppy seeds I have from the garden are safe, or the same as what I used to buy from the store years ago. I couldn't find anything. I asked and they said they haven't had them since the Afghan trouble a ways back. He then told me years ago he bought a wreath from craft store White Rose and shook out the seeds from the dried poppy heads on it, and planted them in his garden. He saw that the tag said made in Afghanistan. He said the flowers were a beautiful mix of pinks, purples and reds. That fall he made lemon poppy seed muffins, a dozen of them, and used the seeds from those poppies. He ate the first two and on the 3rd, sailed into the ether. That seemed odd to me, I've eaten lemon poppy seed cake countless times without strangeness. I asked him, how much did you put in? 'Only a cup' he says.

It does make me wonder though, can any poppy seed be used in baking?

Officially, the only poppyseeds that are usually used are those of Papaver somniferum, the good old fashioned opium poppy. That's why poppyseed items can give you a positive on a drug test. It's also probably why your friend went on that trip; depending on how he harvested them, they might have had a LOT of opium stuck to the seeds.

I tend to assume that, if any poppy's seeds could be used, the industry would have switched over to a non-narcotic one to save itself so much legal red tape. Places that grow poppyseeds tend to be very carefully monitored to make sure the seeds are ALL they are collecting. Much like how the rule is now with growing opium poppies in your garden. You now CAN grow a few (you couldn't before) and saving seed is hunky dory, but if a cop walks buy and sees razor slashes on the pods, expect a knock on the door and some trouble.

 

[flowerbug]

...
It does make me wonder though, can any poppy seed be used in baking?

the real tiny ones are like dust, so i'd say not worth it for some of them.

the oriental opium poppies may be regulated if you somehow got ahold of them maybe the police would come along and rip them out? i don't know. i have no idea if the ones we have here are what kind. the deer have been eating them all... do we have stoner deer? might be... based upon how many of them run out in front of the cars i'd say highly likely...

 

[Pulsegleaner]

the oriental opium poppies may be regulated if you somehow got ahold of them maybe the police would come along and rip them out? i don't know.

They used to. Now, as I said, they only get involved if they see evidence you are actually trying to get opium out of them, you're OK otherwise.

i have no idea if the ones we have here are what kind.

Most commercial ones are either the European kind (the "Flanders Field" kind) or the California kind. Unless they are blue, then they're the Himalayan kind.

the deer have been eating them all... do we have stoner deer? might be... based upon how many of them run out in front of the cars i'd say highly likely...

Lets put it this way. I used to throw out mountains of senna seed onto the yards (before I got tired of mowing down senna plants and dealing with their stink). The animals presumably ate at least some of those seeds, given where some of the plants ended up. And I didn't see any notable increase in piles of animal scat, still less any corpses of small animals that had literally pooped themselves to death from a laxative overdose.

From a nutritional point of view, a poppy plant doesn't really have much to offer. It's not big, it's not juicy and it doesn't have any nutrient packed buts except the seeds (which, by the time they're ready, the rest of the plant has become basically useless "vegetable paper") A deer might eat some in the course of browsing, but I doubt they specifically seek them out. Even if it makes them feel good, a stoned deer is a deer who is more vulnerable to predators, and so a deer who isn't likely to live very long.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

A deer might eat some in the course of browsing, but I doubt they specifically seek them out.

I should have clarified and said initially. Given how addictive opiates are, I can easily imagine a deer getting "hooked". Animals are certainly CAPABLE of addiction (if I recall, they did an experiment where they gave rats food when they hit one button, and cocaine when they hit another. The rats kept hitting the cocaine button until they starved to death.)

 

[Branching Out]

I should have clarified and said initially. Given how addictive opiates are, I can easily imagine a deer getting "hooked". Animals are certainly CAPABLE of addiction (if I recall, they did an experiment where they gave rats food when they hit one button, and cocaine when they hit another. The rats kept hitting the cocaine button until they starved to death.)

I think I have a new idea for a rat trap......

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I think I have a new idea for a rat trap......

Well, I THINK it's legal to grow coca leaves now (at least, some species).

Or, depending on the flora around you, you could try and find some Mormon Tea (i.e. the native North American species of Ephedra). If rats respond to cocaine, they probably respond to ephedrine as well (i.e. the precursor to crystal meth and speed) .......

 

[heirloomgal]

Time for a break from Christmas baking.

I think I have finally hit on the secret sauce of overwintering peppers without bugs/headaches. I will post pictures when I get some time, but all the plants that I brought in from outdoors in Sept/October are healthy and doing super well. My significant history of failure with this might finally be over. Watering the pots with the neem oil & soap mix (in water of course) really did eliminate the eggs and totally broke the cycle. More than that, most of the overwintering plants are in soil I scooped from the garden, and I have seen exactly one gnat thus far and sprayed him on site. The Green Pepper basil, the Capiscum flexuosum, Chiltepin, Wiri-Wiri, Habanada and Murupi White look like they will be in good shape come May, fingers crossed.

Of course, I wouldn't overwinter most peppers since peppers tend to do pretty great in an average year anyway, but all the above plants were late bloomers/slow growers and the Wiri-Wiri barely gave me a handful of peppers, so with these I consider it worthwhile.

Feelz pretty good to walk by those new green leaves this time of year.