A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

I've been watching a really fascinating documentary this week, 'Ancient Apocalypse' by Graham Hancock. There are many clues across the globe to indicate a prehistory we don't understand, Stonehenge being one, but there are many as the show goes over. Archaeological sites all around the world with the same symbols, and foundational 'myths' that overlap - despite being on different continents. Perhaps even a global language. Often what's left behind describes serpent/s and a great cataclysm of some sort, often a flood or a great winter. Turkey has an 8 story tunnel system/city built underground, Derinkuyu, that can hold 20,000 people. Part of why I find this interesting is, being a bean grower, that I feel this is the case with common belief in the origin of Phaseolus vulgaris. The story that it was introduced to Europe from the New World just doesn't make any sense given the ancient story of Jack and the Beanstalk, thousands of years ago. It's one of the oldest written stories in history. Clearly Europe was in possession of very tall plants that grew beans, so how did the story get so convoluted? This documentary explains how these things go wrong with traditional archaeological narrow thinking.

One of the points of this archaeological documentary is that finding something somewhere doesn't mean it comes from there, or that it was built by the people present at discovery. Many of these ancient structures (etc.) that we attribute to this group or that, like say 'Aztec' sites & artifacts, these were actually inherited by these groups, not created by them. And this is all over the world, clues showing we don't actually understand the prehistory that lies buried in time. So, I feel even more convinced now after watching this that the origins of P. vulgaris are not as they seem.

Great docu-series, highly recommend!

Ancient Apocalypse

What if everything we know about prehistoric humans is wrong? Journalist Graham Hancock visits archaeological sites around the world to uncover whether a civilization far more advanced than we ever believed possible existed thousands of years ago.

ihavenotv.com

 

[heirloomgal]

I wonder what effect a cold winter has on a garden as opposed to a less severe one? I may get that question answered in 2025. This year is shaping up to be a real doozy. It's been a snowpocalypse all around us this week; thank goodness my town seems to be in a protected bubble, but places all around us in all directions got nearly 5 feet of snow. Crazy. One of the towns just completely shut down. A number of places around the world have actually already gotten their average yearly snowfall - and it's only the 1st week of December. Seoul Korea broke snow records too in the last 2 days. ERCOT apparently warned of a potentially frigid winter there.

Given that we had record historical lows in Canada this Jan, -41 both C and F and daytime temps below -30 C/-22F for 5 days in a row I wonder what is ahead Some places went as low as -45 C/-53 F. 37 records were shattered for coldest temperatures in history this year. It's actually a bit worrying. A prepper friend just found out her area is predicted to got to -50C this January, BC looks like it might be hit hard with historical lows. Of course, time will tell. I hope none of this is right, I'd prefer above average temps. If we do shatter historical records again this winter though it's going to solidify that the Grand Solar Minimum is in effect and terrestrial cooling is indeed upon us. NASA confirmed this is the case, but how much cooler is the question and for how long? We do know for sure sunspot activity is decreasing. Scary!

 

[Alasgun]

Sorry you live in such a hostile environment!

 

[heirloomgal]

I've been chipping away at the 2025 garden plan variety picks. I got soooooo many new tomatoes this year I probably won't need to buy any new ones for 2 years. (Unless of course I see something I think I REALLY need). I'm not sure where my thinking was on that except for the fact that 2 of the people I got seed from are elderly, have big collections and might soon be done with circulating their seeds. That's my excuse and I'm stickin to it. Anyway, the tentative plan--

1. Dwarf Harmonic Convergence
2. Dwarf Kodiak King
3. Waratah - dwarf
4. Dwarf Maura’s Cardinal
5. Dwarf Sara’s Ollala Emerald
6. Dwarf Edith Stone
7. Fat Frog - mini dwarf
8. Bing
9. Tundrich
10. Koch Italian
11. Russe
12. Sweet Home
13. Astrakhanskie
14. Danko
15. Cascara Rendidora
16. Tatar of Mongolistan
17. Plourde
18. Brookpact
19. Korleva (Northern Queen)
20. Fish Lake Oxheart
21. Praleska
22. Trophy
23. Pozhar
24. Alenka
25. Spiridonovskie
26. Supergonets
27. Turboreactivnyi
28. Plamya
29. Pitice
30. Puck
31. Minsk
32. Zarnitsa
33. Kalinka
34. Forme de Couer
35. Gregori’s Altai
36. Break O’Day
37. 42 Days
38. Bison
39. Picardy
40. Gold Rush Currant
41. Ruby Treasure - storage*
42. Mystery Keeper - storage*
43. Winter Gold Keeper - storage*
44. Norderas Busk
45. Giallo Grapolli - storage*
46. Piennolo del Vesuvio
47. Volgogradskiy 5/95
48. Picket
49. Sasha’s Altai
50. Lisbon
51. Gru Vee Green Cherry
52. Koralik - cherry
53. Ambrosia Rose - cherry
54. Angora Super Sweet - cherry
55. Cherry Brownies - cherry
56. Malchik Palchik - dwarf
57. Garnet - red orange cherry tomato
58. Ida Gold - pot cherry tomato
59. Green Krim Cherry
60. Toad Suck Toad - toad green color
61. Taiga - green pink yellow fruit in heart shape
62. Large Lucky Red
63. Zebra Ezel - orange brown w/green stripes
64. Karma Apricot - orange with red marbling
65. Mini Mouse Dwarf Roma
66. Prairie Fire - paste
67. Royal Finger Dwarf Paste
68. Drova - paste
69. Isle of Capri - paste

I'm not sure if this is in stone, but it's a first draft. Many of these I'm really curious to try - like Prairie Fire, which you read so many good things about, the off the chart brix. Taiga and Karma Apricot are Karen Olivier tomatoes and I have really loved all the tomatoes I've tried from her breeding projects. How can someone not try a tomato called 'Cherry Brownies'??? Of course the Russian ones which generally are early and very good quality tomatoes.
I do love to experiment with cooking/spaghetti sauce tomatoes so Drova and Isle of Capri make the list. Then the greens, can't have a season without them. And the dwarfs - mostly all from the cross hemisphere dwarf tomato project because as a rule I have found dwarfs and especially mini dwarfs taste terrible. A few exceptions to that, but yeah, bad.

A few new long keepers on there too, though I liked Ramillette de Mallorca so much I can't see myself not growing it again. I'm still waiting to try it the traditional way, crushed & rubbed on toasted bread with garlic, sort of a bruschetta without cheese. Though adding some mozzarella might be a good idea now that I think of it.

I hope I can fit all these in.

 

[Blue-Jay]

I got these Acorn squash seeds last year out of an acorn squash. The peron that grew these acrons also grew some variety of pumpkins close by. I cleaned out the acorn squashes last year and threw the skins the seeds out in one of the backyard garden plots. Mild weather in February and I got the roto-tiller out and tilled the garden plots. I couldn't garden this year but in the plot that had old tomatoes and squash remains up come these plants about the middle of May and they develop into vines and I watch them grow all summer. I actually got both acorn squashes out of the mix and pumpkins. Last night I baked and processed all the acorn squashes that I hadn't given away. I kept these other two fruits and I wonder what does anyone think they might be. Not an acorn squash and not a pumpkin. I'm guessing they are some sort of hybrid squash of the acorn squashes and the pumpkins. It's about 4 or 5 times the size of an acorn. It weighs nearly 10 pounds. Showing photos of a couple of my pumpkins (left photo) and this other fruit on the (right photo). I'm going to cut it open and cut it into smaller pieces today and bake it in the oven. I'm guessing it will be good to eat. I"m going to save seed of it and sometime in the future see what evolves out of it. The third photo also harvested from this same plot is the world's smallest pumpkin.


Volunteer Pumpkins................................................................Hybrid Something Squash



Worlds Smallest pumpkin

 

[heirloomgal]

I got these Acorn squash seeds last year out of an acorn squash. The peron that grew these acrons also grew some variety of pumpkins close by. I cleaned out the acorn squashes last year and threw the skins the seeds out in one of the backyard garden plots. Mild weather in February and I got the roto-tiller out and tilled the garden plots. I couldn't garden this year but in the plot that had old tomatoes and squash remains up come these plants about the middle of May and they develop into vines and I watch them grow all summer. I actually got both acorn squashes out of the mix and pumpkins. Last night I baked and processed all the acorn squashes that I hadn't given away. I kept these other two fruits and I wonder what does anyone think they might be. Not an acorn squash and not a pumpkin. I'm guessing they are some sort of hybrid squash of the acorn squashes and the pumpkins. It's about 4 or 5 times the size of an acorn. It weighs nearly 10 pounds. Showing photos of a couple of my pumpkins (left photo) and this other fruit on the (right photo). I'm going to cut it open and cut it into smaller pieces today and bake it in the oven. I'm guessing it will be good to eat. I"m going to save seed of it and sometime in the future see what evolves out of it. The third photo also harvested from this same plot is the world's smallest pumpkin.

View attachment 71035View attachment 71036
Volunteer Pumpkins................................................................Hybrid Something Squash


View attachment 71037
Worlds Smallest pumpkin

I've not grown many squashes or pumpkins, but looks like you've got a 'squashkin' !

Here's a little time saving squash cooking trick. For pumpkin pies I've always cut my pumpkin into large chunks and taken the peel off, then steamed them so I could mash them when cold. Took so much time! Now when I eat squash or pumpkin whether its sweet or savory I just cut the whole thing in half, leave the skin on, put them on a baking sheet face down. (I do scoop the seeds out first). No oil or anything, and they cook so fast that way, it seems to create a little steaming cavity inside the squash. Saves so much chopping and peeling time! The family just cuts off slices from the cooked squash, adds a pat of butter and leaves the peel on the plate.

 

[ducks4you]

JUST IN TIME for processing my pumpkin harvest!!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Here's a little time saving squash cooking trick. For pumpkin pies I've always cut my pumpkin into large chunks and taken the peel off, then steamed them so I could mash them when cold. Took so much time! Now when I eat squash or pumpkin whether its sweet or savory I just cut the whole thing in half, leave the skin on, put them on a baking sheet face down. (I do scoop the seeds out first). No oil or anything, and they cook so fast that way, it seems to create a little steaming cavity inside the squash. Saves so much chopping and peeling time! The family just cuts off slices from the cooked squash, adds a pat of butter and leaves the peel on the plate.

I was baking the Acorn squash the same way. After the pieces cooled down I scraped the soft meat of the squash out with a large spoon. But it in a bowl added some butter and a little brown sugar and mashed and mixed it all up with a potato masher. Put the fisnished product in quart containers and froze the quarts. Got 3.5 quarts out of the project. That big squashkin took two hours to bake and it didn't have any natural sweetness or much flavor as the Acorns. So I gave up on that big one.

 

[heirloomgal]

I was baking the Acorn squash the same way. After the pieces cooled down I scraped the soft meat of the squash out with a large spoon. But it in a bowl added some butter and a little brown sugar and mashed and mixed it all up with a potato masher. Put the fisnished product in quart containers and froze the quarts. Got 3.5 quarts out of the project. That big squashkin took two hours to bake and it didn't have any natural sweetness or much flavor as the Acorns. So I gave up on that big one.

Wow, 2 hours that's along time. The bumps on that hybrid 'squahskin' almost look like gourd genes. We bought a halloween pumpkin this fall, it looked like a perfect pumpkin with a tiny bit of those bumps. As soon as I tried to cut it I knew it wasn't pure pumpkin genes, the outer shell was too hard. That's a gourd quality, and they had no sweetness either I could detect, so I pitched it. Maybe there was some gourds also grown nearby from the mother fruits that you got the seed from? I have read that squash is not like beans when it comes to outcrossing, something genetic happens to them when they outcross and, so this one book I read said, the quality always goes downward, never up with crossing. That could be what you see with that one too?

eta: Okay I just checked that @Blue-Jay, yes it's true that seeds grown from crossed squash/pumpkin parents will produce the worst traits buried in the parents' genetics.

 

[heirloomgal]

I was perusing a pretty bean website and came upon this interesting bit. I'm not sure if it's true, bean history seems to me fairly shrouded in mystery and missing links, but if true this is rather fascinating. People chuckle at the idea of growing seeds because they're beautiful, and I've met growers who will defiantly proclaim, 'I grow them for the da*n colors!!!!' with a hint of self consciousness, but this seems to confirm the tendency of our species. Interesting!

"Beans are the only food first domesticated not to be eaten, but to be used as body adornments or in ritual ceremonies. Throughout history, men and women have carefully selected the most alluring seeds, those with the most eye-catching shapes, patterns and colors, planting them again and again. The rainbow of kinds that exist today, from emerald-green Jade beans to ruby-red Scarlett beans, from pearly-white Corona beans to sapphire Sacred Blue beans, are living proof of the role beauty has played in conservation."