A Seed Saver's Garden

[Pulsegleaner]

The sieve seems like a good idea. The smaller seeds are difficult I've found. and I haven't a good way yet to separate the small bits without losing too much seed (imo) in the process. I do love the hairdryer set on low at a distance, works so well to clean things up, but I've also blown out my fair share of seeds with it too. I'm using it for the amaranth, which has small seed but not that small, and I can see I'm losing a bit. I sometimes ask myself why we need to get the seed so clean, it looks nicer, but I don't think there are many practical benefits for such purity. At least, that's what I tell myself.

Well I can think of a few. For one, the cleaned seed takes up less space (since all of the dross is gone) Second, cleaning allows you to check that no OTHER seeds have gotten mixed in (like weeds).

And third while it is possible for the vegetable matter to turn into mulch, it is equally possible for it to attract mold, which can easily spread to the developing seedlings and kill them. It's why I have to wash citrus pits and fruit stones even if I am putting them in the soil as soon as they leave the fruit; the leftover juice acts as a mold magnet.)

 

[heirloomgal]

3rd year selecting for larger and larger chufa tubers. It's taking time, but it's working!

 

[heirloomgal]

Some of the surviving peppers from the vole assault. I'm grateful for what I've been able to harvest.

Here are the 'Bola' peppers, which I think is a variety for making the powder Pimenton de la Vera. I may try to dehydrate these and see what that's like. These survived because they were grown in the garden. The plants actually got really huge and were quite loaded, so much so that one of the plants broke in July, taking all the immature peppers with it.

A de-hybridized version of the 'Gypsy' pepper. I grew this one in the garden as well, not the greenhouse. Still, voles tunneled into some of them to get the seeds. Lucky that I got these, and that they can ripen off the vine so well. I'm rather surprised that despite being grown outdoors, in partial shade that it still achieved grocery store size.

'Trontarolo', a pepper variety from Italy I'll grow again I liked it so much.

'Sweet Melrose', nice production on these. It's a great pepper, though I didn't like it quite as much as some of the others - mostly because I don't care for this longer shape. It is certainly lives up to it's name, it's quite sweet, and was very good on pizza sliced in thin rings.

The little 'Nora' ball pepper.

Ñora Pepper, a delicious Paella ingredient

The ñora pepper is red and round and normally dried in the sun. It is used ground in countless dishes and products in Spain like Paella or Galician Octopus

www.spainfoodsherpas.com