Thai Pea Eggplant

[Pulsegleaner]

According to the description pea eggplant are consumed immature, so the seed may not be viable unless you lucked out and found an overripe one. Not saying it CAN'T happen (I have a pile of seed for things like bitter melons and parval gourds that I got from overripe fruits. But it isn't something one could guarantee casually.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, if they get ripe they get really bitter, according to the description. Besides, neither of us are now living in Houston, which is where she found them at the oriental market.

 

[aftermidnight]

In Canada for some plant material we need both an import permit and phyto but for some we just need the Phyto, most seed we don't need any paperwork. One year I imported a lot of Michaelmas daisies from the UK, they had to come in as bare root cuttings and I needed both the import permit and phyto for them. I guess it all depends on what you're ordering.
Annette

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I think I've only ever lost one seed packet to customs. some Santalum spicatum (soft quandong) from M.L. Farrar. Apparantly, that needs a phyto (ironically S. acuimantum (hard quandong) does not)

 

[digitS']

It seems odd that we haven't found a commercial source in the US.

I woke up this morning with the thought of "J.L. Hudson, Seedman." Nope, every other weird thing but few Solanum.

It seems to be a common ingredient in Indian cold medicines as well as used in cooking. That must be where the immature/mature harvesting comes in.

I just saw on the teevee that India has economic growth of 7% ... maybe a trip ... I wonder where on the subcontinent Solanum trilobatum is grown ..?

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

There are a few cases like that; plants that, while in comparatively wide cultivation, seem to have generally been neglected by the international seed industry (presumably there are sources on their native soil, or growing them as commercial crops would not really be feasible.) You generally won't find seed for parval gourds available from even seed companies specializing in Indian vegetable seeds (though this has less to do with neglect than the fact that parval being fully dioecious and you only needing one male plant to pollinate a whole field of females provides as strong incentive for home gardeners to do them as mature plants, not seeds.) And while soft shelled job's tear is such a well cultivated crop in China you can buy the grain by the bag in any Chinese herb shop, you will not find ANY source here that sells anything but the hard shelled form* (or why my attempts to grow a patch of soft shell rely on trips to Chinatown, finding herb shops that sell the stuff by the scoop, and then picking out seed that was small enough to bypass the huller/polisher [which has become less and less common as time has passed])

*technically, there is a guy on Seed Savers who has one, but his supply is pretty limited, and as of this point, no one appears to have grown enough to be able to supplement his supply.

 

[ninnymary]

Yeah, if they get ripe they get really bitter, according to the description. Besides, neither of us are now living in Houston, which is where she found them at the oriental market.

Where in Houston is this oriental market? I have a niece who lives there. Maybe she can go there and talk to the grower and ask for a few seeds.

Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll ask my sister in law.
Thanks for the offer.

 

[ninnymary]

I'll ask my sister in law.
Thanks for the offer.

Give the location, times, and days.

Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mary, I spoke with her. She's planning a trip to Houston herself shortly to see her mother and will check into it herself. Put some responsibility on her. Thanks for the great idea. I'll let you know if it pans out.