Seeds and seed saving

[Ann]

Although the canning season is over, our food preservation work is not
yet complete. Throughout the summer and fall, I have been harvesting
seeds and seed pods and hanging them to dry in the garage. Now the
work is to clean and sift the seeds and store them in dark, dry, cool
places. Some of the seeds will be saved to plant in the garden next
year. Some, such as dill, poppy, fennel, celery, coriander, mustard
seed, and “black cumin” from the nigella plant, are to be used for
seasoning. On friend Rick’s suggestion, I have also used successfully
the wild carrot or Queen Anne’s lace seeds in seasoning cauliflower
and potatoes.

Others of the seeds will be used for sprouting so that we can have
fresh salad stuff during the cold dark months this winter. For this
purpose I have broccoli, collard, kale, and bok choi seeds, chive,
onion, leek, sunflower, and radish seeds. Some of the wheat berries
from the Sorenson’s crop can be sprouted. I am also experimenting
with basil sprouts. The little red aduki beans I planted this year
will take the place of mung beans used for bean sprouts.

I have decided to start a little garden in a west facing window. I
have four flats in which are planted lettuce, sunflowers, peas, and
onions. (I’ll use the delicate pea leaves as a salad stuff.)

One of my young friends, while discussing with me the various issues
of a local food diet, asked me whether acquiring garden seeds from
beyond my 100MFC boundaries was contrary to the spirit of the
challenge. It was a good question to ponder. I decided to take stock
of the sources of the seeds I had used for the crops I was growing in
my garden. I found that a fair percentage of the seeds came from local
sources, including my garden last year. Of seeds I had saved or were
given to me from friends and neighbors who had saved seeds from their
gardens, I can list all my peppers and tomatoes, cantaloupe, garlic,
and flour corn.

My primary outside seed source is Plum Creek Seeds, owned and operated
by my friend Kathleen Plunkett-Black in Arkansaw, WI. Kathleen raises
seeds for her business in her garden which she has cultivated for more
than 20 years. She provides only heirloom seeds, that is, seeds for
varieties of vegetables which have been handed down through
generations and, unlike hybrid seeds, can be saved and replanted to
produce vegetables with true characteristics. Though Arkansaw, WI is
outside of my 100 mile Challenge radius (near Eau Claire), I feel that
it is an appropriate source for garden seeds for my Challenge
commitment. For one thing, I wasn’t aware of a more local source for
the seeds I wished to purchase. For another, I wanted to purchase the
heirloom varieties so that I could save the seeds for future growing
seasons. And, of course I wished to support my friend in her
enterprise.

Contact information for Plum Creek Seeds is: N3528 County Road D,
Arkansaw, WI 54721 If you would like a catalog, send $1.00 with your
name and address.

Also, locally, I would contact Linda Cockburn of Sunny Farm, Egg
Harbor, who grows and saves heirloom seeds. She can be contacted at
746-0885. Linda, very generously is contributing $1.00 from each
$3.00 seed packet she sells, to the support of Sustain Door’s
educational programming. See the heirloom seed page at the website,
www.sustaindoor.org.