Author: Kari

As 2021 comes to a close, growers across North America are perusing seed catalogs and planning their spring gardens.  Many are learning new gardening and seed saving techniques, and are excited to create more abundance in the new year.

For growers and seed savers preparing for 2022, we wanted to share some heartfelt encouragement in the midst of challenging times. There is something soothing and grounding about curling up in the winter with your favorite warm drink, seed catalogs open and soon to be dog-eared, pencil and planner in hand with visions of turning your gardening resolutions into tangible harvests.

Perhaps you are also making resolutions in other aspects of life, from improving your health to bettering your finances.  Gardening can be an integral part of your goals.  Here are a few common New Year’s resolutions and how growing food can help you to achieve them.

RESOLUTION 1: Manage Stress

Tending a garden provides the opportunity for peace and quiet.  Performing repetitive tasks and immersing yourself in nature can be a form of meditation, a moment of calm to contemplate and unwind.  Additionally, gardening can help you to clear your mind and improve your mood so that you can get more done in other areas of your life.

RESOLUTION 2: Get in Shape

Many people resolve to lose weight and exercise more in the new year. Gardening chores can help.  Bending, lifting, pushing, digging and squatting work every muscle in your body.  Some chores are easy and relaxing, providing a light workout.  Others are strenuous, combining both cardio and strength exercises.

RESOLUTION 3:  Save Money

Growing your own food and putting some away for the off season can supplement your grocery budget.  Having foods and herbs that you use often in the kitchen, such as basil, oregano, rosemary and, onions and garlic, save trips to the store and the associated costs (in the form of time, gasoline, expensive commercial produce and impulse purchases.)

RESOLUTION 4:  Simplify

Adding a garden to your list of responsibilities may seem to add complexity to your lifestyle.  The opposite is true.  As mentioned in the previous resolution, there is nothing more satisfying than having food at your fingertips. Food 20 feet from your kitchen saves trips to the store.  Meal planning becomes uncomplicated as harvesting what’s in season or pulling preserved foods from the shelf or freezer becomes the default instead of hopping in the car to find something quickly.

RESOLUTION 5:  Eat Better

Fresh produce picked directly from the garden is the healthiest and most delicious food you can eat.  Newly harvested foods have more nutrients than produce that has been transported and stored at the market.  And you can be assured that they are free of chemicals commonly used by commercial farm operations.

RESOLUTION 6:  Break a Bad Habit

Letting go of a habit is really hard.  Creating a new productive habit to replace the old habit is key.  Gardening can become a new way of life that replaces or distracts from challenges you may have. Instead of picking up candy, pick some weeds out of your garden. When feeling logy from too much screen time, get some garden time by simply wandering outside and taking some deep breaths.

RESOLUTION 7:  Spend More Time with Loved Ones

The garden is a great place to gather with friends and family, whether that means teaching your kids how to grow food or inviting neighbors over to dine on fresh foods al fresco.  Having a garden buddy is fun and working together gets more done. As the saying goes: many hands make light work.

RESOLUTION 8:  Go Green

Gardening is one of the most environmentally positive things you can do. Composting decreases waste and improves the soil.  Fresh produce from your garden requires no plastic packaging, no fuel for transport and no agricultural chemicals. Most produce travels at least 900 miles to arrive at our favorite supermarket. The impact of transporting is reduced (greenhouse gasses). If everyone just grew one vegetable, harmful inputs (pesticides, herbicides, etc.) are reduced as well by simply not buying the produce in question.

RESOLUTION 9:  Learn New Things

Gardening provides an endless opportunity to expand your knowledge and abilities.  There is always a new technique or a different plant to try.  And the experience of growing food makes you more and more skilled at cultivation.  Your garden can become a source of pride and satisfaction.

If you want to learn more about seeds and chat with other seed savers, join us for Seed Up Saturday on February 26, 2022.  Reserve your place at https://urbanfarm.lpages.co/seed-up-saturday/.  You can also join free monthly virtual seed saving classes and Q&A at https://greatamericanseedup.org/events/seed-chat-2021-03/.

RESOLUTION 10:  Give or Volunteer More

Helping out at a community garden or seed library, sharing produce, donating compost, teaching someone else are just a few of the ways that you can give back.  Even something as simple as picking a flower bouquet for a friend uplifts both of you.

Generous heirloom, non-GMO seed bundles can be purchased at here.

Need a planner? Get our beautiful and helpful Vegetable Gardening Journal here.

FROM ALL OF US AT GASU, we wish you a very Happy New Year and a bountiful 2022!

The most celebrated meal of the year is a few days away.  If you grow your own food, there is a good chance that the holiday feast will showcase selections from your garden.  For the ultimate planners, perhaps the entire meal (minus turkey) was harvested from your backyard.  My gardening style is more off-the-cuff, but there are a few items that I plan to grow every year for the holidays.  I think that homegrown foods are just tastier than store-bought (and nothing impresses guests more!)

If you want to try your hand at growing your Thanksgiving Day feast, early to mid-summer is the time to start planning.  It does take some forethought, but serving fresh, healthy foods from your own garden harvest is an inspiring reward.

Here are a few ideas of plants to grow for Thanksgiving:

Pumpkins:  Growing pumpkins for fall foods and décor starts well before autumn arrives.  Although we call pumpkins a ‘winter squash’ because they last a long time in cold storage, they grow when the weather is warm.  Large pumpkin varieties are lovely, but smaller pumpkins are tastier and have a better texture for cooking and baking.  A few of my favorites are Jack Be Little, Sugar Baby, Gold Nugget, Jarradhdale, Little October, and Lumina.

Winter squash:  Besides pumpkins, there are many varieties of winter squash, including Acorn, Delicata, Dumpling, Blue Hubbard, Banana, Buttercup, Marina Di Chioggia , Butternut, Sweet Dumpling.  GASU carries Spaghetti Squash and Waltham Butternut.

Summer Squash: These varieties don’t store as along as winter varieties due to their thinner skin.  But you can certainly blanch and freeze a few for the fall.  You can find Early Prolific Straightneck Squash, Dark Green Zucchini and Black Beauty Zucchini on our website.

Gourds:  Gourds are easy to grow and they make lovely décor.  GASU has both Birdhouse Gourds and Large Mixed Gourds in stock.

Flowers:  As part of my holiday décor, I really enjoy having flowers (both fresh and dried.)  There is a long list of varieties growing in my garden, including Strawflowers, Gomphrena (Bachelor’s Button, Globe Amaranth,) Chinese Lantern, Zinnias, Sunflowers, Rudbeckia (ie. Black-Eyed Susan,) Mums, Mexican Hat,  Allysum, Ipomea Sweet Potato Vine, Gaillardia (Blanketflower, Firewheels,) Geranium, Snapdragons, and Broom Corn and Marigolds.  GASU carries a varied selection of flowers that are beautiful and useful for attracting pollinators to your garden.

Corn: The flint corn served at the first Thanksgiving feast differed greatly from sweet varieties that we enjoy today.  GASU carries delicious Golden Bantam sweet corn.  A harder variety, Reid’s Yellow Dent, is available for growers who want to grind their own cornmeal or flour.  Perhaps our most popular variety, Glass Gem Corn, is also good for grinding.  But many people grow it simply for its beautiful colors.

Beans and Peas:  Grow beans in the summer and freeze or dry them for Thanksgiving.  Our favorites that we carry are Anasazi, Tepary, Bush Blue Lake 274, and Dry Black Beans.  When the weather cools, plant peas.  GASU has Mammoth Melting Snow and Sugar Ann in stock.  Additionally, we offer Broad Windsor Fava beans which are an unusual bean variety that is plant in the cool season.

Herbs:  The addition of fresh or dried herbs makes a meal particularly delicious.  Rosemary, anise, green onions, oregano, mint, cilantro and sage are a few favorites.  GASU stocks  a collection of fantastic herbs, including Italian Large Leaf Basil, Slo-Bolting Cilantro, Bouquet Dill, and Curled Forest Green Parsley.

Onions: Like herbs, onions are also key to flavoring recipes, from sweet yellow onions and mild bunching varieties to aromatic reds.  GASU stocks Red Grano and Texas Early Grano storage bulbs, as well as Sweet Yellow Spanish Utah Onions and Nebuka Evergreen Bunching Onions.

Winter Veggies: We certainly can’t forget about cool season veggies and greens. There is so much variety in this category, including collards, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, lettuces, kale, arugula, spinach, Swiss Chard, carrots.  Kohlrabi, radishes, turnips, beets and parsnips.  GASU carries and large selection of cool season crops.

If you have them growing, consider using the following for food and décor:

Artichokes, persimmons, pomegranates, grape leaves, eucalyptus, apples, pears, Purple Fountain Grass, citrus fruits, fig leaves. pinecones and branches, cinnamon sticks, Pyracantha or ferns.  Additionally, succulents are a popular decorative plant that can be grown indoors when the weather grows cold.  If you live in USDA climate zone 7 or above, Lantana is a lovely plant whose purple, orange, yellow or red flowers last in fall cut flower arrangements.

Tips

• Order seeds for next year early.  Seed companies start to run out of popular varieties in January when gardeners tend to start shopping. Beat the rush by ordering before the new year.
• 2-4 weeks before Thanksgiving, hang flowers and herbs to dry.
• 1 week before Thanksgiving, visit your yard/garden to look for items that can be used in your table-scape.  Test leaves and flowers for durability (i.e.. Make sure they are not going to wilt immediately when you cut them.)

Where to get ideas:

Natural Thanksgiving décor: http://anita-faraboverubies.blogspot.com/2011/11/organic-thanksgiving.html and http://peekingthruthesunflowers.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-tablescape-ideas.html

Thanksgiving Harvest: What to Plant Next Year for Your Thanksgiving Table https://newengland.com/today/living/gardening/thanksgiving-harvest-what-to-plant-next-year-for-your-thanksgiving-table/

Twelve Things to Grow for Your Thanksgiving Garden: https://montegattafarm.com/garden/how-to-grow-a-thanksgiving-garden/

Growing a Thanksgiving Centerpiece: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/lifestyle/thanksgiving-centerpiece-plants.htm

Written by Belle Starr

Every evening after we settle in for the night’s activities my husband Bill McDorman puts on a pot of water and goes out to the garden to harvest his latest soothing elixir of goodness. This is a ritual I have been part of for almost two decades and I always take it for granted that there will be some delicious mix of herbs and other interesting leaves and twigs to round out yet another busy day.

Unbeknownst to me until recently, I learned there is actually a name for what Bill does. It is called tisane (tea – zahn) and he engages in this process regularly. Tisanes are infusions of leaves and various other garden delights, but technically are not considered teas.  “Tea” is a specific variety of plant (Camellia sinensis.) Teas are created from leaves of white, green, black, and oolong tea shrubs.

Bill’s cornucopia of choices includes mint (always in production around here), lavender, lemon grass, Mexican sage, rosemary, lemon balm and oregano. While one would suspect that some of these herbs may overwhelm the taste buds, in just the right amounts they play well together and taste delicious! I can’t say that Bill combines all the aforementioned herbs every time, but mixes and matches as he desires.

The good news is that all these herbs are great for us and have so many beneficial characteristics. Not only can they taste divine when used in the right amounts, their essential oils and constituents serve our bodies in so many ways.

• Lavender is known for its calmative properties, its antifungal ability and support of digestive issues.
• Sage is antiseptic, antibacterial and is used for various kinds of inflammation.
• Oregano is an antioxidant, and like sage, is antibacterial.
• Mint of course is great for indigestion and helpful for respiratory function. It also makes breath smell fresh.

A typical evening libation might be a small handful of mint, a few leaves of lavender and a small sprig of rosemary. Bill pours slightly cooled boiling water over the leaves in a tea diffuser and lets it steep longer than a traditional tea (4 minutes).  The longer the steep, the more flavor and more release of the essential oils and constituents. There is always immediate feedback of smell and flavor, and every evening another trial tisane is served.

One of the added benefits of having the remnants of a pot full of tisane greet us in the morning is what we call the morning rinse. It is always so delightful to drink up last night’s mix as a precursor to indulging in delicious coffee.  And it is so good for our digestive systems.

Of course, herbs in the garden are a welcome component to any diverse and ecologically healthy landscape. They act as natural insect repellents and attract all kinds of beneficial insects (butterflies, insects, birds, etc.)

Oh, and did we mention, that most are delicious in an array of various dishes?  Cooking with homegrown fresh herbs isn’t just for gourmet chefs. Learn what you need to know about growing and preserving herbs for culinary and medicinal purposes here:  Growing Culinary Herbs by Kari Spencer.

****Join us this Tuesday at 6 pm (Mountain Time, 5 pm Pacific) for Seed Chat when Bill McDorman and Greg Peterson discuss Culinary and Aromatic Herbs.

Those who join in will received a free electronic copy of the booklet, Eat, Drink and Be Merry: Herbs That Please Our Palettes and Keep Us Healthy

Halloween is almost here, heralded by the most enduring symbol of the holiday, the ubiquitous Jack-o’-lantern.  Carved or natural, pumpkins are displayed for their beautiful colors, textures and sizes.  But they are useful for more than décor.

   SAVE THE SEEDS

It’s easy to save seeds from pumpkins to plant the following summer.  Cut your pumpkin open and scoop out the seeds into a colander.  Run them under cold water to remove clinging pulp.  Dry the seeds on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper for a few days, turning them over periodically so that they dry on both sides. Discard any seeds that start to mold and store the rest in and envelope placed in a cool, dark, dry place.

FEED WILDLIFE

Another good use for pumpkin seeds is a treat for wildlife.  According to the National Wildlife Federation’s blog, birds, squirrels, foxes and deer like to snack on both pumpkin seeds and pumpkin flesh. Visit the blog at https://blog.nwf.org/2014/10/how-to-recycle-halloween-pumpkins-for-wildlife/ for more ideas.

FEED PETS AND LIVESTOCK

Pumpkin is a healthy treat for many animals.  It’s a good source of fiber and vitamins, and has digestive benefits.  Birds (including poultry,) goats, dogs, cats, reptiles and rodents can all benefit from eating pumpkin.  Do some research online or talk to your vet to learn the best ways to offer pumpkin to your pets.  Note that pumpkins decorated with paint or glitter should not be fed to animals due to the potential for toxicity.

FEED THE SOIL

It’s not just vertebrate animals that love pumpkin.  Worms and other soil creatures love them, too!  Add small bits of pumpkin to your vermicompost bin and larger pieces in a compost pile.  To prep a pumpkin for composting, remove candles and decorations. Break the pumpkin into pieces and toss them into the compost pile or worm bin.

SAVE THEM FOR THANKSGIVING

When the ghosts and goblins have gone home and the festivities are over, hang on to your uncarved pumpkins.  They can last for several months in cool storage before they start to rot.

EAT THEM

Pumpkin is a wonderful ingredient for many kinds of recipes.  Perhaps the first culinary use that comes to mind is pumpkin pie.  It’s simple to make your own pumpkin puree for pie and to add to soups, smoothies, breads and other recipes.  Pumpkin puree is also a delicious way to add fiber and vitamins to sauces, batters and baked goods.

Homemade puree tastes better and costs less than the canned version. Substitute the same amount of homemade puree as canned in recipes.

Here’s how to make the puree:

1. Start by cutting a pumpkin in half and removing the seeds and pulp.
2. Brush the cavity with olive or vegetable oil and sprinkle the flesh with kosher salt.
3. Line a cookie sheet or pan with parchment paper. Lay the pumpkin cut-side down on the pan. Roast for 30-45 minutes in a 400 degree F oven. The pumpkin is done when a knife or fork easily pierces the skin. It’s okay if the skin turns black and bubbles.
4. Remove pumpkin from the oven and allow to cool for one hour.
5. When the pumpkin is cooled, use a spoon to remove the flesh from the skin.
6. Puree the flesh in a blender or food processor until smooth.
7. Store the puree for up to one week in the refrigerator, or for several months in the freezer.

Note:  Don’t skip lining the pan with parchment.  Pumpkins release liquid that cooks down into a sticky substance that adheres to pans, making them difficult to clean.  The parchment can provide some protection.  Larger pumpkins can release enough liquid to overflow a cookie sheet.  If necessary, use a turkey baster to periodically remove excess liquid.

Pumpkins come in many sizes and types, all of which can be pureed.  Large field pumpkins (carving pumpkins) tend to have a high water content and little flavor, making them undesirable pie filling.  The flesh is useful for savory recipes and to sneak into sauces and batters.  Smaller pumpkins, sometimes referred to as ‘pie pumpkins,’ have meatier flesh and better flavor for baking.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, DONATE THEM

If you don’t want to cook them or leave them in your yard for wildlife, you could donate them to a food pantry.  Or try contacting local zoos, animal shelters, farms or community gardens.  Many will take them off your hands to use as animal feed or for compost.

With so many different ways to use leftover pumpkins, you can keep yours from ending up in the trash this year.

At the dinner table, it’s the classic battle of the veggies — broccoli is on the plate.

Your child clamps their mouth firmly shut and looks you in the eyes with a determined squint that lets you know—it’s on. Those little trees aren’t going down without a fight.

On the list of foods kids hate, broccoli may be #1.  Adults are not immune to distaste for broccoli either, sometimes feeling a strong aversion to what others consider a benign bit of healthy greenery.  Presidents are no exception.  In 1990, President George H.W. Bush stated emphatically:

I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid. And my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States. And I’m not gonna eat any more broccoli!

In response to his distaste of broccoli, the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association pledged to send a number of truckloads of broccoli to the White House. Wearing a broccoli corsage, the President of the association gave First Lady Barbara Bush (who was emphatically #TeamBroccoli) a bouquet of broccoli and an additional ten tons of the vegetable to donate to local food banks.  The press ate it up. And in the tradition of the adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity, broccoli sales headed up.¹

Over the years, broccoli has been celebrated and loved for the amazing, healthy vegetable it is.

Broccoli is packed full of minerals, fiber, nutrients and vitamins.  Research has shown that eating broccoli three to five times per week can lower the risk of many types of cancers, including breast, colon and prostate cancer.  It may also protect against the development of liver disease and cancer.²

But in spite of its great benefits and diversity, there are still those who claim it will never touch their lips. A new study published recently in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reports that for some, there seems to  be a link between the microorganisms in the mouth and how certain people react to the sulfurous compounds in broccoli. People who react to these compounds may recoil from the smell and taste describing it as rotten and putrid. Yet there are still many of us who find its taste heavenly and healing. And, oh the recipes!

Interestingly, broccoli got a big boost in 1986 on Saturday Night Live when comedian Dana Carvey heralded the popular vegetable by singing its praises, literally. Fans of the show may remember the iconic piece known as Chopping Broccoli or The Woman I Know.  Dana hilariously used broccoli as the vehicle to underscore how easy it is to make anything into a swooning rock song. Seriously, what is better than chopping broccoli?

The Great American Seed Up is happy to continue the legacy of broccoli by offering a popular heirloom variety called Green Sprouting Calabrese. 

This old variety was introduced in the late 1800’s in Italy.  Green Sprouting Calabrese Broccoli is popular with home gardeners and small farms because of the many off-shoots, maturing at different times, resulting in an extended harvest time.³

Broccoli is a cool-season crop that has its origins in the Mediterranean.  It was developed by the Etruscans of what’s now central Italy. Heirloom Italian Green Sprouting Calabrese broccoli is not grown on a commercial scale and is most often spotted at local farmers markets or in home gardens, which makes it that much more desirable and unique.

The Great American Seed Up invites you to scoop up a sizable amount to keep the heirloom tradition going and to celebrate this marvelous, controversial and delicious (to most) vegetable.

How does broccoli feel about being stalked by a bad reputation?  Be-leaf me, it’s steamed.

¹ Ferraro, T. (1990, March 27). Broccoli Wars — The final chapter? UPI. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/03/27/Broccoli-Wars-The-final-chapter/2328638514000/

 ² Henry, S. (2016, March 2). Study shows broccoli may offer protection against liver cancer. College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences. https://aces.illinois.edu/news/study-shows-broccoli-may-offer-protection-against-liver-cancer#:%7E:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20eating,as%20cirrhosis%20and%20liver%20cancer.

³Italian Di Ciccio Broccoli. (n.d.). Specialty Produce. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Italian_Di_Ciccio_Broccoli_5002.php

Curious about the seed varieties that will be at the Phoenix Seed Up?  Download the list here.  Use it to plan your shopping experience and to create a shopping list for the event.

If you still need tickets, we have a few time slots left.  Secure yours here.

If you can make it to the in person Seed Up, shop online for similar varieties.  And join us on Facebook for the Phoenix Seed Up livestream on October 1-2.

Dill is one of those aromatic herbs that people tend to either love or hate.  The fronds (which are called Dill weed)  have a distinctive bittersweet lemony smell that is easily recognizable.  The seeds smell similar to the fronds, but the odor is stronger.

I am personally a fan.  The aroma and flavor of dill calls to mind delicious pickled cucumbers that my grandfather grew and flavored with home grown dill weed and dill seed.

Conveniently for people who like pickles, dill is a wonderful companion plant for cucumbers because it attracts beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, lacewings and parasitic wasps.  Its aroma also has a repellant effect on moths, worms and caterpillars that love to munch on brassicas. Plant cucumbers with asparagus and brassicas, such as broccoli, kale and Swiss chard.

Dill weed tends to live up to the name weed as it is hardy and reseeds readily.  Wild dill grows in many places as a field weed that readily naturalizes, and it will do so in your garden, as well. Dill generally needs little care once it’s started. In many climates, gardeners can create a permanent patch of dill letting some of your plants flower and go to seed— plenty of early dill will sprout up the next season.

GASU will have dill available at the Phoenix Seed Up on October 1-2, 2021.  Dill is also included in a few of our seed bundles that can be purchased online here. A particularly hardy variety in stock is Dill Bouquet. It is a favorite due to its large fronds that tend to produce copious amounts of seed.

The GASU team is always expanding our seed knowledge, and we love to learn from other growers. Belle Starr came across an article that we found interesting about the history and uses of dill. See below:

Dill Weed History and Uses by Peggy Trowbridge Filippone  

Dill weed naturally brings to mind pickles. No wonder since Americans consume more than 2.5 billion pounds of them each year, with kosher dills being the favored variety. In Europe and Asia, dill has long been a staple herb, strongly associated with seafood in the Nordic countries. Eastern European immigrants to the New World brought many traditional recipes incorporating dill.

The thin, feathery green leaves become the aromatic herb called dill weed (or dillweed), and the oval flat seeds the more pungent spice referred to as dill seed. Dill is easy to grow at home in the garden or in containers. (If you grow your own, be aware that the mature seeds are toxic to birds.) Once the edible white or yellow flowers appear, the plant stops producing the leafy fronds. But you can add the flowers to pickle jars for a visual surprise or use them to garnish a salad. And if you want to harvest dill seed, you need to encourage the flower growth.

Origin of Dill Weed

Botanically known as Anethum graveolens, dill belongs to the same family as parsley and celery, though it is the sole species of its genus. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean region and western Asia. The word dill comes from the old Norse word dylla, meaning to soothe or lull. It dates back in writing to about 3000 B.C. when it earned a mention in Egyptian medical texts.

In the 1st century Rome, dill weed was considered a good luck symbol. Ancient Egyptians used it to ward off witches and as an aphrodisiac. To the Greeks, dill signified wealth. Many cultures cultivated it for medicinal qualities, particularly its ability to soothe an ailing stomach. It’s even mentioned in the Bible. Puritans and Quakers gave their children dill seeds to chew on while at church as an appetite suppressant. Modern wisdom gives dill seed credit as a breath freshener and anti-bacterial, plus it’s believed to stimulate milk production in breastfeeding women and alleviate colic.

Uses of Dill Weed

The flavor of dill weed resembles the licorice-like flavor mild caraway or fennel. The plant is, in fact, often mistaken for fennel fronds. Add fresh dill weed at the end of cooking to preserve its flavor and color. Dill seeds can be crushed or ground or incorporated whole at an earlier stage as heat actually brings out the flavor. The flavor of fresh dill weed does not carry over to the dried herb, though it is available in supermarket spice sections.

Beyond its use as a pickling spice, dill weed has a natural affinity for zucchini and summer squash, asparagus, and spinach. It complements cold-water fish such as herring and salmon and makes a notable appearance in recipes for borscht. It adds an unmistakable taste to herb salad blends, and often shows up in tzatziki, among other classic Greek dishes.

Death by Tomatoes!

Nightshades are a botanical family of plants, more technically called Solanaceae.  There are more than two thousand plant species in the nightshade family, the vast majority of which are inedible and highly poisonous (like deadly nightshade and jimsomweed [sacred datura].

On the other hand, many are staple foods that are rich in nutrients. Potatoes, peppers, tomatillos and eggplants are all common nightshades.  These are often favorite plants for seed savers.  They are self-pollinating, so they don’t cross pollinate easily.

On September  21^st at 5pm Pacific time, Bill McDorman will join Greg Peterson for their monthly Seed Chat, a live online Q&A session.  This month, they will be discussing and answering questions about Nightshades.  Learn more here.

A Little Tomato History

Perhaps the most popular of the nightshades for gardeners is the beloved tomato.

America’s favorite vegetable originated in the northern highlands of South America. The first wild tomatoes brought into cultivation bore tiny, watery, acidic tasting fruits that barely resemble today’s delicious giants. Over the centuries the tomato made its way north to the Aztecs of central Mexico who are thought to have done much of the original breeding work. In fact, our name for the plant comes from the Aztec name tomatl.

Spanish conquistadors brought tomato seeds back to Europe. Spain became the first European country to really produce tomatoes. Italy adopted the Pomo d’oro, or “golden apple,” as an integral part of its national cuisine. The rest of Europe had a bit more trouble adopting this new garden friend from the New World because tomatoes are in the nightshade family. Their leaves closely resemble a number of deadly plants including belladonna. The English were the last to be convinced, and many of the first American colonists from England still carried this bias against tomatoes.

One of the first places we find evidence of Americans eating tomatoes is in the writings of Thomas Jefferson. Beginning in 1809, Jefferson wrote of growing them for consumption in his garden journals. Amazing stories come from the early days of the United States when most Americans still believed tomatoes to be poisonous.

Col. Robert Johnson, a world traveler and adventurer, against the advice of his physician and in the presence of the local undertaker, ate much of a bushel of tomatoes in front of a terrified crowd on the steps of the courthouse in Salem, New Jersey in 1820.

Some say the Creoles in New Orleans were really the first in the United States to seriously use tomatoes, bringing them into commercial production in 1860.

Tomatoes became immensely popular in the late 19th century. Hundreds of new varieties were created as gardeners and farmers saved seeds from their own stock and selected for different characteristics. This trend continued until after WWII when hybridization and commercialization became the driving forces in tomato production.

The results of this industrial revolution in tomato growing have been nothing short of amazing. Tomatoes are now mechanically picked, tossed into trucks, driven thousands of miles, and stored on produce market shelves for weeks at a time!

Modern commercialization of the tomato has not been without negative effects. Bland and mealy supermarket tomatoes bred for uniformity have compelled a record number of taste-conscious Americans to grow tomatoes at home or seek them at farmer’s markets.

The number of good-tasting, open-pollinated tomato varieties, so prevalent before WWII, is now growing again. By learning to save your own seeds from the varieties that do best in your garden, you can contribute to this expanding diversity. At the same time, you’ll be enjoying the historically celebrated flavor of this remarkable plant and helping to create a more resilient and delicious agriculture system for us all.

Save Your Own Tomato Seeds

Tomatoes are among the easiest plants from which to save seeds. Because they produce self-pollinating flowers, home gardeners can grow two or more different varieties without needing to be overly concerned about separating them to avoid cross pollination. In addition, you can sometimes save a hundred tomato seeds from a single large tomato. This will yield more seeds than you will need for your home garden for the rest of your life.  One thing we love about saving tomato seeds is you can still eat the tomato.

The Great American Seed Up (GASU) features a diverse assortment of tomato varieties for you to plant, eat and save.  Grow your own for great taste and adaptation to your own backyard conditions.  Below are just a few of the beautiful heirloom tomatoes that we offer.

One of our favorites is Brandywine Blend.  

This Amish heirloom dates from the 1880’s. Contains a mix of Brandywine color varieties. An indeterminate variety, it is sometimes referred to as a climbing tomato and staked runners can climb to 9 feet. Brandywine has large (up to 1 ½ lb.) semi-flattened fruit on large vines. Moderate to heavy producer of excellent flavored fruit.

A great tomato for container gardens as well as in ground beds is Ace 55. 

It is a determinate heirloom variety with large, deep red fruit with low acid content. It’s thick, beefy walls are resistant to cracking. This tried-and-true variety is disease resistant.  This favored variety is great for farmers market growers.

For gardeners in hot climates, Floradade Tomato is a delicious, bright red variety that has a great ability to withstand heat and produce high yields.

Floradade produces smooth, 5-7 ounces sized tomatoes with slightly deep globes. The Floradade tomato is a disease-resistant variety developed by the University of Florida at their Homestead facility in the 1970’s.

As mentioned, tomato seeds are easy to save and the benefits of saving them cannot be underestimated. Resilience, flavor, and hardiness are just a few of the important characteristics you can capture simply by paying attention.

Buy your seeds from GASU, and learn from our on-line learning platforms to save tomato seeds and to expand your palette and your ability to continue the seed saving tradition from one generation to another both in your plants and your families!

And don’t forget to attend Seed Chat on September 21^st at 5pm Pacific.  This month’s topic is Nifty Nightshades.  Sign up here.

This article is adapted from “Death by Tomatoes” by Bill McDorman, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance (RMSA), a non-profit organization created to assure a diverse and abundant supply of seeds for the Rocky Mountain West. He has been teaching classes in wild, edible and medicinal plants and seed saving for more than 30 years.

Beans are perfect crops for home gardeners who want homegrown food and greater self-reliance.

They are one of those undemanding garden plants that grow prolifically in diverse climates across North American. Beans are rich in protein, fiber and minerals. Beans are easy to stock up, storing well frozen, dried or canned.  They add flavor, texture and nutrition to a variety of recipes, including soups, casseroles, salads, or simply served all by themselves. For those reducing their meat consumption, beans are excellent alternatives.

While there are a few bean varieties that thrive in cool weather — fava, for example — most beans grow best when temperatures are warm. In many climates, it may be too late to plant them now (this blog was written in September.)  However, fall is a great time to stock up on seeds.  Throughout 2020 and 2021, many growers faced shortages of popular staple crops.  It may seem early to plan for 2022, but procuring seed now will give you a jump on the high season for purchasing seeds.  This occurs in January and February when many gardeners are preparing for their spring gardens and demand for seed tends to spike.

Stock up on beans now and mark your calendar to plant them in the spring when the time is right for your region.

For gardens in much of Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the majority of beans will germinate when the soil has warmed to 50-60 degrees.

In the South, plant your beans in late spring and again in mid-summer for two harvests…or plant several seeds every few weeks for continuous beans through the entire season.

In the Midwest and Eastern territories, same rules apply.  Remember that most beans love the heat but are frost sensitive, so you will need to time your second crop carefully so they can mature before any chance of a freeze.

In the Southwest , even during the (scorching!) hot season, there are bean varieties that will thrive.  These include cowpeas, fava, scarlet runner, Anasazi, and the O’odham tepary.

We have a variety of seeds in stock at the Great American Seed Up. 

Check out all the drought-tolerant, non-GMO beans we have to offer  at bulk prices and sent straight to your door! The full catalog is located here.

If you live in the Phoenix area, several bean varieties will be available to scoop at the live Phoenix Seed Up on October 1-2, 2021.  Tickets can be purchased at GreatAmericanSeedUp.org/phoenixseedup/.

#seeds #seedsavers #greatamericanseedup #seedupsaturday #beans #springplanting #droughttolerant #growyourown

For the first time, the Phoenix Great American Seed Up will present a Facebook LIVE event feed hosted by Terra Rose Ganem of Brilliant Planet. Get a taste of the excitement, see what everyone is talking about, get ideas for your own gardens and garner wisdom from some of the most knowledgeable experts growing today.

Join Terra as she gives you a virtual tour of the event, chats with our experts, and shares what it is like to be a participant in the well anticipated Great American Seed Up.

Terra is a great friend to the GASU team and we are delighted to collaborate with her.

If you haven’t met Terra Rose Ganem, she is a national speaker, bio-energetic practitioner and visionary entrepreneur.  She utilizes high frequency energy, activated nutrition and earth reconnection through gardening to support clients worldwide in activating and living their true potential.

Through her private practice, immersion retreats, an eco-destination and presentations, she connects the relationships between our internal and external environments to elevate and optimize living through consciousness & embodiment of inner power – resulting in living the best life ever!

Terra began her holistic nutrition practice alongside seven naturopathic doctors, where she provided complete nutrition protocols, recipes and guidance for them while they participated in other healing treatments. She later went on to co-found a lifestyle medicine company with three naturopathic doctors before branching out on her own to merge ancient wisdom and modern technology to allow people to quickly, with ease and grace, break through the old and create the future they want. Today, she is known as the “one you must go see,” by many of her clients.

Besides running a thriving practice, she also serves as the Executive Director of a nonprofit she founded, Brilliant Planet which is located in Mesa, AZ. The organization has an ecosystem-mission which includes being part of the end to food insecurity in Arizona, while also re-infusing magic and wonder for living and nature into the hearts and minds of families. They do this through hosting homeschool events, family volunteer days and classes within their lifestyle, plant-based cooking and gardening schools.

In addition, Terra will moderate a virtual Q&A following the Phoenix Seed Up with a live panel of experts. 

Make sure you are following us on Facebook for live event announcements!

…there is so much going on in the world of gardening that we need to tell you about! We have been really ramping up for this season to bring back the original, in-person, Great American Seed Up!

The Seed Up transitioned to online ordering in 2020 and that is continuing, but we want to stay true to both our roots and our local gardeners! So once again we are hosting our one-of-a-kind, in-person, local, BULK seed shopping event on Friday, October 1st from 4 to 8 pm and Saturday, October 2nd from 10 am to 3 pm. And in order to help us navigate crowds and reduce wait times, registrations this year are scheduled on half hour time slots.

This unique and popular “pop up” seed bazaar offers well-known garden varieties in a bulk seed format where customers can scoop up as many seeds as they want from popcorn buckets.

Seed sold at the Seed Up is landrace and heirloom vegetables, herbs, beans, greens, grains, and flowers. These “true to type” varieties are known for adaptability to different regions and climates

We’ve used our buying power to secure bulk amounts of seed so that we can pass the savings along to you with non-GMO and open pollinated seed varieties! Plus, because this is who we are – we share loads of information and education.

Tickets are $7.50 and include access to the Seed Up event and a large array of educational webinars, podcasts and Seed Up Saturday recordings. Limited tickets will be sold for specific time slots, so plan on registering early to secure your slot. Once you reserve your ticket, we will add your name to our list. No need for any additional paperwork!

We will be at the same location as our previous events: The North Phoenix Baptist Church at 5757 N Central Ave, Building B, Phoenix, 85012. Parking available in the south lot.

About that education… We are doing it online so everyone has the same access to it. We are timing our next Seed Up Saturday to happen a couple Saturdays later on November 13th, starting at 1pm with new presentations and topics. Click HERE for full details and a line-up of speakers.

AND, if you really cannot make the in-person event this year, we’ve still got our generously portioned Seed Up In a Box bundles which can be purchased at GreatAmericanSeedUp.org.

During the actual Great American Seed Up we will have a Facebook LIVE event feed hosted by Terra Rose Ganem of Brilliant Planet. Get a taste of the excitement, see what everyone is talking about, get ideas for your own gardens. Join Terra as she gives you a virtual tour of the event, chat with our experts, and shares what it is like to be a participant in a Great American Seed Up.

Follow us on Facebook for live event announcements.

Did you know that squash varieties are the most common type of plant grown for human consumption?

This family includes Melons, Pumpkins, Cucumbers, Zucchini, and Gourd. And this is a great time to get your gardens started with some squash, where ever you are!

Cucurbirta pepo. Early Prolific Straightneck Squash is a picture-perfect yellow summer squash with gracefully arched stems. Produces abundantly. Harvest early as baby squash or wait until 5-6″ long for slicing.  Developed by the old Ferry-Morse Seed Company of Detroit, Michigan, ‘Early Prolific Straightneck’ was stabilized as a distinct cultivar from a selection of ‘Summer Crookneck’. Introduced in 1938, it was an “All-America Selection^®” winner that same year.  It remains an ever-popular heirloom variety that growers love for its delicious flavor and abundant fruit.

CULTURE: Plant seeds directly in the garden after soil reaches 70° F. In extremely cold areas, use black plastic mulch to raise soil temperature.

SOIL: Best yields come from well-composted, well-drained soil.

INSECTS AND DISEASES: Control pests with rotenone and pyrethrum.

SOIL: To best prevent blossom end rot, water at base of plant and provide slightly alkaline soil, rich in calcium.

COMPANION PLANTS INCLUDE: corn, nasturtiums.

SUGGESTED Individual Portion: 1/2 Tablespoon.

If you have grown this squash, leave a review and tell us about your experience here.

At the Great American Seed Up, we have several varieties of squash that are non-GMO, drought-tolerant, and non-hybrid so when you plant these seeds, success is around the corner.

Early Prolific Straightneck Squash is included in select SIB bundles and will be available at the 2021 Phoenix Seed Up.  Register for the Phoenix Seed Up at GreatAmericanSeedUp.org/phoenixseedup.

Check out all we have to offer at GreatAmericanSeedUp.com.

And if you need a little guidance on how to save seeds and grow food,  attend for our free monthly online educational event Seed Up Saturday! Sign up here: SeedUpSaturday.com.