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Seeds Worth SavingSaving seeds was considered the norm in days past. My grandparents and great grandparents and generations prior to them considered that a normal part of their summer. They selected for seeds that thrived on their farms. All of the seeds grown back then were open-pollinated. Of course, seed-saving won't work quite well with the hybrid seeds of today, but is a dream with open-pollinated varieties.We are in the process of saving the open-pollinated varieties of plants that are thriving on our farm. Ones worth saving for our northern climate were the Northern Pickling Cucumbers which gave and gave all summer long and Green Hubbard Squash which thrived without being watered all summer long. It was located next to the sweet corn at the top of a hill and did very well in our drought. The squash is huge and beautiful and we are looking forward to making pie from it. The sweet corn, however, was in a sad state. In a time-saving crunch, we purchased hybrid corn from a local store which did not do well in our drought at all. We were able to salvage some ears of corn for some meals and put away a few quarts from our knee-to-waist-high hybrids. We are currently in the process of searching for a good open-pollinated variety of sweet corn for next year. We were quite pleased with our beneficial flowers as well and are in the process of saving seed from those. Zinnias and Mexican Sunflowers have to be the favorite. These flowers have bloomed all summer long. Not only were they a beautiful addition to our garden, they attracted quite an array of beneficial insects as well as Humming Birds. Selecting and saving seeds will not only keep the seed bill down from year to year, but it is such a wise way of selecting for those plants that thrive on each property. It keeps heritage alive within a family - what I wouldn't do to have some of my grandparents seeds now. I would plant them with such a sense of honor to my heritage and eat the produce while reminiscing about my wise agrarian ancestors. Also, it is a wonderful way to teach observational skills to our children as they learn to detect and discern what characteristics to look for in a seed worth saving. A wonderful book which we refer to often is entitled, "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth. It provides excellent instruction on seed saving. As we build our seed inventory, we purchase our seeds from "Seeds of Change", "Bountiful Gardens" and "Seed Savers Exchange", all of which are open-pollinated varieties. We are eagerly awaiting our seed catalogues in order to begin planning for next year. The Farmer's Wife 10:13 - 2006-Sep-6 - post comment
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Description Sharing our thoughts, events, ups and downs, as we restore a once profitable farm to its former greatness as a Christian agrarian family. Home User Profile Archives Friends Lighthouse Farm Our DVD's for homesteader's Homestead Series e-books Lighthouse Farm Podcasts No NAIS Recent Entries - Pig-headed or chicken-hearted???? - Health care - the way it used to be - The Egg Hog - Back in blogdom after chasing sheep - Ode to Winter 2007 - Chicken and Hog DVD's are now finished!! - Video clip of the birth of a piglet - News about Haitian friends!!!!! - Authentic AgricultureTM - Welcome! - A Peaceful Night in the Pasture - Big Sale at The Old Schoolhouse!! - Rendering Lard - Hog Butchering Time - John Ray - Founder of Biology - A Breath-taking Field Trip - Fat and Sassy - Real Men Eat Quiche - Green Tomato Recipes - Harvest - Two Cents Worth on Pinching Pennies... - Cockle burrs and stinging nettle a blessing? - Gourmet Meals At The Farm Table - Seeds Worth Saving - Sweet cartoon - Commercial rice supply has been contaminated - Spermicidal Corn - Agricultural Science Fiction Horror Flick or Truth? - SImple Entertainment - "Gardening is like a treasure hunt!" - Pigs don't stink - Diggin' For Gold!! - Rain - a Blessing or a Curse? - My Sheep Know My Voice - er - Chain Saw... - The Old Farm Dog - An Alarming Nightime Visitor - Farming Magazine - A Pig's Nest - Meager chicken harvest - Bacon + Garlic = Piglets? - A Rare July 4th Tribute to Farmers - Fencing in more pasture - Three months on our new place.... - Blood suckers in Minnesota :( - Miss Bacon and Rocky Mountain Oysters - Sheep without a shepherd - Haying with my man! - Mink solutions, anyone? - Goat meets pig... - I Smell a Skunk... - URGENT!! Please forward!!!! - Did Adam Smell Like That? - Minnesota!!!!! - Problem solved - God is good - The Rat Trap and One Happy Girl - New Podcast - Farm Restoration - The Beginning - An Honorable Gentleman Has Died - Why teach our children about agriculture? - Cheap, Safe Food??? - New NAIS links worth reading - Old Tractors Never Die - A Lawyer comments on Constitutional Rights and NAIS - Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks - Big Bellies and Big Bags - Hosting Haitians on the Homestead - Minnesota, Here We Come (after we sell our house) and "the Chip" - And God saw that it was good - Greetings |