Silver Heights Farm
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SILVER HEIGHTS FARM Certified Organic, Open Pollinated Unusual & Heirloom Vegetable Plants DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF HEIRLOOM PLANTS 2008 Catalog Featuring varieties to dazzle the gardener’s imagination Multitudes of Tomatoes, Tomatillos, & Ground Cherries Peppers & Eggplants galore Glorious Cucumbers, Gherkins, & melons Other funky vegetables 1 BECOME A SEED SAVER AND HELP PROTECT OUR AGRI-CULTURAL HERITAGE TOMATO SEEDS CAN BE SAVED FOR 4 TO 10 YEARS WITHOUT MUCH DIFFICULTY. SO SAVE A FEW SEEDS OF YOUR FAVORITE VARIETY THIS YEAR The flower structure of most tomatoes is set up for a very high rate of self-pollination. Possible cross- pollination can happen by exposure to the “currant” types of tomatoes, L. pimpinellifolium. Potato-leafed varieties and the double flowered beefsteak types are also possible sources of cross-pollination. With currant types, potato-leafed varieties and double-flowered varieties, isolation is important due to elongated styles and exposed stigmas. Caging is useful when many of these easily cross-pollinated varieties are planted. Wind helps with good pollination of tomato flowers. The agitation of breezes can be enhanced with a daily gentle shaking of the tomato plants, especially when the plants are grown indoors. Do not select early fruits of tomatoes for seed saving. Instead, select tomatoes formed after the initial cold of spring is gone and the tomato plant is in good production. Also avoid fruits from diseased plants, as diseases can be passed from year to year through seeds. Choose fully ripe fruits that have the shape, color or other characteristics you are interested in. Cut your chosen tomatoes across their “equator” and scoop all the gel and seeds into a container. Add a little water, cover with cheesecloth to prevent fruit fly infestations, and set aside out of sunlight for 3 to 5 days. A layer of scum caused by fungi will form as the seeds are fermenting. The scum is stinky, so choose your seed saving area carefully. This fermentation period is important because the gel contains a chemical inhibitor that prevents tomato seeds from sprouting. Mother Nature takes care of this problem over the winter with exposure to the elements. The fermentation process is a hurry-up duplication of the natural process. When the scum is formed, the seeds can be further processed. Stir the mixture up. The viable seeds are heavier than the non-viable seeds, and they will sink to the bottom of the container. The lighter, non-viable seeds will float. Gently scoop away the top layer of scum. Pour the remainder of the seeds and liquid into a strainer. Wash the seeds until the water runs clean. Rubbing this mixture against the sides of the strainer will help. An alternate way to clean the seeds is this: Add more water to the fermented batch of seeds. Stir vigorously and let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes. Over a sink, gently tilt the container and slowly add more water. The remaining scum, debris and non-viable seeds will spill out. Continue to slowly add water until the remaining seeds are cleaned and the water in the container is clear. Do not be concerned that some seeds wash over the sides of the container, as these seeds are lighter and usually are not going to germinate. Viable seeds are heavier and will remain in the bottom of the container during the washing process. Dump the remaining good seeds into a strainer and rinse. Touch the bottom of your strainer onto a towel or sponge to remove excess moisture. Then dump the contents onto a glass plate or ceramic dish to begin drying out. Paper plates and towels are not good drying surfaces, since it is extremely difficult to scrape the seeds off later. Set aside out of direct sunlight. Stir once or twice a day to prevent clumping and to promote even drying. This drying time takes up to 2 weeks, depending upon humidity and breezes. When dry-feeling, the seeds still contain too much moisture to be put into a sealed container. When placed in a sealed container too soon, the seeds can get moldy easily. Place seeds in a labeled envelope, without sealing it and place in a cool, dry, dark area. In a month to 2 months, most of the excess moisture will wick away. The tomato seeds now can be placed in a sealed or air-tight container. Store seeds in a cool area with low humidity and no sunlight. Seeds can be frozen if you plan on saving them for more than a year or three. However, when warming frozen seeds, make sure the container is placed in the refrigerator to begin warming up. When placing the container in warmer room temperatures, remove the cap, so that any excess moisture can escape. Tomato seeds can be saved for 4 to 10 years without much difficulty. So save a few seeds of your favorite tomatoes this year. COVER PICTURE: Special thanks go to my friend, Leona Willis, for the cover art. 2 Welcome to Silver Heights Farm’s seventh catalog of certified organic, heirloom & unusual, open pollinated vegetable transplants. In addition to the vegetables we also offer a wide variety of culinary and medicinal herbs. Also, we grow an eclectic collection of old-fashioned flowers. This year there was not enough room in this catalog for these interesting herbs and flowers. Fliers with those listings can be picked up later at the nursery and at farmers’ markets. Backyard gardeners will find these treasures are worth browsing for. There are a few NEW selections this year that hold the promise of performing well in the Northeast, especially in the shorter, cooler summers of the Catskill region of New York. Regional and backyard differences in flavor and productivity will abound. Each year we find certain varieties of seeds are no longer commercially available and heritage vegetables disappear from the commercial market. However, demand from gardeners continues to help keep most seed varieties available commercially. We make great efforts to find rare seeds of wonderful vegetables. If one of your favorites is missing, please help us find a seed source. Open pollinated plants are the unheralded champions of our agricultural heritage. Their amazing genetic diversity has been developed and shepherded through the centuries by families and farmers alike. Gardeners and farmers once routinely saved a seedcrop every year for the next year’s bounty. Folks selected seeds from plants that exhibited valued characteristics so that they could enjoy this year’s bounty in the following years. Saving seeds once had a recognized, valuable place in the circle of life. This year we are highlighting ARK plants – those that have received Slow Foods distinctive recognition for the need to preserve endangered foods and their associated economic, social and cultural heritage. ARK plants that we grow include the following: Crane Melon, Beans –Cherokee Trail of Tears, Christmas Lima, Hutterite Soup, Mayflower, True Red Cranberry, Mississippi Silver Hull Cow Pea, Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry, Lettuces – Amish Deer Tongue, Grandpa Admire’s, Speckled, Tennis Ball, Peppers – Beaver Dam, Bull Nose, Fish, Chiltepin, Hinkelhatz, Jimmy Nardello’s, Sheepnose, Wenk’s Yellow Hots, Amish Pie Pumpkin, Moon & Stars Watermelon, and Boston Marrow and Sibley Winter Squashes. ARK tomatoes we grow include: Amish Paste, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Brandywine Sudduth’s Strain, Burbank, Chalk’s Early Jewel, Cherokee Purple, Djena Lee’s Golden Girl, German Pink, Mortgage Lifter, Orange Oxheart, Red Fig and Valencia. Go to www.SlowFoodUSA.org to learn more. Through learning and then teaching others how to save seeds, the rapidly disappearing genetic diversity of our plants can be preserved by gardener and farmer alike. The plants offered in this catalog provide the basic growing stock for seed saving – as well as enriching our tablefare and other delights from the garden. Quite a few of these varieties have been grown for 50 or more years. These are recognized as treasured heirlooms. These are plants that were selected and bred by individuals and their families, some that entire communities maintained over the years, and some that institutions intentionally developed to meet specific needs. When an heirloom’s “story” is known, it is included in our brief description. Here you will find the names of many dedicated plant breeders and backyard gardeners, of seed companies that introduced varieties from the many corners of the world, and of seed saving organizations that strive to ensure the preservation of older breeds of plants. We are always interested in learning any details you can share with us, including your triumphs and disappointments. ABOUT THIS CATALOG Our plants are grown organically, certified by NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC (producer #200123). Each plant has a short description of unique characteristics. Synonyms of a variety are listed when known. Vegetables have listed a maturity date, which is the approximate number of days from transplanting into your garden before you get to pick something ripe. If a variety is at least 50 years old, it is an heirloom, which is noted and where it is from, when known. At the heading for each kind of vegetable or herb is a listing of available pots sizes and their corresponding prices. All pots and packs have deeper than normal root space, unlike most bedding plants. Deeper roots give your transplants a greater boost when moved to the garden site. Experimentation becomes more feasible when a gardener can select individual plants, instead of entire packs. Pot sizes generally are 2-1/2’, 4” and quarts. Some larger sizes are available, too. Packs come in several sizes and you may purchase them either as single packs or as entire trays: 804s 4-packs, with 8 packs to a tray 32 plants per tray 806s 6-packs, with 8 packs to a tray 48 plants per tray 606s 6-packs, with 6 packs to a tray 36 plants per tray We had a horrific chimney fire at the farm this past December.