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misssarahlouise · 3 years

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Home Sweet Home! (We moved!)

We moved in on January 16. We are slowing unpacking , making this place our own. I love it oh so much! We Finally found a house that made our hearts sing and we fell in love. Yes I know it is May and we moved in January but we have been oh so busy life has passed me by. I got my covid vaccine shots (check)! Me and Chris are fully vaccinated. We are slowing getting furniture and making it our own. Adding decor. We finally picked a swatch for our couch. Me and Chris can be quite picky. Cannot wait arrives! Thank you Sissy, Peter, William, Izzy, Emmy, and JM!

Since I had my my Neuropace implant almost 2 years ago, It will be 2 years in July. In total I have only had about 6 seizures. Damn. If any of you recall I use to have 25 + seizures a month. I’d say the surgery was a huge success! I could not thank the doctors at Yale for changing my life yet again. (Thank you!!!).

My partial aphasia is still very annoying. I have been asked by many doctors if I would have done the surgery if I knew I would end of would the aphasia then partial aphasia and I say, “I would do it again in a heart beat.” I just have the most challenging brain. Thats just a fact. Nothing I can do apart it. It is worth it, living with epilepsy was/is draining my brain…I could not finish sentencing before I had my surgeries. I was deeply depressed. Epilepsy is depressing. So yes, so what when I get tired I have trouble with my sentences but 6 seizures is almost 2 years…hell yeah I can deal.

I also started my garden! (yay!) So many veggies! I believe I have grown a green thumb. I am starting everything from seed. Pretty proud of my self. So far I have two raised beds and a high trellis connecting the two. (vertical gardening baby!) Some I am starting inside and plant in the ground when the weather stays contestants warmer.

Since I am starting it from seed no chance of pesticides, some I am doing organic and some I am not. I suffer from chronic migraines. I have discovered my migraines can be set of my what I eat, the weather, and lack of sleep. but mostly what I eat. If there is certain attitudes on the food. Like diet coke, they switch the sugar to something I cannot pronouns that can set off a migraine. Or dairy, or nitrates, sometimes things sprayed with pesticides. I do not know why. So I was so happy when we moved because i could grow my own food, also that met less money at the grocery store, healthy options.

I will be growing:

Herbs:

Organic (F1) Prospera, Italian Large Basil

Ellegance Purple, Lavender

Staro, Chives

Common Chamomile

Mint

Rosemary

Thalia, Organic Dill Seed

Root Vegetables:

Boro (F1) Beets

Bolero (F1), Pelleted, Carrots

Romance (F1) Carrots

Rover (F1) Radish

Red King 2 (F1), Radish

Guardsmen Onion

Deep Purple Onion

Greens:

Salanova, Green Butter, Pelleted, Lettuce

Bok Choy, Toy

Auroch (F1) Spinach

Gladius (F1) Brussel Sprouts

Organic - H-19 Little Leaf, Cucumber

Winterbor (F1) Kale

Black Magic (F1) Kale

Hard Red Winter Wheat, Organic Shoot

Squash:

Caspirita, Mini-White Pumpkins

Butterbaby Organic (F1) Butternut Squash

Raven (F1) Zucchini

Nightshade Family:

Toma Verde, Tomatillos

Paisano(F1)Tomatoes

Sakura (F1) Organic Tomatoes

Potatoes, small

Hot Paper Lantern, Organic Habanero Pepper

Hot Rod(F1), Serrano Pepper

Ace(F1), Bell Pepper

Peas + Beans:

Tohya, Soybean(Edamame)

Sugar Ann, Snap Pea

Fruit:

Strawberries

Flowers:

Costa Mix (Snapdragons)

Madame Butterfly, Ivory (Snapdragons)

Champagne Bubbles Mix (Icelandic Poppy)

California Poppy (Poppy)

Empress of India (Organic Nasturtium)

Lemon Gen (Marigold)

See you soon!

#home sweet home #we moved #packing #unpacking #Home Decor #gardening

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heitham-blog · 4 years

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2020 Seed Order

This year I ordered enough seeds to start a small farm. Here is the full catalog of items I ordered from https://www.fedcoseeds.com/

Strike Bush Green Beans (2oz) Jackson Wonder Lima Beans (2oz) Soldier - Sustainably Grown Dry Beans Dove Melons (1g) Arava - Organic Galia-type Melons (1g) Sugar Cube Muskmelons (15 seeds) Sassy Pickling Cucumbers (1g) Little Leaf H-19 - Organic Pickling Cucumbers (1g) Mexican Sour Gherkin Specialty Cucumbers (0.2g) General Lee Slicing Cucumbers (1g) Modena - Organic Zucchini (1/16oz) Alexandria Lebanese Summer Squash (1/8oz) Sibley Specialty & Heirloom Squash (1/8oz) Kestrel Beets (1/8oz) Cheriette Radishes (1/8oz) Zlata Radishes (1/16oz) New Zealand Spinach Specialty Greens (1/4oz) Balady Aswan - Organic Specialty Lettuce (1g) Les Oreilles du Diable (Devil’s Ears) - Organic Deer Tongue Lettuce (1g) Flashy Green Butter Oak - Organic Oakleaf Lettuce (1g) Bali Chard (1/16oz) Silverado Chard (1/16oz) Turkish Rocket - Sustainably Grown Perennial Greens (1g) Senposai Asian Greens (1/16oz) Piracicaba Broccoli, Non-Heading (2g) Golden Acre Green Cabbages (2g) January King - Organic Green Cabbages (0.5g) Snow Crown Cauliflowers (0.5g) Cascade Glaze - Sustainably Grown Collards (2g) Black King Bell-shaped Eggplants (0.2g) Beck’s Big Buck - Organic Okra (2g) Chocolate Cake - Sustainably Grown Sweet Bells (0.2g) Cubanelle Elongated Sweet Peppers (0.5g) Hidalgo Serrano - Organic Hot Peppers (0.2g) Bulgarian Carrot Chile - Organic Hot Peppers (0.5g) Thai Hot - Organic Hot Peppers (0.2g) Ambrosia - Sustainably Grown Cape Gooseberries (0.2g) Pocket Star - Sustainably Grown Small-Fruited Tomatoes (0.2g) Opalka - Organic Paste Tomatoes (0.2g) Vilms - Sustainably Grown Paste Tomatoes (0.2g) Red Calaloo Specialty Greens (1g)

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emilysmns · 6 years

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Tagged

Thanks to @lacrimasgonnabefree and @riheinorn for tagging me! ^^

And to @kate-snotamused for tagging them! :*

Rules: Answer the questions below and tag people you want to get to know!

A - Age: 19

B - Birthplace: Koblenz, Germany

C - Current time: 00:35 (definitely too late to be awake now...)

D - Drink you last had: Cola (what coffee is to other people)

E - Easiest person to talk to: My soulmate, my best friends and of course @lacrimasgonnabefree and @riheinorn

F - Favourite song: Seriously? This is virtually impossible! But a song I listen to the most at the moment is Malt Liquor by Lewis Del Mar.

G - Grossest memory: When I was younger I thought different about things saying: “This is gross.” But looking back at it now I just see things as they are. For example someone, well...revealing the content of their stomach after drinking too much alcohol at a party I just think: “Well, there it is. Not pretty appealing, but it is coming out of a beautiful, complex thing.”

H - Hogwarts house: Proud to be a Hufflepuff! *raised fist*

I - In love: Have been, a couple of times I suppose? Not sure if I know though, have never been in a relationship before. Would rather call it “having a crush”. “Truly loving” someone means, at least to me, not only liking ones character and their appearance, but loving their soul, their true being. (If that makes any sense.)

J - Jealous of people: I’d be a hypocrite for saying no, but I try not to be. Better for your mental health and one less thing to stress about.

K - Killed someone: Sometimes, when I was super angry. But just in my imagination :D. (Felt kinda guilty afterwards though.)

L - Love at first sight or should I walk by again: Think this can happen to some people maybe, but hasn’t happen to me yet.

M - Middle name: If I think that it means what it means then: Nope, I don’t have one.

N - Number of siblings: Two younger sisters (17&15) and an older “half” brother (23). (So basically three because I would never call him 1/2.)

O - One wish: Having a purpose. Being happy and satisfied with what I’m surrouned with.

P - Person you last called: My mom. At 7pm she was asking via sms where I was and I had to tell her that I was at a friend’s house. I’ve told her before but she had forgotten...:D

Q - Question you are always asked: Ehhmm...that’s a hard one. From my sisters: “Where is mum?” “Is dad at home?” “Do you have/have seen my shirt?” “Why are you playing one the PS4 when I want to watch the TV?” “ Why do you have to be so stupid?” “Why are you sitting in your room and not going out with your friends?” From Parents: “Where is (sister)?” “Have you eaten something before heading out?” “Do you have your keys with you?” “Why are you crying?” “Why are you making such a fuss?” From friends: “How can you be so strong/self-sacrificing/nice?”

R - Reason to smile: Being alive. Other people: Being able to see the biodiversity and art of nature/mankind in our world.

S - Song you last sang: Правильная девочка by MBAND at my brother’s house, while writing an application form for his wife. (She’s still learning german.)

T - Time you woke up: The day before at 11am. (Wtf, how long do I need to write this?! You, yeah YOU, who tagged me, may guilty conscience fall upon you for being responsible for my suffering!)

U - Underwear colour: Black

V - Vacation destination: The whole world, every place I haven’t been to yet. Currently the countries I’m the most interested in to visit: Russia, Japan, Sweden, Canada and the UK. I’ve fell in love with Scotland and England and definitely need to visit these countries again.

W - Worst habit: Always having the need to justify oneself to others.

X - X-rays: My jaw got x-rayed before getting braces and my arm when I was little I think.

Y - Your favourite food: Everything that includes noodles (pasta, lasagne, chinese food e.t.c.), good sauces, vegetables (like eggplant, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, olives *I love that shit*,...). But the best dish ever would probably be: чебуреки!!! <3 (Together with pickles and помидоры, but russian original please.)

Z - Zodiac Sign: Leo

(It’s 02:26am now...I need to sleep...and I’m tagging @peach-leaf-inz...good night nice people...)

#tagged

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samirgianni · 6 years

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8th Annual Seed Catalogue Review

I'm finding this year a big temptation on the seed ordering front! We are supposed to be cutting back and consolidating but I see sooo many new things I want to try. Mr Fredzy and I are just going to have to fight it out! There are more seed companies listed here than ever before. I don't know that any of them are just hatched; it's more I managed to miss them before. I'm not really seeing any distinctive new trends emerging, but the directions of the last few years continue. If anything, I am noticing a lot of herbs this year but I'm not sure if that's a trend or if I am just noticing them. My attention certainly does bounce around. As ever, don't forget to check Seeds of Diversity's Seed Catalogue Index if you are looking for something specific (and, in fact, if you are just browsing too). A'Bunadh Seeds: Situated an hour from Edmonton, they supply seeds for short (zone 2a) Alberta seasons; 90 to 110 days. Some items listed as new include Kabouli Black garbanzos, O'Dricoll's pole bean, Leanne's Pioneer Pickling cucumber, Prince onion, Lower Salmon River squash, Ampus Polish pepper, and Fuer Kugel beets. They have a lot of peas (not surprising) and a lot of corn which is more surprising. They also have a very large selection of garlic, as well as some rhubarb, comfrey and asparagus roots. AgroHaitai: The only Canadian source I know of for mostly Asian vegetables; they have a good reputation but most of their offerings are F1 hybrids. Still, some very interesting things there. I cannot tell if their site is updated for 2018 or not, so I will just mention some of the things that look interesting to me - mostly not hybrids. Look for Bao Tah nappa cabbage, Late Green choy sum, Small Gai Choi mustard (35 days to maturity!), Ho Tau Bok (choy), Petch Siam eggplant, Chuan pole green bean, Oregon Sugar Pod II snow pea - recommended for dau miu but treated seed, Noodle King yardlong beans, Peking Strain kohlrabi, White Ball radish, and Leisure slow-bolting coriander. Annapolis Seeds: This is their 10th year in business, and they now list over 500 varieties. New things for this year include what Owen is calling Inca Berry (I have written about it as Golden Berry), Zapotec Pink Ribbed tomato, Fortna White Pumpkins (so cute!), Fort Portal Jade bean, Lebanese Za'atar (which term gets used for a few different herbs; here it is a form of summer savory), Bear Necessities kale (a Tim Peters variety), Sapporo Express and Juno peas, and Dragon's Claw millet. Burt's Greenhouses: Mostly a nursery with ornamentals, Burt's also sells a good range of sweet potato slips at reasonable prices. We got our Toka Toka Gold, Owairaka, and Purple sweet potatoes from them. They have Beauregard, a classic orange fleshed sweet potato that does well in Ontario. They also have Cuban, Covington, Georgia Jet, and Tainung 65. The Cottage Gardener: They have a note up that they are experiencing technical difficulties with their 2018 catalogue, but the 2017 catalogue is still up and things won't change too much, I expect. I'll update this post once the 2018 listings are up. Eagle Creek Seed Potatoes: Potatoes don't tend to come and go like seeds, but I note Bellanita fingerling as one I have not seen previously. Also new; Alta Blush early. I don't know if they are new but I note Citadel and Roko as sounding interesting. I think I will need to order some German Butterball as we seem to have eaten most of ours. If you are interested in potato breeding, Rebsie Fairholm suggests Pink Fir Apple as a mother. And as ever, if you can't decide, they have some really good mixed packages. Edible Antiques: Grown in Prince Edward county. New this year, Acoma Light melons should be drought tolerant. Drew's Dandy beans look really charming. Iroquois Cornbread beans would be great to grow with some Iroquois corn. If you want black turtle beans, Mandan Black are probably a good choice for the north. Ordono peppers are drought tolerant, amazingly purple, and hot. If you want your purple peppers sweet, try Violet Sparkle. I've kind of skipped over the tomatoes, but there are lots. Greta's Organic Gardens: Greta doesn't indicate what's new, so a selection of things that catch my attention out of her very large list of offerings: Baklout Tunisian and Korean Kim Chi hot peppers, Long White bitter melon, Bourguignonne and Red Butter Romaine lettuces, British Wonder, Karina and San Cristoforo peas, Carminat pole beans, Green Luobo radish, H-19 Little Leaf cucumber (excellent and hard to find!), Iko Iko sweet pepper, Jagallo Nero and Portuguese Tronchuda kales, Scarlet Ohno Revivial turnips, and Yellow purslane. Lots more; a good selection of tomatoes in particular. Harmonic Herbs: Not updated for 2018 as I post this. They specialize in medicinal herbs but have a good selection of short season vegetables including their own earliest Norwesterlee tomato, Pink Beauty radish, Canoncito pepper, Margaret's Sugar Snap pea, Perfection fennel, and Gaucho beans (a Carol Deppe variety). They have sea-buckthorn seeds, and Mexican Tarragon (I know it as Anisón and it's actually a kind of marigold). Hawthorn Farm: Also not updated for 2018. Since this is, so far as I am concerned, a key source of seeds for southern Ontario, I will update once their new listings are up. Heritage Harvest Seed: One of Canada's best heirloom seed companies, located in Manitoba. I have found a number of our favourite varieties here, including Gnadenfeld melon, January King cabbage, and a lot of our favourite peas. New this year is American Wonder pea (sounds like a must-try for us). Black Canterbury bush bean, Chickpea of Spello, Green Delicious and Sibley squashes, Le Puy green lentils; all sound really interesting. I also see Provenzano tomato - an Italian heirloom grown for many years in northern British Columbia, so already well adapted to Canadian conditions. Hope Seeds: This Nova Scotian company specializes in east-coast heirlooms. New this year they have Iannetti Slicer beans, Filderkraut (whoa, pointy!) and Perfection Savoy cabbages, Kincho green onions, Amish Butter popcorn, Dorata di Parma yellow onions, Kalocsai Paprika pepper, and strawberry crown pumpkins. I have my eye on that paprika in particular! Ferme Tournesol: A fascinating list from a fascinating place! New this year includes Duborskian hardy RICE! Their new tomatoes are already kind of picked over, but there are some interesting lettuces - Sucrine, Red Butter Romaine, Pirat, Crispino Iceberg, and Reine des Glaces. There's also Ancienne d'Acadie savory, and Stella Blue squash. Furthermore, there are seeds for plants of Ferme Tournesol's own breeding: Rainbow Tatsoi, Big Fat Jalapeño, Carrot Bomb pepper, and Kale and Mustard mixes. In addition to a good general selection of vegetables, they have quite a few cover crops. Jardins de l'Écoumène: Site is in French and a little awkward to manoeuvre, but new offerings (nouveautés) include Pasquier lettuce, Barry's Crazy cherry tomato, Curly cress (alénois frisé), Shimonita Negi green onions, Oseille perpetual spinach (actually a sorrel I would say), and Tom Thumb popcorn - a selection from Elwyn Meader. Sounds like good stuff! Mapple Farm: Very little changes here from year to year, although I see they have Butterbush and Potimarron squashes new this year. They have good selection of Sweet Potato slips, as well as Ken Allen's sweet potato book - a must-have for the Canadian sweet potato grower. Crosnes, gobo, scorzonera, and Turkish Rocket are things you are not too likely to find elsewhere. They have small but finely curated collections of tomatoes, squash, soybeans, and melons Matchbox Garden Seed Co: have apparently been around for a decade; making this list for the first time. Another Ontario company growing most of their own seed! Selection is not huge, and leans more to well-known standards than the rare and exotic. I don't see items marked as new, but a few of their more unusual listings include Tadorna (Lyon) leek, Cracoviensis lettuce, Nebuka scallions, Capriglio Red peppers, Lemon summer squash (very cute!), and Rumii Banjaan tomato. Naramata Seed Company: A note at the site indicated they will be updated by the end of January, but that most varieties will be returning. So, existing listings that strike me as interesting - Long Winter leek and Piata di Bergamo onion, Baladi romaine, Gulley's Favourite, and May Queen lettuce. That last one is hard to find, but I grow it and recommend it highly. Greek Sweet Red and Silver Bell squash are appealing, and Gill's Golden Pippin is recommended. There's a good selection of peppers and tomatoes, including popular items as well as some quite unusual ones. Norton Naturals: Not a seed company; they sell a selection of roots, mostly native but also crosnes, edible daylilies, and double Tiger lilies. Native plants include: Arrowhead, Camas (Quamash), Groundnuts, Hog Peanuts, 3 different Jerusalem artichokes, Spring Beauty, Meadow Garlic, and Ramps (Wild Leeks). In my experience, if you do not have the necessary fungus in the soil those last will not grow. Worth trying if you have a typical Ontario woodlot though. They sell Prairie Turnip as seeds - this is actually a tap-rooted legume, and it looks like it would also make an excellent ornamental. It's currently out of stock, unfortunately. They ship twice a year - next up in April. OSC (Ontario Seed Company): They continue to be a very good source for open-pollinated classics at very reasonable prices but most of their new offerings lean towards F1 hybrids. I'm noting that in particular most of their corn is treated, as far as I can tell with the notorious bee-killing neonicotinoids, so DO NOT GROW. (If you are a large enough grower you can request untreated seed.) Also they do not always identify F1 hybrids so do some research before you order. Potager Ornemental de Catherine: Site is in French. New offerings include Sanjaku Kiuru cucumbers, Willow Leaf White lima bean, Moonlight "Spanish" (Runner) bean, quite a few climbing beans, the very early Edouard tomato, and the gently nippy Sucette de Provence pepper. The selection in general is not the largest out there, but well-considered with some interesting looking things. I'd have a go at Misato Rose radishes, Sucrine du Berry squash, Iona peas, and d'Espelette pepper. Prairie Garden Seeds: Just before posting time I received notice that the site is updated for 2018, with 30 new items and some returning ones as well. As they note, they don't tend to change their listings much from year to year, and the new offerings aren't labelled as such. However, they are the go-to source for many Canadian heirloom vegetables, and are particularly strong in tomatoes and beans, but also in grains - if you want small amounts of many historic Canadian wheats, or indeed all kinds of grains from all over the world, check here. If you want open-pollinated, untreated corn this is probably the place. Prices are very reasonable and amounts generous, but you cannot order online - you must send them an order form and a cheque. It's been well worth the trouble in my experience. Richter's Herbs: When it comes to herbs if they don't have it, good luck finding it. (Not impossible, necessarily. But good luck.) They have more basils than I have seen anywhere, and you could even grow bay (leaves) from seed. In a pot indoors in the winter, alas; but still. They also have a reasonable selection of vegetables, including quite a lot of peppers from the sublime (Ancho Poblano) to the ridiculous (the very vulgar Peter pepper). Patient growers can try Prickly Pear cactus. I have ordered some Agretti (Barba di Frate) and Okahijiki to try this year. I was also finally able to get some French shallots last fall, so I will be checking them with interest this summer. They list 2 za'atars, but theirs are forms of oregano. Black Nebula carrots are very eye-catching. Salt Spring Seeds: These guys are now one of the older of the newer Canadian seed houses and yes, that totally makes sense. Also, a lot of things that pop up at other seed houses started out here. This year I'm seeing Calvert, Galina, Gold Harvest, and Osayo Endo peas. Black Beluga lentils, Winnifred's garbanzos, Pisterzo pole beans, Nine-Star Perennial broccoli, Candystick Delicata and Gill's Golden Pippin squash, Yellow Capriglio peppers, Candy Mountain sweet corn and Cascade-Ruby Gold flint corn, from breeder Carol Deppe - not all of those are new; some of them just catch my interest. Semences du Portage: Site is in French. Nouveautés for this year include Goodman cauliflower, Maxibel beans, Black Kabouli chick peas, Lancer parsnip, Pink Thai poppy, Lemon catnip, and Green Zebra tomato. There are some excellent older listings too: look for Savignac and Noire du Portage tomatoes bred in Quebec, Raxe radish, Palla Rossa radicchio, Scarlet Ohno Revival turnips, Oka melons, Fisher's Earliest corn, Jericho romaine lettuce, Tante Alice cucumber and Dragon carrots and more. Strong in herbs. la Société des Plantes: Site is in French. Herbs, native plants, ornamentals and vegetables presented higglety-pigglety (though you can sort them), but some surprising things can be sifted out. Eye-catching to me are Watanabe Early gobo (bardane japonaise), Jaune Ovoïde Des Barres (Yellow Intermediate) beet, Redventure celery, de Crosno rutabaga, Gaspé flint corn, Noir Long de Pardailhan turnip, Val-aux-Vents leek, Charlevoix soup pea, Raiponce (Rapunzel to you), and Fiori Blu salsify. In the fall look for Échalotte de Ste-Anne and Egyptian Walking onions. Solana Seeds: This little Quebec seed house is strong on peppers and tomatoes, and with the exception of Purple Epazote, all the new offerings are one or the other. There is Bulgarian Carrot pepper, Chimayo pepper, and Orange Sweet Hungarian Cheese pepper. New tomatoes include Beauty Queen, Federle, Galina, Old German, Nyagous, Blue Pear, and Green Pear. Seed packets tend to be on the small side but prices are commensurately low. Stellar Seeds: Out of business as of this year. Sunshine Farm: Located in Kelowna, BC. Not updated for 2018 at time of posting. I see a good selection of fairly standard items, although they have quite a few herbs and greens, including Red-Veined sorrel. I haven't seed Petrowski turnips anywhere else. They have Hilds Blauer radish, Golden Egg eggplant, Sette Lune Romaine lettuce, and Kiss of Satan peppers! Quite a few tomatoes. Tatiana's TOMATObase: As ever with Tatiana's, I'm not going to mention any varieties here because where even to start? But if you are looking for unusual tomatoes this is a GOOD place to check. Tatiana has added 82 new tomato varieties to the list this year, total available now being 1273. She seems to have fewer of other things, although there are 37 lettuces, 15 melons, 22 squash, and I think 45 peppers. Still the only Canadian source of Grover Delaney watermelon. Tatiana has moved to a larger and more rural farm this year and warns that shipping will be a bit slower as she will not get to the post more than once a week. Terra Edibles: Celebrating 25 years in business this year, they were the first of the new wave of small seed houses we ordered from back when we still had an allotment garden. They are very solid on beans and tomatoes, but it looks like their selection has expanded a bit. The only things they mention as new are Jade and Ugandan Bantu beans, but I'm sure there's more. Things I haven't noticed before include Anna Aasa red cherry, Tappy's Heritage, and Southern Night, all tomatoes. In beans, Helda Romano, Monte Gusto wax, and Sequoia. Yellow Carrot Shaped radishes are intriguing, as is Wachichu Flint corn. They have many of our tried and true varieties, including the hard-to-find Spanish Skyscraper pea. Also the hard-to-find legume inoculant, available for a fairly short season in the spring, so check. Terre Promise: Site is in French. Last year, to my great excitement, they listed Rose de Roscoff onions. They sold out rapidly, and are still listed as out of stock, but they are at least still listed - I will be watching! While you wait, check out (wild) garlic from la maison des Jésuites de Sillery, available as bulbils. Also I am INTRIGUED by Sea Parsley, also known as Scottish Lovage (although it isn't lovage). Salt and shade tolerant! How about the Laliberté Pea bean, skirrets (chervis in French), chufa, Green Finger Lebanese cucumbers, and Canadien Blanc corn. Cressonnette Marocaine is, in fact, an Italian lettuce. There are other more mundane things, but this is a place worth taking a look. Urban Harvest: I'm seeing things that weren't there last year, so I assume updated for 2018. How about Fiariello frying peppers, Jimi's Purple Haze poppy, Tom Thumb lettuce, Scarlet kale, and Sunrise Bumblebee cherry tomato? In general, a good and comprehensive listing of vegetables. Urban Tomato: Has a small selection of other seeds, but is mostly about the tomatoes. Newness is not indicated, but interesting ones (names, at least) include German Red Strawberry, Golden Delight, Moonglow, Sweet Angora and Striped Cavern. Wild Rose Heritage Seed Company: New this year, they have Green Brooks (I've always known it as Old Brooks) tomato, Rani cilantro, Marconi red peppers, Howden pumpkin, French Breakfast radish and Purple Peacock beans. In general, they have a solid if fairly conservative list of the better-known open pollinated varieties, and if you are just starting gardening you could do worse than to start with most of these. William Dam Seeds: The same story applies here as last year. Their new introductions lean so heavily on F1 hybrids that I am hard pressed to find anything of interest. Their few new introductions in open pollinated vegetables (I think - they are not always clear) are Cabot bean, Scarlet Greshen runner beans, Vates kale, Miz America mustard, and Midnight Snacks tomato. THAT'S IT. They still seem to have many of the old open pollinated varieties they used to carry, but the herd definitely seems to be thinning. Still a good place for other gardening equipment that can be hard to find - trays, netting and row covers, organic fertilizer, etc, and a very large selection of ornamentals. from Seasonal Ontario Food http://seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com/2018/01/8th-annual-seed-catalogue-review.html

#Seasonal Ontario Food

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samirgianni · 7 years

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Annual Seed Catalogue Review Edition the Seventh

Wow! I've been doing this for seven years now. Am I running out of things to say? Is it harder for me (and the seed sellers) to find New! and Exciting! varieties of vegetables? Maybe! Or maybe not, once I get digging. So to speak. Are there a lot more small seed companies, with a wider range of heirloom and open pollinated varieties than when I started? I'd say so, in a big way. In spite of this, the over-all number of varieties continues to drop, on the national and global level, as older seed houses close or are purchased by the big players. So let's buy our seeds from the people who are (still) providing open pollinated seeds, grown by themselves or their neighbours as much as possible. I believe that locally grown seeds are just as important as locally grown food. Varieties adapt to their growing conditions over time, and if they are not grown here, they won't ultimately be as adapted to growing here. There is such a long list of new (to me at least) suppliers this year that I am going to try to stick strictly to new offerings here. (NOTE: I failed.) Don't forget that just about everybody has much more interesting stuff than I can hope to mention - click through and read. I also hope to post another list with my own personal favourites over the years, and who supplies them, later this month. Trends this year seem to be sorghum (continuing the interest in grains from the last few years), lots of lettuce and other greens, and flowers in red and white (guess why!) Also there seem to be extravagant quantities of peppers... there always are, but more lots. This isn't exactly a trend since practically the first vegetable anyone grows is tomatoes, but I have to say, there are A LOT of tomatoes out there. That is all. As ever, don't forget to check Seeds of Diversity's Seed Catalogue Index. Okay, let's get started... behind a fold because this is loooong... AgroHaitai: Best Ontario (only Ontario?) seed house with a wide selection of oriental vegetables. I haven't ordered from them but I have heard good reports from other people who have. Marked as new are Purple Sword celtuce (lettuce eaten for the thick stem), Peking strain kohlrabi, Big Leaf edible chrysanthemum, Purple Shanghai F1 bok choy, and Big Round Leaf Malabar spinach. Chuan pole (green) beans aren't new, but look very appealing. Unfortunately, most of their new items (and many of their older items) are F1 hybrids. Might still be worth looking into, especially things not likely to be sterile - F1 hybrids can be a good source of diversity for developing strains of locally adapted vegetables. Annapolis Seeds: This is their 9th year in business, and they have 50 new varieties this season. My eye is caught by Ba-Ye-Qi short-season sorghum, Fordhook zucchini, German foxtail millet, Golden Frills mustard, Gravedigger pea (I've wanted this one for years!), House tomato (yes that's right, you grow it in the house), Jimenez pole bean, Kogigo squash, Nord eggplant... in short, lots of fabulous things. The Cottage Gardener: One of the best of the newer Ontario seed houses. They have some interesting new offerings including Flashback Mix calendula from plant breeder Frank Morton, who also bred another new offering, Jester lettuce. He says it's his "favourite lettuce of all time" and given that lettuce is probably his speciality, that makes me sit up and pay attention. Nash's green kale is another offering from the new wave of vegetable breeders and sounds excellent, being very cold-tolerant. Padron peppers, Perfection Drumhead, and Purple Sprouting broccoli all appeal as well. Alas, the broccoli is not cold tolerant. Scarlet kale, Shungkyo Long Pink radish, and Thorburn's Terra Cotta tomato all strike me as really interesting. Eagle Creek Seed Potatoes: This year brings an updated website and a slightly expanded list of offerings, with potatoes like Rode Eerstelling, Blue Mac from Newfoundland, Arizona, Candy Cane, Carlton, and Pink Fir Apple. If you just can't narrow it down they offer a number of mixed packs on different themes including a tower and container mix. Edible Antiques:Some fun new things here including an owner-bred pepper, Queen of the North. Brighstone beans come with a romantic history, Biquinho pepper look great for growing in pots, Orion chickpeas look good, as do Red Swan beans. Strela Green lettuce looks fascinating - a very old form of lettuce. Greta's Organic Gardens: A very large collection of seeds from an Ottawa area grower. Greta is not listing which items are new, so I will just name some things that catch my eye, starting with Alba Regia Hungarian peppers, Amethyst Cream tomatoes, Grazia arugula, Baklouti Tunisian hot pepper, and Dakota Black popcorn. Fast Lady Northern Southern Pea is a selection from Carol Deppe that sounds like a must-try. H-19 Little Leaf pickling cucumber is a nifty little thing that can be hard to find. Lacinato Rainbow kale is a Frank Morton variety. San Cristoforo peas sound good as does Verdil spinach from German biodynamic breeders Kultursaat. It is apparently ideal for overwintering, which we do. Sand Mountain and White African sorghum fit into the sorghum trend. If you are a smoker (and even as a non-smoker I am kind of fascinated) she has the largest selection of tobacco seeds I've ever seen. If you must do it, grow your own! Harmonic Herbs: Not updated for 2017 as I post this. However, they are an Alberta company with a small but carefully curated selection, including some unusual and attractive items and strong in medicinal herbs and a good selection of seeds and hulless oats and barley. Hawthorn Farm: Things that look interesting to me include Macuzalito beans (a fairly recent farmer-developed variety from Honduras that cooks quickly), Purple Queen bean, April Green cabbage, Cardoon, and Bionda di Lyon Swiss chard. We tried Bloody Butcher corn one year; it grew to be huge and was the most raccoon-resistant variety we have tried. They have Tres Fine Maraichere Endive, Cougar heat-tolerant lettuce, Misato Rose winter radish (wow, check out the photo!), and Mutabile mildew-resistant (yay!) zucchini. New squashes include Lofthouse Landrace butternut, and also Honeynut mini-butternut. Blush, Green Tiger, Napoli paste and Pink Bumblebee tomatoes round out the list. Heritage Harvest Seed: One of Canada's most exciting collections of heritage seeds continues to grow. New this year I see Chevrier Verte and Drew's Dandy beans, Early Thorogreen Lima bean, Bush Crop cucumber, Honey tomato from Latvia, Fatalii peppers, and Mother Mary's Pie melon! Yes, for making pie. Wow. Source of several of our favourite beans, and the very successful Gnadenfeld melon. Hope Seeds: This Nova Scotian company specializes in east-coast heirlooms. New this year they have Acadian heirloom Caribee beans, Joseph Dugas runner beans, and the beautiful Baie Verte Indian bean. There is the Canadian classic Oka melon and like me they have discovered how amazing dried melon can be. Onaway potatoes from Maine are a classic boiling potato that stands crowding in the garden. They have also put together a large selection of seed collections for the thrifty-minded gardener who wants to try a range of things. Ferme Tournesol: Looks like someone had a mania for yellow pole beans last year (I know how it is to be bitten by the bug!) and they have 4 new ones right off the bat: Famille Ferland, Gold Marie, Golden Gate, and Grand-maman Dinel. There is also Mac pink tomato, Ruby Streaks mustard, Sweet Dakota Rose watermelon and Silver Sliver cucumber. Tokyo Bekana is a loose-leaf Chinese cabbage ideal for micro greens - huh! That sounds interesting. Jardins de l'Écoumène: Site is in French and a little awkward to manoeuvre, but new offerings (nouveautés) include Violet Foncé bunching onions - cute! - Guatamalan Blue squash, Adelin Morin tomato, Verdil spinach, and Souchet comestible (chufa, I believe). Mapple Farm: They tend to stick to a small collection of very tried and true items, but there are some new things too. I see Black Coco and Gaucho beans, Gill's Golden Pippin squash (my fave!), Fisher's Acorn squash, and Montreal Market melon. Don't forget, they have Ken Allan's book on growing sweet potatoes in Canada - a must have if you are rebmotely interested in growing sweet potatoes. They are also the only source I know of for crosnes. And sweet potatoes; they have sweet potatoes. Naramata Seed Company: Not updated for 2017 at the time of posting this. They are also new to me this year, but it looks like they are a small company in the Kelowna area of BC. For 2016 they listed some unusual items such as Zebrune shallots, Wilma rutabaga, May Queen lettuce (the same as May King and recommended!), Ella Kropf and Passion Brune lettuces, Ironbark squash, Sanjaku Kiuru cucumber, and Small Shining Light watermelon (another good one), Kamo eggplant, and a good number of tomatoes including quite a few Italian paste tomatoes. Others that catch my eye include Blue Berries, Haley's Purple Comet, Abu Rawan, Maremenno, and Yellow Trifele. Norton Naturals: Well I take it back about Mapple Farm being the only source of crosnes. They are here too, along with edible daylilies (they all are but, you know; the classic and original), and double Tiger lilies, which I had no idea were edible in addition to being a beautiful garden plant. Those are their non-native plants; they also have native plants: Arrowhead, Camas (Quamash), Groundnuts, Hog Peanuts, 3 different Jerusalem artichokes, Spring Beauty (again, I had no idea it is edible), Meadow Garlic, and Ramps (Wild Leeks). In my experience, if you do not have the necessary fungus in the soil those last will not grow. Worth trying if you have a typical Ontario woodlot though. All these items are available as roots, not as seeds. Some are currently marked out of stock, but presumably that will change with the seasons. OSC (Ontario Seed Company): One of Ontario's older surviving seed houses, they list as new this year a number of F1 hybrid sweet corns, Rosa Bianca eggplant, and Little Gem, Red Oakleaf, Lollo Biondi, Outrageous Red lettuces. I believe that last is actually Outredgeous, which was bred by lettuce maestro Frank Morton. Eldorado Swiss chard has brilliant yellow stems. Snow Crown they describe as the best short-season cauliflower, but it's an F1 hybrid so likely sterile. Potager Ornemental de Catherine: Site is in French. A nice selection of things including Kamo Japanese eggplant, Sucrine du Berry squash, Norfolk spinach (a Canadian heirloom), Grand-maman Dinel beans (ditto), Soissons Vert beans (a classic for cassoulet), and Moranga, a traditional Brazilian squash with a short enough season to grow here. Prairie Garden Seeds: As I post this, Prairie Garden Seeds has not completed updating their site for 2017. However, as they note, they don't tend to change their listings much from year to year. They are the go-to source for many Canadian heirloom vegetables, and are particularly strong in tomatoes and beans, but also in grains - if you want small amounts of many historic Canadian wheats, or indeed all kinds of grains form all over the world. I note that they seem to be out of stock on quite a few items for 2017 but there is still lots and lots of interest there. Prices are very reasonable and amounts generous, but you cannot order online - you must send them an order form and a cheque. It's been well worth the trouble in my experience. Richter's Herbs: I don't see a breakout of what's new, but things that appeal to me include Agretti (salsola soda) an Italian salad herb, Spectrum Red Husk corn, Muncher cucumber, Peruvian ground cherry, Huizontle, Jicama, Tronchuda (Portuguese) kale, Kagraner lettuce, Okahijiki (a Japanese relative of the Agretti), Corvair spinach, Sylvetta, and Teff, and the lovely Gold Ball turnip. Salt Spring Seeds: At 30 years old this year, this is one of the original new wave of Canadian seed houses. They're celebrating with Cascade Ruby Flint corn, Chick pea of Spello, Ed's Red shallot, Nettles - don't laugh; if you don't have 'em you might want 'em - Streaker Naked barley (hull-less as you might guess), and Who Get's Kissed sweet corn. Semences du Portage: Site is in French. New items include Côte de Beaune lettuce, Tante Alice cucumber (we grew it last year and it was a trooper), Westlander kale, Kakai pumpkin (grown for the seeds), Cindarella pumpkins, Lutz Greenleaf beet, and Vermont Cranberry bean. Te-You flowering broccoli (gai lan), Raxe radish, Scarlet Ohno Revival turnip are from last year, but look delightful. They have a large selection of herbs both culinary and medicinal (and just plain pretty) as well as green manures, and a good selection of gardening books in French. Solana Seeds: This Quebec company has a big interest in peppers. In addition to Antigua striped eggplant, Lime basil, and Gold Medal tomato they have Corbaci Turkish peppers, Peach and Zavory habaneros, and Sandia and Sonora Anaheim peppers as new this year. Stellar Seeds: A small list and new items are not indicated; but you can buy their complete collection for $98! Seeds are all locally grown on their own farm or others nearby in the Kootenays in B.C. Tatiana's TOMATObase: I don't see that Tatiana list new items as such; but there are 1233 varieties of tomatoes available as I type this. Tomato seeds are not necessarily grown this year, but in my experience the year of growth is marked on the packet and as tomato seeds should last at least 10 years if properly stored, you should be good to go. In addition to the largest collection of tomato seeds I know of, Tatiana also maintains the most complete encyclopedia of tomato varieties that I know of. She carries a small selection of other seeds, many for unusual items and with a tendancy towards Russian heirlooms. I believe she is still the only Canadian supplier of Grover Delaney watermelon, which I highly recommend. Terra Edibles: As far as I know the oldest of the new wave of small seed houses in Ontario, many of our favourite varieties were first found here. Cylindra beets are new (to them - I've been growing them and they are great for nice even pickles). Beurre de Rocquencourt beans, Emerite beans, Henderson's Bush Lima bean, and Monte Gusto pole wax bean are new, as is Skunk (Chester, or Flagg). That last is one I've been interested in for a while. It's a large black and white dry pole bean, originally grown by Iroquois in Vermont. Minibel, Old German, Siberian and Teardrop are new tomatoes this year, but they have a very impressive list of tomatoes already - hard to squeeze in more, I guess. They mention White Current tomato and Duane Baptiste Potato bean as being back by popular demand. I think that if Duane Baptiste Potato is not the same as my favourite Deseronto Potato bean they are at least mighty close. Terre Promise: Site is in French. Another vendor that's new to me. Their selection is fairly small but practically the first new thing I saw was Roscoff (Keravel) onions. I've been growing these for a couple of years from seeds I got directly from France with enormous trouble and expense, and I have not regretted it. THEY ARE THE BEST. Rat-Tailed radishes and a mix of Sunflowers are their only other new items. They have a nice selection of beans and St. Hubert (soup) peas, and some unusual tomatoes. Urban Harvest: New (for them) this year is my favourite herb, Summer Savory. Look also for Druzba tomato, Dancing with Smurfs tomato, Montreal Tasty tomato, Lemon Drop pepper, Padron pepper, Doe Hill pepper (and Serrano, and Espelette, and Gold Nugget), Super Zagross cucumber, and Who Gets Kissed corn. Urban Tomato: is a bit vague about newness, but you can sort their offerings that way. From the first couple of pages, then; Multi-Hued quinoa, Musquée de Provence squash, Moonglow tomato, Turkey Craw pole bean, Purple Hopi pole bean. Tomatoes are their specialty, and there is a large selection including White Queen and White Mikado, and Una Heartstock cherry tomato. Wild Rose Heritage Seed Company: This Alberta seed company is a new discovery for me. They have a lot of new beans this year: Derby Bush, Dutch Brown, Light Red Kidney, Oceanis, Orca, Pinto, Red Mexican, Tenderette and Tendergreen. There's also Cosmic Purple and Solar Yellow carrots, Simonet Corn, Sweet Salsa pepper, and Red Kuri squash. You can even grow your own Victoria rhubarb from seed. William Dam Seeds: A long-time favourite of Ontario home and market gardeners; in addition to reasdonably priced seeds they have an excellent selection of gardeners paraphernalia.Their selection of new vegetables is small, and leans more towards F1 hybrids than suits my taste; however their catalogue is, as ever, full of tried and true favourites. They do have new this year Calima French filet bean, Algarve pole bean, Eva pole bean, and Red Volants kale. It looks like Orient Wonder has replaced Farmers' Long yard-long bean. They have quite a few new lettuces; Edox, Susana MI, Leny, Muir, Tropicana, Lettony and Deronda. Some of those are organic and some not. from Seasonal Ontario Food http://seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com/2017/01/annual-seed-catalogue-review-edition.html

#Seasonal Ontario Food

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