Organic Seeds

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J. L. HUDSON, SEEDSMAN, BOX 337, LA HONDA, CALIFORNIA 94020-0337 USA
2020 SEEDLIST - ORGANIC SEED LISTING
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ORGANIC SEEDS LISTING

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One of my earliest memories is of watching my father turn the compost pile. The sight of the teeming life within the pile, and the warmth and rich scents it gave off, are still so clear to me that I feel like I could reach out into that memory, and pull myself through, shedding over a half-century of years and return to that happy summer day. I learned organic gardening from my father, and have practiced it to this day. A few years ago, when visiting my father, I noticed some weed killer in the garage - a strange and unexpected sight, and I did not realize at the time that it was one of the first signs of the Alzheimer's that finally killed him. So it was only madness that brought him to put poison on his land, and this pointed out to me again the madness of industrial agriculture.

There are now almost 8 billion people in the world, and all of us need to eat. Can this number of people be fed by organic agriculture? Without fossil-fuel mined phosphates, without fossil-fuel fixed nitrogen? Without fossil-fuel driven tractors to till, and trucks to take the food to people?

Maybe. We don't know. It would take a massive, worldwide reorganization of human society to achieve this.

Can this be done?

When the oil runs out, we, or our descendents, will find out.

Until that time, we support an orderly move towards a more sustainable, more regenerative agriculture. Theoretically, we have the knowledge and the technology to make this transition with minimal suffering, but we feel it is unlikely that humanity will choose to take the steps necessary to create a viable future. Currently, our species is on a path that seems destined to create a future of the maximum possible human suffering.

Personally, I believe it can be done. We are already producing enough food to feed over 9 billion people, and I estimate that we could eventually feed somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 billion people. But do we really want to turn the planet into a feedlot for human beings who must spend their lives doing nothing but toiling to produce food? There is an old saying, "The stork brings fascism." Overpopulation causes totalitarianism.

While we use organic methods ourselves, and we fully support organic agriculture, we must object to the "organic seed requirement" of current law. This requires organic growers to plant only organically-grown seed, otherwise their crop will not be considered "organic."

Most people do not realize that this requirement was inserted into the law at the request of a large corporate seed company in one of their attempts to gain control of the organic seed market, or that many in industrial agriculture support the organic seed requirement because it will be an additional burden on organic farmers, which will lessen their economic viability.

There are currently some exemptions to the organic requirement, but again, the corporations are pressing for and "end to the loopholes", and claim that no matter what the cost of organic seed, or no matter how limited the selection of organic varieties, that this is no excuse for organic growers to fail to buy their product.

We are also seeing serious profiteering by a few organic seed suppliers at the expense of their fellow organic growers, with some organic seed selling for ten times or more the cost of conventional seed. There is absolutely no excuse for this - NO organic seed is worth TEN times its conventional counterpart.

While we fully support the move towards the organic production of seed, we do not believe that there is any solid evidence that organic crops grown from conventional seed are any different from those grown from organic seed. In over thirty years distributing seeds, we have seen excellent organic seed as well as excellent conventional seed, and poor organic and poor conventional seed. We do believe that organically-grown crops are superior in many ways to those grown by industrial agriculture. We do believe that when seeds are grown organically for many generations, that particular strain will be better-adapted to organic production, but I doubt that anything under ten years will be significantly better.

The key to the quality of seed lies in the DNA - the genetic content of the seed, and only secondarily from the conditions of production, harvest, drying, and storage. Without good DNA, no matter what the conditions of production, the seed will not be worthwhile to plant.

For example, wild-collected seed is not considered to be "organic". If a grower wants to produce an organic crop of a medicinal plant, and that seed is available as certified organic, under current rules she must use the organic seed, and cannot use the wild-collected seed. Wild populations of medicinal plants may vary considerably in the specific medicinal properties, or in adaptation to specific local conditions, and several organic growers have expressed concern that some medicinal crops in cultivation are in serious need of the greater genetic diversity that would come from an infusion of wild genes from wild plants. Under current rules, plants grown from wild seed could never enter the organic market. This is causing the same kind of genetic uniformity seen in conventional agriculture, which is contrary to organic principles of diversity.

Also, many traditional vegetable varieties vary considerably - some growers are careful about reselection for superior traits, others are not. If a specific variety is available as "organic", an organic grower would be required to use the seed, regardless of quality.

We support organic agriculture, and we also support small-scale, family farms. Should we purchase "organic" seed produced by a large corporation, or seed from a struggling small farm who does not happen to have organic certification? What would you do?

We believe that organic growers need the freedom to plant the best seeds and the best varieties they can find, regardless of how they were produced. We feel that the dangers of the loss of genetic variation in our food crops by the limitation of available variety, and the consolidation of control of seeds by corporate interests, currently far outweigh the advantages of "organic seed".

When we have spoken about our concerns with organic growers, most have heartily agreed with our views, but a few have taken a very fundamentalist hard-line that "We support 'organic' no matter what!" and that organic seeds should be required no matter what other harm this causes. We would suggest that it would make more sense for these organic purists to also require that organic growers may not use plastic irrigation pipe (a major source of toxins), or any fossil fuel or electricity (sources of environmental harm) in their operations or when transporting their product to market. Should we require that organic growers use only human and animal power to plow and ox-carts to carry their produce to market? The "agri-smog" of pesticides from California's agricultural Central Valley is killing frogs far downwind, high in the Sierra Nevada. Can any grower downwind of this kind of agriculture be considered truly "organic"?

In the summer of 2004, we replaced some of our ageing, flexible black polyethylene waterlines with larger-diameter, more permanent buried PVC pipe with glued connections. Periodically I emptied the pipeline and refilled it, checking the expelled air - for over 6 months, it smelled strongly of PVC solvent, and over a full year later, it still smelled faintly of solvent. The solvents used in PVC glue are toxic, and no doubt contaminate the water the pipes carry to our plants - for this reason we flush them before use. Although miles of PVC pipe are used in organic operations, we know of no other organic grower that has checked this source of toxins. Should we require that organic growers use expensive steel pipe? Should we require that water lines not be used for a year, until all trace of solvent has dissipated into the air? Should we be absolutists, and make it even harder than it already is for small growers to remain economically viable, or do we accept the reality that nowhere on the planet is free of man-made toxins? (Note: An organic grower has let me know that there is a much-less-toxic alternative available for gluing PVC pipes. Gorilla Glue makes a less-toxic glue specifically for PVC pipes. I'll be using it myself! www.gorillapvc.com)

We would like to point out, that while we fully support organic agriculture, we do not support fundamentalism, irrationality, or superstition, and we certainly do not support profiteering or corporate attempts to control organic seed supplies. We are opposed to making organic agriculture into a fundamentalist religion, and we are opposed to the theft of the word "organic" by government bureaucracy, and we are opposed to the corporate takeover of the "organic movement".

"Wait a decade or two and every potato coming out of the state of Idaho will be labeled 'organic', a word already under very serious stress. The process will be entirely predictable. The big food companies will buy federal and state legislation designed to put the small producers out of business, the same way the meat companies finished off the small packers and processors years ago, by insisting on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stainless steel and other 'sanitary' equipment, all intended to bankrupt the local sausage or ham maker. Wall-Mart's buying power will drive down organic food prices and start to drive small farmers to the wall."
—Alexander Cockburn, "Wall-Mart's Coming Lunge into Organic Food", an article on the corporate takeover of organic and the weakening of organic standards.

We need to build bridges, not walls. Instead of a black/white - organic/conventional standoff, with the small-scale grower caught in the cross-fire, we need to provide for a whole range of possibilities that will allow farmers to easily move along a spectrum of alternatives towards a healthy agriculture, rather than building a wall they must vault over.

Take back organic!

ORGANIC SEED LIST

OTC = OREGON TILTH CERTIFIED ORGANIC SEED
EU = EUROPEAN UNION CERTIFIED ORGANIC (EU Regulation No. 834/2007 + 889/2008)
CCOF = CALIFORNIA CERTIFIED ORGANIC FARMERS

AGROSTEMMA (a-gro-STEM-a)
CARYOPHYLLACEAE. Two showy annuals.
—Agrostemma Githago. (100) AGRS-4. Packet: $2.50 EU ORGANIC
10 grams: $7.50 EU ORGANIC
Beautiful Photos
Nice Flower Photo
Photo of Seed
'CORN COCKLE'. Large magenta-red to purple 2" wide flowers with darker veins, carried on graceful, willowy stems. Showy and easily grown hardy annual to 2 - 3 feet, with narrow, greyish 4 - 5" leaves. Europe. The flowers have a striking, downy, five-pointed calyx. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.

ARCTIUM (ARK-tee-um)
COMPOSITAE. 'BURDOCK'. Large coarse biennials and perennials with large leaves and burr-like heads of purple to white flowers. Some are cultivated for edible roots or medicinal purposes. Others are weeds of undisturbed land; easily destroyed by cultivation.
—Arctium Lappa. (50) ARCI-3. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Ounce: $7.50
'GOBO', 'GREAT BURDOCK'. Giant hardy perennial to 10 feet, with purple-red 1 3/4" thistle-like flowers and large 20" leaves, white-woolly beneath. Eurasia. Often regarded as a 'weed' in the US, this is a popular vegetable in Japan. The young first-year roots are eaten, the young peeled shoots are eaten as an asparagus. Sow in deep rich soil in spring for a fall harvest, or in fall for spring crop. The seeds are an important medicine in Japan and China, and have antibiotic properties. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.

ATRIPLEX (AT-ri-plex)
CHENOPODIACEAE. 'SALTBUSH'. Herbs and shrubs with inconspicuous flowers, grown for edible greens, the handsome foliage, or as nutritious forage in arid regions. Salt tolerant, good for reclaiming saline soils. Easily grown in full sun. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks, cool to warm temperatures. Seed viable 6 years. All hortensis varieties are also used in floral ornament both fresh and dried, and have been cultivated since the 1500s and 1600s.
—Atriplex hortensis 'Aurora'. (50) ATRI-11A. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $9.00, Ounce: $20.00
Bright red, gold, green, pink, carmine, and deep purple foliage. Stunning in salads and for cooked greens, as well as cut floral ornament. Sure to be a good seller at farmer's markets. Organically grown. Germinates in a week or so.
—Atriplex hortensis 'Magenta Magic'. (50) ATRI-11M. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $11.00, Ounce: $22.00
Deep glowing magenta-red leaves, a wonderful new color for baby salad greens. Organically-grown.
—Atriplex hortensis 'Purple Savoyed'. (50) ATRI-11PS. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $17.00, Ounce: $28.00
Heavily crumpled, thick purple leaves. Very ornamental; new salad vegetable for the restaurant trade. Developed by Shoulder to Shoulder Farm. Organically grown. Germinates in a week or so.

CALENDULA
—Calendula officinalis 'Pot Marigold'. (100) CALN-7W. Packet: $2.50 EU ORGANIC SEED
10 grams: $7.50 EU ORGANIC SEED
'POT MARIGOLD', 'SOLIS SPONSA'. The wild form from Europe. Germinates in 1 - 5 weeks, sometimes part dormant, so 4 weeks prechill helps.
—Calendula officinalis 'Resina'. (100) CALN-7R. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Yellow and orange flowers. An early, potent, high yielding strain developed for the medicinal market.
—Calendula officinalis 'Triangle Flashback'. (25) CALN-7TF. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/2 Ounce: $12.00
Striking fully double flowers with maroon petal-backs and faces in pastel pink shading to yellow in the center. Also called 'Zeolights'. Organically grown.

CHENOPODIUM (ken-o-POE-dee-um)
CHENOPODIACEAE. Wide-ranging genus of mostly herbs with clustered tiny flowers. Many grown for ornament, edible greens or grain, aromatic culinary herbs or medicine. Easily grown and very useful. All germinate in 1 - 3 weeks unless noted otherwise.
—Chenopodium Quinoa 'Brilliant Rainbow'. (100) CHEN-25BR. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Ounce: $8.00
Reselected from Rainbow for the brightest, most brilliant colors. Nice! Germinates in a week.
'QUINOA'. An important high-protein (12 - 19%) grain of the Andes, with good amino acid balance and 58% starch. A staple for millions of Andeans, the development of low-elevation types is helping its spread. Seed washed in water before cooking to remove saponins which protect from pests. Hardy, easily grown annual to 4 - 6 feet, with large seedheads. The leaves, stem-tips and young flowers are excellent in salads, having a mild sweet flavor, and very succulent. Also good cooked like spinach or added to soups. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Chenopodium Quinoa 'Cherry Vanilla'. (400) CHEN-25CV. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Ounce: $14.00
'QUINOA'. Seedheads a blend of colors from creamy-white to rose, a beautiful variety with very mild-flavored grain. Developed by Shoulder to Shoulder Farm.

ECHIUM (EK-ee-um)
BORAGINACEAE. Showy Mediterranean annuals and perennials, some spectacular giants. Easily grown in sunny, dry, poor, well-drained soil in warm areas and near the seacoast. They all attract bees, and one is lizard pollinated! Most germinate in 3 - 4 weeks.
—Echium vulgare. (100) ECHM-12. Packet: $2.50 EU ORGANIC
5 grams: $14.00 EU ORGANIC
CANNOT BE SHIPPED TO MONTANA
Click for photo »
'VIPER'S BUGLOSS', 'BLUE-WEED'. Showy biennial with numerous flowers in curved spikes. The flowers open bright rose, then turn brilliant blue. June and July. Hardy biennial to 2 - 3 feet. Eurasia. Zone 3. An excellent bee-plant. Was used medicinally against poisons and venom, hence the name. "...really brings butterflies and bees to my garden."—T. Vogelsang. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.

HUMULUS (HOO-mu-lus)
CANNABIDACEAE. Two species of twining dioecious vines, of easy cultivation. To save your own seed, plant several, to be sure of having both sexes.
—Humulus Lupulus. (50) HUMU-6. Packet: $2.50 EU ORGANIC SEED
5 grams: $35.00, 10 grams: $65.00
'HOPS'. Hardy dioecious perennial twiner to 20 feet, with handsome 3-lobed leaves and rounded cone-like spikes which form the bitter 'hops' used to flavor beer and increase its intoxicating effects. Young shoots eaten like asparagus. North temperate regions. Zone 4. Prechill 6 - 8 weeks to germinate in 2 - 3 weeks.

LINARIA (li-NAR-ee-a)
SCROPHULARICEAE. Easily grown annuals and perennials with snapdragon-like flowers in many colors. Good for cutting. Full sun to part shade, making the best display planted in masses.
—Linaria vulgaris. (1000) LINA-48. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC
5 grams: $7.50 ORGANIC
CANNOT BE SHIPPED TO MONTANA
'BRIDEWEED', 'BUTTER and EGGS'. Large yellow 1 1/4" flowers with an orange beard and long spurs. Hardy perennial to 1 - 3 feet, with long, very narrow leaves. Eurasia, N. America. Zone 3. Good in dry sandy soil. The flowers yield a yellow dye. The herb, boiled in milk, was used as a fly poison, attracting and killing them. Medicinal, acting on the liver. Germinates in 1 - 24 weeks.

OCIMUM (OSS-i-mum)
LABIATAE. 'BASIL'. Aromatic tender annuals grown in the herb garden for their value as seasoning and fragrance. The leaves are widely used in sauces and soups, the flavor blending particularly well with tomatoes. The clove-like fragrance has been considered soothing, and a cure for nervous headaches. Basil tea is said to calm an upset stomach. Start seed indoors 6 - 8 weeks before last frost, and plant out after all danger of frost is past. Thin to 6" apart. Basil likes full sun, and all types do well in pots. Harvest fresh leaves anytime. For drying, cut just before it reaches full bloom. Seed viable 8 - 10 years. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
—Ocimum sanctum. (1000) OCIM-24. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $8.00, Ounce: $18.00
'HOLY BASIL', 'TULSI'. Sweetly fragrant bushy perennial to 1 - 3 feet, grown as an annual in cold climates. Profuse purple or white bloom, and sometimes purplish-tinted foliage. Tropical Asia. Held sacred by the Hindus and grown around temples. Sections of the stem-bases are used in rosaries. The leaves are used in salads, and the oil is an effective antibiotic, and the leaves are used medicinally. Nice, distinctive clove-like flavor, good in cooking, salads, or for tea. Good in herb breads and herb butters. Good bee plant. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks. Light and KNO3 helps. Organically grown.

SALVIA
—Salvia officinalis 'Extracta'. (25) SALV-60E. Packet: $2.50 EU ORGANIC
10 grams: $10.00
'EXTRACT SAGE'. Developed for high oil content of the foliage for extraction. To 2 feet, lilac flowers, grey leaves. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.

SILYBUM (SI-lee-bum or si-LEE-bum)
COMPOSITAE. 'MILK THISTLE'. Striking plants. Sow in fall or spring where they are to grow and thin to 2 feet apart. Sprouts in 1 - 3 weeks. An interesting note: fresh seed will not germinate at warm temperatures, only sprouting at cool temperatures; but after 5 months dry storage (after-ripening) they will germinate well at warm temperatures.
—Silybum Marianum. (200) SILY-3. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 pound: $10.00 This unit OUT OF STOCK - packets and ounces are available
'ST. MARY'S MILK THISTLE'. Bold and striking rosettes of large glossy, dark green, spiny leaves streaked and marbled with white, followed by 2" wide rose-purple, faintly scented flower-heads on 4 - 6 foot stalks, each head with dramatic reflexed spines. Mediterranean region. Zone 4. Old tradition holds that milk of the Virgin Mary fell upon the plant, causing the white marbling of the leaves. Flowers much visited by bees; later, birds love the seeds. California ranchers claim it loosens hard, compacted soil, and make their own 'clod-buster' from chopped plants soaked in 55 gallon drums of water. Formerly much used as food; the young leaves in salads or boiled, (I've never tried this myself, the spines scare me!) the peeled stalks, the roots like salsify, the young heads eaten like artichokes after cutting off the spines. Was thought to increase milk in nursing women. Since ancient times the seeds have been used as liver medicine, and recently their powerful liver-protective properties have found much use in modern medicine. Experiments have shown it capable of preventing death in dogs from fatal doses of Destroying-Angel mushroom toxins.

TUSSILAGO
COMPOSITAE. North hemisphere medicinal herbs.
—Tussilago farfara. (100) TUSS-9. Packet: $2.50 EU ORGANIC
'COLTSFOOT', 'KUAN DONG HUA'. Light yellow 1 1/3" flowers in March to May, rising before the leaves in spring. Rounded 4 - 8" leaves. Hardy perennial to 1 foot. Eurasia. Zone 4. Young leaves and flowers eaten, and all parts are medicinal, leaves smoked for coughs and asthma. Germinates in a week or two.

ORGANIC VEGETABLE SEEDS:

AMARANTH
—Amaranth Elephant Head. (=Amaranth Greek) (500) VAMA-EH. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Click for photo »
Amaranthus gangeticus. Huge maroon flowerheads with a long, trunk-like spike, resembling an elephant head. Robust 1 - 4 foot plants. Brought by German immigrants in the 1880s. Seed organically grown by Shoulder to Shoulder Farm. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.

BASIL
Ocimum Basilicum. Aromatic tender annuals grown in the herb garden for their value as seasoning and fragrance. The leaves are widely used in sauces and soups, the flavor blending particularly well with tomatoes. The clove-like fragrance has been considered soothing, and a cure for nervous headaches. Basil tea is said to calm an upset stomach. Start seed indoors 6 - 8 weeks before last frost, and plant out after all danger of frost is past. Thin to 6" apart. Basil likes full sun, and all types do well in pots. Harvest fresh leaves anytime. For drying, cut just before it reaches full bloom. Seed viable 8 - 10 years. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
—Basil, Holy Basil. (Ocimum sanctum) (1000) OCIM-24. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $8.00, Ounce: $18.00
'HOLY BASIL', 'TULSI'. Sweetly fragrant bushy perennial to 1 - 3 feet, grown as an annual in cold climates. Profuse purple or white bloom, and sometimes purplish-tinted foliage. Tropical Asia. Held sacred by the Hindus and grown around temples. Sections of the stem-bases are used in rosaries. The leaves are used in salads, and the oil is an effective antibiotic, and the leaves are used medicinally. Nice, distinctive clove-like flavor, good in cooking, salads, or for tea. Good in herb breads and herb butters. Good bee plant. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks. Light and KNO3 helps. Organically grown.

BEAN
—Bean Fava Sweet Lorane. (30) VBEA-FSL. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 pound: $8.00
Small-seeded light colored beans bred for low tannin and sweet flavor. Re-selected by Alan Adesse to recover the best color and taste, Sweet Lorane can be eaten fresh like chickpeas or dried for soup. Very cold hardy and good nitrogen fixer. Organic.
—Bean Gold Marie Vining. (25) VBEA-GMV. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC
1/4 pound: $7.00
Heirloom pole bean with bright yellow flat pods. Best picked at 6 - 7" long for tender delicious snap beans. Large vigorous plants with heavy yields.
—Bean Painted Pony. (50) VBEA-PP. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC OUT OF STOCK
1/4 Pound: $10.00 OUT OF STOCK
Great for both fresh snap beans or dried for soup beans. Long slender bright green pods, mature beans pretty brown and white, keeping their color after cooking. Bush type. Organically grown.
—Bean Whipple. (25) VBEA-WP. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC
1/4 pound: $6.00
Family heirloom from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, this is a dry bean for soups and stews. Beans are dark purple-red with white markings, and incredibly flavorful. Bushy plants with an occasional runner. Organically grown.

BEET
—Beet McGregor's Favorite. (40) VBEE-MC. Packet: $3.00 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/2 Ounce: $10.00
Unusual Scottish heirloom grown for the abundant long narrow leaves, which are deep violet-red with a distinctive metallic sheen. More tender than other beet or chard greens, makes terrific baby salad greens. Organically grown.
—Beet Three Root Grex. (100) VBEE-GX. Packet: $3.00 ORGANIC SEED
Ounce: $9.00
Bred by Alan Kapuler, a cross of Lutz Overwintering, Crosby Purple Egyptian, and Yellow Intermediate Mangle. Produces beets of varied shapes and sizes, in red, pink, and orange, all sweet and tender. Excellent for greens, too.

"Question with boldness even the existence of God; because if there be one, He must approve the homage of Reason rather than that of blindfolded fear."—Thomas Jefferson.

CARROT
—Carrot Black Spanish. (100) VCAR-BLS. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Deep purple skin, pale yellow to white inside, with strong, spicy carrot flavor. Delicious roasted, creamed, or sliced thin for salads. Similar to the black carrots that arrived in Spain from North Africa in the 1300s. Organically grown.

CELERY
—Celery Redventure (=Giant Red Reselection). (500) VCEL-R. Packet: $3.00 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $9.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - packets are available
Tall green stalks blushed deep red, with rosy-yellow hearts. More flavorful than green celery. Cold hardy. Organically grown.

COLLARDS
—Collards Ole Timey Blue. (75) VCOL-OT. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED
Colorful tasty heirloom with large ruffled blue-green leaves with purple veins and stems. Grown for over 100 years by the Blackwell family in Alabama. Makes pretty baby salad greens, and great sauerkraut and curtido.

CORN
—Corn Midnight Snack. (40) VCOR-MS. Packet: $2.00 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/2 pound: $10.00
Wonderful sweet corn, kernels creamy yellow in the milk stage for fresh eating, maturing deep purple-black when dry. Fairly early, good in northern areas. Bred by Edwin Meader in 1978. Organic.
Popcorn Varieties:
Popcorns are smaller than other types, and are harvested after the cobs have dried on the stalks. Valued for its ability to pop when heated, it has been regarded as a festive food since ancient times.
—Popcorn Pennsylvania Dutch Butter. (75) VCOR-PND. Packet: $2.00 ORGANIC SEED
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 Pound: $10.00 ORGANIC SEED
Heirloom grown since the 1880s, with melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and rich flavor—absolutely one of the best-tasting popcorns you can find. Plump white kernels on 4 - 6" ears. In Italy, popcorn is ground for meal, and this variety makes especially good white polenta. Organic seed.

ENDIVE
—Endive Tres Fine. (500) VEND-TF. Packet: $2.00 ORGANIC SEED OUT OF STOCK
1/4 Ounce: $6.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK
Miniature French type with narrow, finely-curled leaves and creamy hearts. Mild sweet flavor, excellent for baby salad greens.

ESCAROLE
—Escarole Anjou. (100) VESC-AN. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED
Big semi-heading type with thick, buttery green leaves. Crunchy, sweeter than the Italian varieties. Use inner leaves for salads, cook outer leaves like spinach. Heirloom French escarole, slow bolting and hardy. Organically grown.
—Escarole Golden Giant. (100) VESC-GG. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED
Huge tall plants with bright green leaves surrounding golden hearts. Thick, sweet, crunchy inner leaves for salads, outer leaves for braising or roasting with chicken, beef, or pork. Organically grown.

FENNEL
—FENNEL Bronze. (=Rubrum) (50) FOEN-1B. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $7.50
Foeniculum vulgare var. rubrum. Feathery reddish bronze foliage; a very pretty 'smoky' effect. To 4 feet. Hardy short-lived perennial. Chopped leaves nice in salads or sauces, seeds for seasoning.

HUAZONTLE
—HUAZONTLE. (Chenopodium berlandieri) (500) VHUA. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED OUT OF STOCK
1/4 Ounce: $6.00, Ounce: $10.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK
Ancient Mexican vegetable, producing an abundance of mild, spinach-like leaves, and the flower clusters are steamed, boiled, or battered and fried. Ripe seeds ground as meal. Very easily grown and very productive and delicious. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.

KALE
—Kale Lacinato Rainbow. (250) VKAL-LR. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $8.00
Click for photo »
Deeply savoyed long narrow leaves overlaid with shades of purple, blue-green, and red. A variety of leaf shapes varying from nearly entire, to very frilly and divided. Very vigorous and cold hardy, perennial in mild climates. Organically grown.
—Kale Old Growth Palm. (250) VKAL-OGP. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $6.00
A dinosaur or lacinato type, with long, narrow, heavily savoyed dark green leaves, forming a small tree-like plant. Very tender and tasty. Developed by Frank Morton to grow through summer without flowering, for harvest into winter. Heat tolerant, aphid resistant. Organically grown.
—Kale Red Ursa. (50) VKAL-RU. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC
Ounce: $12.00
Outstanding variety with broad, slightly frilled leaves with red veins and purple stems. Great for salad mixes. Bolting stems from over-wintered plants are sweet and tender—eat like asparagus. Organically grown seed.
—Kale White Russian. (50) VKAL-W. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC
1/4 Ounce: $7.50
Deeply ruffled dusky green leaves with white veins and mid-ribs. Stands wet soil, vigorous and productive. Nice in salads and braising mixes. In 1995 Garden City Seeds in Montana judged this to be the most cold-hardy and best tasting kale. Organically grown seed.
—Kale Wild Garden Mix. (100) VKAL-WGX. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $6.00
Another diverse gene pool from Wild Garden Seed, begun by crossing Siberian and Red Russian, it now produces a wide variety of leaf types colors, all developed for summer sowing, fall harvest, and overwintering in mild climates. All are sweet and tender, not as strong-tasting as European kales.

KOHLRABI
Brassica oleracea var. Caulo-rapa. A member of the cabbage family, the stem forms a ball-shaped bulb which is eaten. It is a delicious vegetable combining the best qualities of turnip and cabbage when cooked, and is mild, sweet and crisp eaten raw. Sow in early spring or late summer, spacing plants 6 - 8" apart in rows 1 1/2 feet apart. Prefers cool weather and light, rich soil. Best young and tender.
USDA Germination Standard: 75%.
—Kohlrabi Early Purple Vienna. (500) VKOH-EP. Packet: $1.50 ORGANIC
Ounce: $5.00, 1/4 Pound: $10.00 ORGANIC
60 days. An old-fashioned, pre 1885 variety with purple skin and leaves. Flesh white and tender, sweet and mild flavor cooked or raw.

LEEK
—Leek Blue Solaise. (100) VLEE-BL. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED
1/2 Ounce: $6.00
French heirloom from the 1800s, with large sweet-flavored stalks and blue-green leaves that turn vivid violet in cold weather. Extremely hardy, excellent in short-season areas, sown in early summer for winter harvest. Organic.

LETTUCE
Lactuca sativa. Sow in rows 1 foot apart as early as the ground can be worked, not covering the seed, as light is needed for germination. Thin to 8" apart as they develop. Or, plant in flats 1 month before planting out. Transplant carefully. Lettuce prefers cool to moderate temperatures, and is best sown in spring or early fall in a light, well-drained soil. Give shade in hot weather. For a continual crop, sow every few weeks, as long as desired.
There are four basic types of lettuce: Loose-Leaf, Butterhead, Crisphead, and Cos or Romaine. Within these types there are also: Winter Lettuces, which are more adapted to cold and will withstand ordinary winters with little care. Spring Lettuces head rapidly and are sown just after winter. Summer Lettuces are usually larger and do not run to seed as fast in hot weather.
—Lettuce Devil's Tongue. (200) VLET-DT. Packet: $2.00 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Deep red cos-like leaves in loose heads, with a tender, buttery texture. Developed by Shoulder to Shoulder Farm from a chance volunteer: "This is a new and variable strain, but was plenty uniform enough to be our favorite picker..." Organically grown.
—Lettuce Hyper Red Rumple Waved. (250) VLET-HY. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC
1/4 Ounce: $12.00
Vivid deep purple-red leaves, strongly savoyed, semi-cos, with nice tender crumpled hearts. Remarkable summer color, cold-hardy into autumn. One of the most dramatic red lettuces from Wild Garden selections. Organically grown.
—Lettuce Jewel Box Mix. (200) VLET-JX. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED
Another genetic blend from Frank Morton at Wild Garden Seeds, this is a mix of dense-heading small-leaf 'Gem' types in many colors, often streaked or spotted. Small 'personal-sized' heads, with hearts of wine-red, rose, amber, or butter yellow. Organic.
—Lettuce Mascara. (100) VLET-M. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $9.00, Ounce: $28.00
Deep purple-red oak-leaf type, forming a large rosette of thick, curly leaves. Stays red even in hot weather. Bolt resistant and non-bitter. Heat and cold tolerant, an excellent cutting lettuce for mesclun.
"Mascara lettuce is outstanding: 16" across and still tender!"—K. Kennedy, California, 1/97.
—Lettuce Mayan Jaguar. (150) VLET-MJ. Packet: $3.00 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Upright romaine type, with green ruffled leaves with dark red spots. Sweet, juicy, and crunchy, with rose-pink hearts. Another nice one from Frank Morton. Organically grown.
—Lettuce Red Butter Romaine. (200) VLET-RBR. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Another wonderful cross by Wild Garden Seed, this one has deep red outer leaves and a buttery yellow interior, with blushed rose center. Crisp outside, tender inside. Organically grown.
—Lettuce Wild Garden Mix. (250) VLET-WX. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $12.00
The most diverse lettuce mix ever! From the premier lettuce growers at Wild Garden Seeds, this mix contains every variety they have, plus unreleased works-in-progress. Loose leaf, butter, crisp head, romaine—red, purple, green, bronze, speckled—frilly, round, narrow, wide. Amazing diversity for your salads! Organically grown.

MUSTARD
Brassica juncea var. integrifolia. Mustard leaves are excellent greens with a sharp pungent flavor. Boiled like spinach, they become tender and not at all bitter. Very good in soups, or as simple cooked greens served with a little melted butter.
Plant in late spring or early summer, or in frost-free climates, sow in fall and early winter. Prefers a rich soil and abundant moisture for fast growth, but will produce well in any soil. Thin to 6" apart in rows 18" apart. A cool weather crop.
—Mustard Osaka Purple. (100) VMUS-OS. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $7.50
Smooth leaves blushed deep purple, with a spicy flavor. Grows vigorously in cool weather. A fine addition to salads. Organically grown.
—Mustard Vibrant Ultraviolet. (100) VMUS-VU. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED
Extraordinary color in a mustard—in cold weather the lobed leaves turn a deep, dark violet with vivid magenta-pink veins and sterns. Color like no other! Mild flavor, perfect for winter salads. From Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seeds. Organic.
—Mustard Wild Garden Pungent Mix. (200) VMUS-WGX. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $6.00, Ounce: $15.00
Another hugely diverse mix from Wild Garden, containing all their current mustards, plus unreleased breeding experiments. Green, purple, golden, striped—whole, lacy, ruffled, smooth, savoyed. All deliciously hot and spicy! Fantastic for baby salad mixes. Organically grown.

ORACH VARIETIES:
Atriplex hortensis. Also called 'Butter Leaves' and 'Mountain Spinach'. Hardy annual succulent herbs with large, tender triangular leaves, growing 3 - 6 feet tall. Delicious as cooked greens or in salads, a good substitute for spinach during hot weather.
Cultivated since the 1500's in Europe, but little known in the U.S. Salt and heat tolerant, fast growing with ample water. Succession sow, thin to 2 feet. Also grown for ornament, making handsome cut foliage, fresh or dried.
—Orach Aurora. (50) ATRI-11A. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $9.00, Ounce: $20.00
Bright red, gold, green, pink, carmine, and deep purple foliage. Stunning in salads and for cooked greens, as well as cut floral ornament. Sure to be a good seller at farmer's markets. Organically grown.
—Orach Magenta Magic. (50) ATRI-11M. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $20.00
Deep glowing magenta-red leaves, a wonderful new color for baby salad greens. Organically-grown.
—Orach Purple Savoyed. (50) ATRI-11PS. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $17.00, Ounce: $28.00
Heavily crumpled, thick purple leaves. Very ornamental; new salad vegetable for the restaurant trade. Developed by Shoulder to Shoulder Farm. Organically grown.

PARSLEY
—Parsley Splendid (=Survivor Italian). (500) VPAR-SP. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $7.50
Traditional flat-leaf type, selected for over 20 years for cold hardiness and disease resistance. Full flavored dark green leaves. Survives cold weather and poor conditions. The best parsley for difficult garden areas. Organically grown.

PEAS
Pisum sativum. Peas are a cool weather crop, and like humidity. Sow early in spring in rows 1 foot apart for dwarf varieties, 3 feet for tall varieties. Plant seeds 1 - 2" deep. Thin to 4 - 6" apart. Stake tall varieties when about 6" high. For succession, sow at intervals of 1 - 2 weeks till midsummer. In the South, sow in fall for winter harvest. Peas are classed as smooth or wrinkle seeded. The smooth types are best for drying, freezing or canning, wrinkled types are sweeter and best for eating fresh. Edible podded peas, such as Snow Peas or Sugar Peas, have tender, sweet pods which are eaten when the peas inside are still very young and small.
USDA Germination Standard: 80%.
—Pea Blue Podded. (25) VPEA-BL. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC
1/4 Pound: $5.00 ORGANIC BULK OUT OF STOCK - packets are available
Click for photo »
Heirloom Dutch pea, called Blauwschokkers, or Pois A Cross Violette in France. Enjoyed in Europe for centuries. Sweet-scented bi-colored flowers followed by striking blue-violet pods. Young pods are sweet and delicious, or dry mature peas for soup.

PUMPKIN
—Pumpkin Styrian Hulless. (30) VPUM-ST. $3.00 ORGANIC SEED
C. pepo. Originally from Styria in Austria, grown for the hulless seeds, which are a nutritious snack, and pressed for an excellent cooking oil. The flesh can be cooked for soup or pies, but this type is mainly grown for the seeds. Organic.

QUINOA VARIETIES: Chenopodium Quinoa
'QUINOA'. An important high-protein (12 - 19%) grain of the Andes, with good amino acid balance and 58% starch. A staple for millions of Andeans, the development of low-elevation types is helping its spread. Seed washed in water before cooking to remove saponins which protect from pests. Hardy, easily grown annual to 4 - 6 feet, with large seedheads. The leaves, stem-tips and young flowers are excellent in salads, having a mild sweet flavor, and very succulent. Also good cooked like spinach or added to soups. Germinates in 2 weeks.
—Quinoa Brilliant Rainbow. (100) CHEN-25BR. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Ounce: $8.00
Reselected from Rainbow for the brightest, most brilliant colors. Nice! Germinates in a week.
—Quinoa Cherry Vanilla. (400) CHEN-25CV. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
Ounce: $14.00
'QUINOA'. Seedheads a blend of colors from creamy-white to rose, a beautiful variety with very mild-flavored grain. Developed by Shoulder to Shoulder Farm.

RUTABAGA
—Rutabaga Nadmorska. (100)VRUT-ND. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $5.00, Ounce: $11.00
Large oval golden-yellow roots with green tops, and a mild sweet taste. Delicious creamed or roasted. Organically grown.

SALAD MIX
—Salad Mix Astro. (300) VSAL-AS. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED OUT OF STOCK
1/4 Ounce: $6.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK
This salad mix has quite a back-story. In 1994 Frank Morton's Outredgeous was the first lettuce grown in space—NASA chose it for the International Space Station. Frank worked with NASA scientists to create this mix, based on fast growth and high nutritional content. Contains Outredgeous and Jester lettuces, Red Ursa kale, Green Velvet and Triple Purple oraches, Persian Cress, and Vivid Choi mustard. The salad mix of astronauts and cosmonauts—try it with a glass of Tang! Organic.

SQUASH
—Squash Yakima Marblehead. (15) VSQU-YM. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED
C. maxima. Rare heirloom Hubbard-type squash, oblong with slate-grey rind, slightly ribbed. Golden yellow flesh, sweet and dry, very dense. Prized for its excellent flavor. Averages 20 pounds, and can reach 40 pounds. Stores well. This variety was popular with market growers in the Yakima Valley, Washington, in the late 1800s, where they sold cut pieces of the large squash. Organic.

TOMATO
—Tomato Early Wonder. (75) VTOM-EW. Packet: $2.50 ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $9.00
Introduced by Burgess Seed Co. in 1950, compact plants produce an abundant early crop of round, deep pink, medium-sized fruits with excellent tomato flavor. Perfect for container growing and short-season areas. Organic.
—Tomato Raspberry Lyanna. (50) VTOM-RSL. Packet: $2.50 OTC ORGANIC SEED
1/4 Ounce: $15.00
Medium-sized raspberry pink fruits, with full rich flavor. Heavy yields, great for canning or fresh. Originally from Russia, does well in cool coastal areas. Semi-determinate. Organically grown.