Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
LOL, you will not be bored tonight, chasing the Tipnut recipes.
http://theoldfoodie.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thanksgiving Pie No. 1
The famous food-writer Clementine Paddleford (1898-1967) said, of Thanksgiving pies ‘Tell me where your grandmother came from and I can tell you how many kinds of pie you serve for Thanksgiving.’ She summarised it thus:
If your grandmother was from the Midwest, there would be mince and pumpkin, if from New England, mince, pumpkin, and cranberry, if from Boston, mince, pumpkin, cranberry and apple). She did not explain grandmothers from the West or South, but I am sure there are grandmothers in those states, and that Thanksgiving is celebrated there …
In Clemetine’s honour, and in honour of my many American cyber-friends, and because a couple of you have asked for stories on them, I am going to dedicate the week to Thanksgiving Pies. Clementine only lists four varieties, but I know there are more. ‘Jay’ has asked about pecan pie like his great great grandmother used to make – you will have to be patient until tomorrow, Jay! Today, because she got in first with her request, the story is at the request of Laura, and it is on pumpkin pie.
First, the pumpkin itself. The pumpkin belongs to the family Cucurbitacae, which includes gourds, squashes, pumpkins, marrows, melons, and cucumbers. They are amongst the earliest cultivated plants in the world. The genus which includes the pumpkin and squash (Cucurbita) originated in the New World, and pumpkins were cultivated in Mexico (probably for the seeds) about 6,000 years ago. When the conquistadores arrived, they likened the big round fruit (the pumpkin, botanically speaking is a fruit) to melons (perhaps a general word for edible gourds, which were known in Europe.) Somewhere along the way for reasons that are unclear, these melons became pompones or pompion – and then pumpkin. In 1525 in the Grete Herball of Peter Trevis, there is a reference to ‘melons that we call pompous [pompons]’ , so it appears that they were being grown in England by that time.
Certainly, the pumpkin was a vital crop for the Indians of North America, who were generous with their plant knowledge to the early settlers. It is said that the pumpkin saved those early settlers from starvation on more than one occasion, which is perhaps why it is engraved so deeply on the national consciousness, particularly at Thanksgiving - particularly in the form of pie.
Recipes are never invented of course, they are developed from a recipe ancestor. There is a Tart of Pompeons in the sixteenth century Italian text Epulario, and I have given the recipe for this in a previous post. Of course, the linguistic confusion between gourds, squash and pumpkins means that it is not always certain which is being referenced in early texts. The Tart of Pompeons is a strange (to us today) sort of dish – not quite custard, not quite cheesecake, and almost mincemeat pie. A similar concept of a starchy ‘vegetable’ (or fruit, in the case of the pumpkin) forming the base for a sweet dish has many incarnations, and I have previously given you a recipe for Carrot Pudding from 1715 which could easily be used for a pumpkin pie filling if the main ingredient were substituted.
Just to show you that appreciation of the pumpkin pie is not confined to the USA, I give you a recipe from a Melbourne newspaper, The Argus, dated September 10, 1919. Here in Queensland we grow a fine, large, sweet, dry variety of pumpkin called the Queensland Blue, which is just right for the purpose - see the image above.
Pumpkin Pie
Take a pint of well-cooked pumpkin from which as much moisture as possible has been pressed. Mix with it two well-beaten eggs, a cupful of sugar, a teaspoonful of cinnamon, a half-teaspoonful ginger, a little grated nutmeg, and the grated yellow rind of 1 small lemon. Line the piedish with shortcrust pastry, making the edges ornamental. Fill up with the pumpkin mixture and bake for half an hour or a little longer in a quick oven. Pumpkin pie should not be covered with pastry.
Quotation for the Day …
Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. Jim Davis (‘Garfield’ creator)
Posted by The Old Foodie at 6:22 AM 0 comments
Labels: 20thC recipe, Australian recipe, pie, sweet things, vegetables
http://companiontotheoldfoodie.blogspot.com/2006/08/fun-with-potatoes.html
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Thursday, August 17, 2006
Fun with Potatoes.
FROM THE BEGINNING:
The problem with many early recipes (16th – mid 18th centuries) is being sure what is meant by “potato” as often sweet potato was intended, and the earliest known written recipe for “Earth Apples” (German, 1581) is now thought to refer to a type of squash.
The following recipe seems to clearly mean Solanum tuberosum, and is an interesting cook-in-a jar method.
To make a Potatoe Herrico.
Scrape the skin clean off four pounds of good raw potatoes, then wash them clean; take two pounds of beef, one of mutton, and one of pork; or, as you like best, four pounds of any of these meats; cut them into pieces of three or four pounds each, season them very well with pepper and salt, and a good onion chopped very small; have ready a strong wide mouthed jar such as hares are usually jugged in; slice a thin layer of the potatoes into the jar, then a layer of the seasoned meat over them, and so alternately layers of potatoes and meat; let your uppermost layer be potatoes, so that your jar be about three quarters full, but put no water into your jar; then close or stop the mouth of it with a large well-fitted cork, covering the same with a strong piece of canvas, and tying it down with pack thread, so as only a little of the steam may escape in stewing; for a little should constantly evaporate from the sides of the cork to save the jar from bursting. Then place your jar up right in a kettle of cold water on the fire, so as the mouth of the jar may be always two inches above the water in the kettle, when boiling. The herrico in the jar will begin to boil some minutes sooner than the water in the kettle, and that for obvious reasons. In about an hour after the water in the kettle begins to boil, your herrico will be fully stewed. Then take out and open the jar, pour out the herrico into a deep dish, and serve it up.
[Taylor, E, “The lady’s, housewife’s, and cookmaid’s assistant: or, the art of cooker, explained and adapted to the meanest capacity … ”; 1778]
IN A PAPER BAG:
If you don’t have a jar to cook your spuds in, you could try cooking them in a paper-bag, as promoted by Nicolas Soyer, the grandson of Alexis Soyer, and author of “Paper Bag Cookery” (1911).
Here is how:
New Potatoes.
Peel, halve and put sufficient in a paper-bag for three persons with three tablespoonsfuls of cold water. Add one leaf of mint and a little salt. Seal up bag. Place gently on the broiler. Allow 30 to 35 minutes in hot oven. All potatoes should be cut in two.
Baked Potatoes.
Thoroughly wash twelve good sized potatoes. Make a few small slits in them but do not peel. Place in a paper-bag with one tablespoonful of water. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, according to size.
Potatoes Chateau.
Peel and blanch two dozen small potatoes and drain well, Put htem in a bag and add two ounces of butter. Seal up and bake in a very hot oven for 35 minutes. Place on a very hot dish, season to taste, and serve.
Potatoes Paysanne.
Cut half-a-dozen good-sized peeled potatoes into large dice; parboil for a minute or so. Place in a paper-bag and add a chopped onion, four ounces of ham finely diced, and two ounces of butter. Seal up and bake for 30 minutes.
Potatoes Mâitre d’Hotel.
Cut up six cold boiled potatoes, place in a well buttered bag, add half a glass of milk, salt and pepper, an ounce of butter, a little chopped parsley, and grated nutmeg. Cook for 15 minutes.
FOR AMUSEMENT.
You don’t have to buy a Potato-Man kit to have fun with potatoes, some recipes sound like fun just on account of their names.
Surprise Potatoes.
Wash some large potatoes, but do not peel them; cut a small piece off the top and scoop out the centre; fill with sausage meat; replace the lid and bake in rather a hot oven from one to one and a half hours; a slice should also be cut from the bottom part of the potatoes, that they may stand flat on the dish.
[From: “The Day by Day Cookery Book”; Mrs A.N. Whybrow; 1900]
Potatoes for Pilgrims.
(a Trappist recipe).
Boil six or eight potatoes, and cut them in slices. Make a little frying batter, and dip in it half a dozen onions thinly sliced; fry these in hot fat, and when they are browned, put the potatoes into the pan with them. Pour over them as much milk as will barely cover them. Sprinkle powdered sugar upon them, let them stew gently a short time, and serve very hot. Time to stew, five or six minutes. Probable cost, 8d. Sufficient for four or five persons.
Frying batter.
To four ounces of flour add a gill of lukewarm water, a pinch of salt, and two-tablespoonfuls of salad oil. Let the mixture stand awhile, and, before using, dash in the whites of two eggs whisked till firm.
[Cassell’s Dictionary of Cookery; 1870’s]
Potato Snow
The Potatoes must be free from spots, and the whitest you can pick out; put them on in cold water; when they begin to crack, strain the water from them, and put them into a clean stew-pan by the side of the fire until they are quite dry, and fall to pieces; rub them through a wire sieve on the dish they are to be sent up in, and do not disturb them afterwards.
[Kitchiner; Cook’s Oracle; 1845]
Shoo-fly Potatoes.
There is a machine which comes for the purpose of cutting shoo-fly potatoes; it costs two dollars and a half. The potatoes are cut into long strips like macaroni, excepting that the sides are square instead of round. They are thrown into boiling lard, sprinkled with salt as soon as done, and served as a vegetable alone, or as a garnish around meat. (1878)
[Story of July 4th 2006]
FOR ALL CLASSES:
Potatoes are the most versatile of vegetables, suitable for your guests whichever stratum of society they represent.
For the Working Class, from Francatelli’s “A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes”( 1861)
Potato Pie.
Slice up four onions and boil them in a saucepan with two ounces of butter, a quart of water, and pepper and salt, for five minutes; then add four pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut in slices; stew the whole until the potates are done, and pour them into a pie-dish; cover this with stiff mashed potatoes, and bake the pie of a light colour.
For the Middle Class, from the “Middle Class Cookery Book”, The Manchester School of Domestic Economy and Cookery, 1903
Potato Salad.
2 large cooked Potatoes; ½ Teaspoonful Salt; ¼ Teaspoonful Black Pepper; 2 Pickled Gherkins; 2 Tablespoonfuls Oil; 1 Tablespoonful Vinegar.
Cut the potatoes into slices about half an inch thick, or rather less; divide these into dice; divide the gherkins lengthwise; cut into pieces; mix with the potatoes in a salad bowl, Mix the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper well together; pour over the potatoes.
For the High Class guest, a recipe from “High Class Cookery Recipes”; The National Training School for Cookery, Mrs. Charles Clarke; 1893
Pommes de Terre à l’Anna.
Two pounds of Potatoes; two ounces of grated Cheese; one and a half ounces of Butter; Salt and pepper; one teaspoonful of chopped Parsley.
Butter a plated dish, peel the potatoes and cut them into rather thin slices. Lay these slices in close even rows on the dish, and sprinkle over them the cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley; put a piece of butter here and there on the top, and bake in a moderate oven for an hour and a quarter.
REPEAT APPEARANCES:
Potato recipes that appear in other stories are:
Preserving Potatoes (1894)
Potatoes à la Maitre d’Hôtel. (1861)
Erdtapfel (Earth apples) (1581) [some historians now consider that this actually refers to a type of squash, not potato]
Shoo-fly Potatoes (1878)
Potato Pasty (1861)
Potato Cakes (1917)
To Dress Potatoes (1782)
Potatoes à la Parisienne. (From Larousse)
Potato Omelette. [1852]
Potato Sandwiches. [1857]
Posted by The Old Foodie at 5:46 AM
http://theoldfoodie.blogspot.com/2008/11/dont-mention-war.html
Monday, November 03, 2008
Don’t Mention The War.
This day in 1904 was the birthday of the English writer Nancy Mitford. I admit to knowing next to nothing about Miss Mitford, save that she was vaguely aristocratic and wrote a lot about the vaguely aristocratic. I do have one longish quotation from her in my file however that says much about that particular species.
She is speaking about Right Honourable Sir Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt Wilson, 14th Baron, aka Lord Berners (1883-1950), during World War II.
“There is something magic about all of Faringdon, and Lord Berners himself, in his skull cap, looks not unlike a magician, but perhaps the greatest, most amazing conjuring tricks are reserved for the dining room. In this pleasant sunny white room, scattered with large silver-gilt birds and wonderful Sevres and Dresden china, a standard of culinary perfection has been maintained through the darkest days of war. Cook or no cook, raw materials or no raw materials, a succession of utterly delicious courses would somehow waft themselves to the sideboard, and the poor Londoner, starved, or sated with Spam, would see sights and taste tastes he had long ago forgotten to believe in.”
Lord Berners has been called “The Last Eccentric” of England, but he is not, there are still quite a few of them around. He could, however, be eligible for “One of the Most Eccentric.” One has to be aristocratic or wealthy, or both, and preferably English to be able to cultivate eccentricity. Lord Berners was a musician and novelist, and a Peer of the Realm. His whippets sported diamond collars, his doves were dyed in all the colours of the rainbow, and he trained a parrot to walk under a bowler hat (thereby creating the illusion that the hat was moving across the floor.)
I think it improbable –that Lord Berners ever ate Spam himself. Spam, as I am sure you are aware if you were born BC (before computers), is a “manufactured meat product” perpetrated upon the world by “The Yanks” and sent over to England by the shipload during the war, to the undying gratitude of the Poms, who came to love it with a guilty passion.
The Ministry of Food during the war conducted ongoing campaigns to advise the British housewife how to cope with rationing. At one time the ads featured a series of fictitious housewives with not-very convincing names. “Mrs. Merry” at one time asked “For only 12 points you can get a lovely big tin of American pork sausagemeat, but what’s the best way to use it?’ The famous and favourite cookbook writer Marguerite Patten was advisor to the Ministry of Food during the war, and she says “There’s lots of ways to use it, but here’s one of our favourites and the beautiful clean pork fat in the tin is wonderful for making pastry.”
Fillets of Pork.
Flake ½ lb. pork sausagemeat (with the outside fat removed), then mix in ½ lb mashed potatoes and one cupful of crisp breadcrumbs. Season well with pepper and salt adding a pinch of sage if liked. Then bind with a thick sauce made from the meat juices taken from the can, and made up to one teacup measure with vegetable stock and 1 tablespoon of flour plus a little of the pork fat from the tin.
Divide into nine or ten sections, shape into finger rolls, coat in more crumbs, and fry or bake till heated through and crisp coated, with a light greasing of pork fat for the frying pan or baking tin.
I guess if you are going to use canned pork sausagemeat, you may as well call the dish Fillets of Pork, yes? I also guess that it was Spam that was intended, but the MOF could not appear to be recommending a particular brand.
Quotation for the Day …
Dine we must and we may as well dine elegantly as well as wholesomely. Isabella Beeton.
Posted by The Old Foodie at 5:25 AM
http://theoldfoodie.blogspot.com/2008/11/canned-meat-again.html
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Canned Meat, Again.
A tin (can) of roast veal over a hundred years old was opened in 1938 at the request of the International Tin Research and Development Council. The tin was one of the exhibits in the museum of the Royal United Service Institution in Whitehall, London and had been taken on an expedition to the Arctic in 1824 by Sir William Parry (then a lieutenant) and returned unused.
The instructions on the tin said “Cut round with chisel and hammer”, but perhaps in the modern 1930’s a heavy-duty can-opener was used. The contents of the tin when it was opened were found in perfect condition – at least perfect for animal food. Some of the meat was given to a cat “without ill effects”, and ten rats fed on it for ten days “provided a testimonial to its quality by putting on weight during the period.”
I used to think that calling the preservation of food in glass bottles ‘canning’ rather than bottling was an example of very flexible use of the language, but in fact the first large scale preservation of food by heat was done in glass containers. The pioneer was a Frenchman called Nicholas Appert (1749-1841) who rose to Napoleon Bonaparte’s challenge to find ways of preserving food to supply armies on the move, and won his prize in 1810. From then on things moved pretty quickly. Although Appert was the pioneer of the heat-preserving process, it was another Frenchman (Pierre Durand) who succeeded in using tins, and an Englishman (Bryan Donkin) who began large-scale production in 1811.
The method was a success long before the science was understood – and the time and temperature of heating was empirical in those early days, with either grossly overcooked food – or worse, seriously undercooked – the risk. Germ theory only began to be developed in the 1830’s and 1840’s, and it was not until Louis Pasteur’s work in the 1860’s that it was found that heating stopped the growth of the micro-organisms that were causing food spoilage. We now call that process pasteurisation, in his honour.
It is difficult to imagine life without canned food nowadays. Even the most ardent fresh-food purist is usually prepared to concede a can of tomatoes for spaghetti sauce, a Big English Breakfast requires canned baked beans, and a genuine Aussie hamburger must have canned beetroot slices (and canned pineapple slices too, according to some.)
In the 1860’s Australia put the now very established canning process to good use and sent vast quantities of meat to the Mother Country, where at that time there was a dearth of the fresh variety, which was therefore expensive. It is probably fair to say that the meat-loving English did not find “Australian Meat” fabulous. It was, however, enthusiastically promoted as very good food for “the poorer sort”, by those who did not fall into that category themselves. At one time I intended to post all one hundred recipes for “Tinned Meats, Australian” that are to be found in Cassell’s Dictionary of Cookery (1870’s). Alas, I am far behind and will probably never complete it. There are a few HERE, and also on the no longer maintained Companion site HERE – and I offer you this truly magnificent addition today: -
Spiced Beef.
Turn out a shape of beef of six pounds weight [they were large cans!]. To answer properly it should be a firm good shape with jelly round. It must be cut in rounds three inches thick – this will make three rounds. Lay them in a dish three inches deep, cover them with this mixture:- One ounce of pepper, one ounce of salt, half an ounce of nutmeg, a quarter of an ounce of allspice.
Melt all the jelly, put the rounds back intact into their own tin, one over the other. To accomplish this you must press each round down separately with a piece of wood that just fits inside the tin.
When it is all firmly pressed in, pour (by degrees to let it all soak in) all round the edge the melted jelly well seasoned. Let the shape stand to get cold. If it will not turn out easily, dip it in hot water.
Quotation for the Day …
Canning gives … a kitchen garden where all good things grow, and where it is always harvest time … A regular Arabian Nights garden, where raspberries, apricots , olives and pineapples are always ripe, grow side by side with peas, pumpkins, spinach; a garden with baked beans, vines and spaghetti bushes, and sauerkraut beds, and great cauldrons of hot bean soup… James H. Collins, in The Story of Canned Foods
Posted by The Old Foodie at 5:17 AM
Labels: 19thC recipe, English recipe, meat
3 comments:
Bob Mrotek said...
My father’s favorite canned U.S. Army ration in World war II was something called “pork chunks in applesauce” which he actually missed after the war.
November 04, 2008 6:08 AM
http://theoldfoodie.blogspot.com/2008/11/putting-food-by.html
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Putting Food By.
Yesterday’s story about preserving juice for use in Punch all the year round made me think of the other end of the olden-day preserving routine. Nowadays we squeeze oranges for juice and throw away the cup of rind. Throwing away something (a) expensive and (b) tasty would have been unthinkeable in the eighteenth century. In spite of no refrigeration and no canning, it seems that almost everything was preserved in some way, and nothing was wasted.
Meat (and fish) was salted or pickled or dried or smoked, or cooked in great thickly-coffined pies which – if not cracked or damp – would kept meat for frighteningly long periods of time. Vegetables were a bit of a problem – so the winter supply depended on growing enough of the sort with naturally long keeping qualities such as cabbages, potatoes and onions, and storing them well in dry rooms or cellars. Fruit such as apples and pears also have naturally good keeping qualities if they are handled and stored carefully – or they could be bottled in syrup or made into fruit pastes. Even eggs were kept by a variety of methods – which deserve a post of their own, perhaps very soon.
The skins of oranges or other citrus used for juicing for punch was made into chips – the same as the candied peel that we put in Christmas cakes. Most of us wouldn’t bother to make this now – it is cheap to buy, and anyway we are time-poor. Here is how we would have done it in the eighteenth century – when there were no candy thermometers, and cooks had a variety of tricks to tell them when their syrup was ready.
How to make Orange Chips.
Take the fresh Skin of Seville Oranges, whose Juice has been used for Punch, and lay them in Salt and Water three Days; then boil them tender, shifting them as above, and take out all the Strings of the Insides; put them into an Earthen-pot, make a Syrup of common Lump-sugar, and boil it three Times a Week the first Fortnight; then let it stand a Month longer, and take the Skins out of the Syrup and wash them in clear Water, turn them into Chips, and according to Quantity, if three Pounds of Chips, two Pounds of Sugar, wet it with Water and boil it Candy-height; then put in your Chips and let them boil, dip a Slice into the Syrup and blow it through, if it flies like Snow, you must take them out and spread them on an Earthen-dish to cool, so keep them for Use.
Professed cookery: containing boiling, roasting, pastry, preserving, pickling, potting, made-wines, gellies, and part of confectionaries. Ann Cook. 1760?
Quotation for the Day …
A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be oversophisticated. Yet it remains cheese, milk’s leap toward immortality. Clifton Fadiman.
Posted by The Old Foodie at 5:25 AM
Bump this good thread.
http://theoldfoodie.blogspot.com/2006/12/vintage-christmas-recipes.html
6
Vintage Christmas Recipes.
Our Christmas food traditions today reflect many centuries of change and evolution.
This selection of historic Christmas recipes will give you some idea of how cooks and housewives have adapted recipes over time, depending on their own beliefs and philosophies, as well as availability of ingredients
continues, covers 1500’s to 1944.
Thank you.
You are welcome to join in the thread, or read as you will.
It is meant to be shared.
Thank you for stopping in.
http://www.ghosttraveller.com/frypancookies.htm
Fry Pan Cookies
temperature: 350 (electric skillet)
1 egg
1/4 c milk
1 c dates, chopped fine
3 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c shortening
2 tsp nutmeg
1n measuring cup combine eggs, milk and dates. Set aside. Into large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, nutmeg, baking soda and baking soda. Add shortening and blend as for pie crust. pour liquid over other ingredients and combine thoroughly. Shape into 2 rolls that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in wax paper. Chill, and slice into 1/4 inch slices as needed.
Preheat electric skillet to 350.
Place 12 cookies into fry pan. Cover. Bake for 5-6 minutes on first side. Wait until golden brown, then turn with spatula. Bake 3-4 minutes on second side. Cool on a cake rack, and frost with milk frosting as desired. This is not a very sweet cookie.
http://www.ghosttraveller.com/BenneSeed%20Wafers.htm
Benne Seed Wafers
1 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c softened butter
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large skillet, toast the sesame seeds lightly then cool.
Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add the sesame seeds.
Grease a cookie sheet.
Drop by teaspoonfuls 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes in upper 1/3 of the oven - only a sheet at a time. Let cool for 1 minute, then gently but briskly scrape up the wafers with a spatula and let cool on racks. (note: you might want to use greased parchment paper or a silpat liner with this recipe)
http://www.ghosttraveller.com/St%20Patrick%27s%20Potato%20Candy.htm
St Patrick Potato Candies
Freshly boil and mash enough peeled potato to fill a teacup. Put through a sieve, for there must not be a lump in it. Stir in 2 lbs confectioners XXXX sugar (superfine?).
The dough should be firm enough to roll out or mould.
Cut off part, flavor with almond and work in sufficient green food coloring to give a soft shade. Roll these into balls the size of a hickory nut (how big is a hickory nut??) and press into each a blanched almond. Dust with granulated sugar.
Another part flavor with rose or strawberry. Color a delicate pink and roll in each a filbert or almond. Brush with unbeaten egg white and roll in shredded coconut.
Another part flavor with vanilla, make into ovals shaped like small potatoes. Put in “eyes” (i.e. potato ‘eyes’) of peanuts or almonds or puffed rice, after rolling in cocoa until they are a dusty potato brown.
For still another potato confection, roll remainder of dough into 1/8 inch thickness on board dusted with powdered sugar. Spread with melted chocolate or peanut butter, roll up and cut in slices. These are very appropriate sweets for the 17th of March parties.
http://www.ghosttraveller.com/raisinpie.htm
Raisin Pie
2 c seeded raisins
1 1/2 c boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c sugar
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
Cook the raisins and water in the upper part of a double boiler for 5 minutes. Mix the salt, cornstarch, and sugar and pour the mixture over them, stirring constantly. Return to the double boiler and cook 5 minutes longer. Add the lemon rind and juice, cool, then bake between two crusts.
self ping 6972 benne seed wafers recipe
http://www.ghosttraveller.com/Mason%20and%20Dixon%20Cookies.htm
Mason and Dixon Cookies
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c melted shortening
1 egg
1/2 c sweet milk (buttermilk)
1/2 tsp baking soda, sifted into
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c chopped raisins
1/2 c chopped nuts
1/2 tsp salt
3 squares melted chocolate
Mix in order and bake in moderate oven. (I’m assuming you drop them onto a greased cookie sheet by the teaspoonful... but that’s all she wrote!)
Index of other old recipes, all era’s:
http://www.ghosttraveller.com/Index%20of%20Historical%20Recipes,%20by%20Cuisine.htm
http://www.ghosttraveller.com/spicy%20sizzlesauce.htm
Spicy Sizzle Sauce
1 1/2 c orange juice
1/2 c vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cloves
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tbsp powdered ginger
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp brandy flavoring
Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well with rotary beater. Use as a basting sauce for ham or pork.
http://www.ghosttraveller.com/Apple%20Catsup.htm
Apple Catsup
12 tart apples, pared, cored and quartered.
1 c sugar
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp dry mustard
2 white onions, minced
2 c pickling vinegar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp salt
1/2 c prepared horseradish
Place the apples in a large pot, covered with water. Cook slowly until the apples are soft and the water has almost completely evaporated.
Put the apples through a sieve or vegetable mill. You should have about 1 quart of pulp.
Add the remaining ingredients and heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour.
Keep refrigerated.
Excellent with roast pork, ham, goose or duck.
LOL, I thought they looked good too.
If you try them, let us know how you liked them.
[Here you are, a million dreams, copy and save for the first real snowstorm.....[smiling]...granny]
[If you have read the Richter’s herb catalog, it is worth ordering a copy...I love seed catalogs, so full of dreams..granny]
Seeds of Diversity Canada
Resource List - 2009
The following seed companies and nurseries sell heirloom and rare or endangered varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs. In some catalogues, the heirloom varieties are noted as such, but in others they are not, so you have to know what you are looking for.
All prices are in Canadian funds unless specified. The U.S. seed companies listed here will send seeds to Canada, but usually cannot ship living plants, bulbs, potatoes, etc across the border.
Since some U.S. banks charge a large fee to cash non-U.S. cheques, many U.S. seed companies cannot accept cheques from Canadian banks. It is often best to make your payments with money orders instead.
This resource list is updated regularly. If you know of other resources or changes that should be made to this information, please e-mail office@seeds.ca
Inclusion of any company in this list does not constitute a recommendation by Seeds of Diversity Canada and no claims are made to accuracy. This list is for information purposes only.
Canada
Acorus Restoration #722 6th. Concession Road RR#1, Walsingham, ON N0E 1X0 519-586-2603 fax: 519-586-2447 www.ecologyart.com info@ecologyart.com
Seed packets available for 30 easy to grow native species. Bulk seed and Native Seed Mixes also available. We offer over 350 species of native plants suitable for wetland, woodland, prairie, and meadow. Our trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants are grown from seed that we collected in an ecologically responsible manner. Come out and visit the healing, songbird, butterfly, hummingbird and water gardens and walk our trails to see our large scale restorations of wetland, Carolinian woodland and Tallgrass Prairie. We also offer many biological and ecological restoration consultation services.
Agrestal Organic Heritage Seed Co. P.O. Box 646, Gormley, Ontario L0H 1G0 905 888-1881 fax: 905 888-0094 www.agrestalseeds.com farmerbob@agrestalseeds.com
Canadian owned and operated company specializing in certified organic heirloom vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. Catalogue free.
AgroHaitai Ltd. PO Box 33560 Dundurn PO, Hamilton, ON L8P 4X4 519-647-2280 fax: 519-647-2280 www.agrohaitai.com seed@agrohaitai.com
A unique source of oriental vegetable seeds. Catalogue free.
Ail Ste-Scholastique 819 Raby, Sainte-Sophie, Quebec J5J 1B4 450-432-4185 www.ailbio.com ail.ste.scholastique@videotron.ca
Catalogue free.
Alberta Nurseries & Seeds Ltd. P.O. Box 446, Bowden, Alberta T0M 0K0 403-224-3544 fax: 403-224-2455 www.gardenersweb.ca info@gardenersweb.ca
Flowers Vegetables Perennials Houseplants Seeds Bulbs Trees Hedges Fruits. Some Heirloom but not noted as such. Catalog $2 to U.S., free in Canada.
Allan, Ken 61 South Barlett St., Kingston, Ontario K7K 1X3 home.cogeco.ca/~allan allan@cogeco.ca
Organic and open-pollinated. Short season sweet potatoes, climbing peas, tomatoes, peppers, etc. SASE or International reply coupon for a price list. Author of “Sweet Potatoes for the Home Garden” (US or Can$20 inclusive). Tubers in Canada only.
Angelgrove Tree Seed Company P.O. Box 74 Riverhead, Harbour Grace, Newfoundland A0A 3P0 709-596-2224 fax: 709-596-2296 www.trees-seeds.com angelgrove@nf.sympatico.ca
An independent Canadian tree seed company which offers open-pollinated tree seeds suitable for North American climate. Seeds for flowering trees, Japanese varieties, shade trees, ornamentals such as Japanese maples, rugosa roses, and bonsai trees. Catalogue $3
Aurora Farm 157 Turner Hill Rd. , Antrim, NH 03440 603-588-2302 www.soulmedicinejourney.com/giveseeds.html
There has been, for 10,000 years and more, an honorable custom of gifting seeds; the grandmother to her granddaughter on the occasion of the young woman’s marriage, to and from the neighbors, in the celebration of life. Giving the promise of life, the wish for fertility, in the certainty of abundance. Our Gift Seed Packages revive the tradition. Each contains five packets of righteous, old fashioned, organically grown seeds. Gift Packages come in five varieties: “Garden”, with carrot, spinach, lettuce, swisschard, hollyhock; “Flower”, with poppy, calendula, gallardia, primrose, hollyhock; “Old Fashioned Tomato”, heirloom varieties “Medicinal Herbs” “Three Sisters”, with native corn, beans, squash; “Bee and Butterfly Garden”, with flowers very attractive to our insect allies. at http://soulmedicinejourney.com/GiveSeeds.html Catalogue free.
Beaver Pond Estates 3656 Bolingbroke Road, Maberly, Ontario K0H 2B0 613-273-5683 garlic@rideau.net
Seed garlic for small gardens, starter nukes for commercial growers, over 120 proven strains, Certified organic. Growing information, trial reports from small-plot Garlic research Trials, lectures given. Paul & Mary Pospisil Grower publication “The Garlic News” by subscription. Catalogue $3, refund with first order.
Berton Seeds 4260 Weston Rd., Weston, ON M9L 1W9 fax: 416-745-3954
90% of the seed originates in Italy. Catalogue free.
Birri & Freres enr 7075, Casgrain, Montréal, QC H2S 2A3 514-276-3202 fax: 514-276-3208
Catalogue free.
Boundary Garlic P.O. Box 273, Midway, B. C. V0H 1M0 250-449-2152 fax: 250-449-2152 www.garlicfarm.ca sonia@garlicfarm.ca
Heritage varieties of seed garlic organically grown. Catalogue free.
Brother Nature Organic Seeds 1159 Wychbury Ave., Victoria, BC V9A 5L1 www.brothernature.ca brothernature@shaw.ca
The mission? To provide growers a complete garden grown from an inexpensive, reliable, environmentally friendly seed source. Catalogue $5 refundable.
Butchart Gardens Ltd. P.O. Box 4010, Victoria, B.C. V8X 3X4 866-652-4422 fax: 866-652-1475 www.butchartgardens.com giftstore@butchartgardens.com
Hand packaged seeds and seed collections representative of those found in this wonderful garden. Catalogue free.
Campberry Farm RR#1, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0 905-262-4927
Tree wizard Doug Campbell offers rare ornamental trees and plants. Checks made payable to R. D. Campbell. Catalogue $2
Casey’s Heirloom Tomatoes , Airdrie, Alberta www.members.shaw.ca/jwlcasey jwlcasey@shaw.ca
Selling organic open-pollinated and heirloom tomato seeds from my backyard garden. Catalogue is available as downloadable PDF from my website. No print catalogue.
Clover Roads Organic Farm RR #2, Hagersville, ON N0A 1H0 905-768-5499 www.cloverroads.com info@cloverroads.com
A Canadian supplier of verified/certified organic, Heritage/Heirloom tomato, vegetable and flower seeds. All our seeds are open pollinated; grown and hand harvested on our verified organic farm. Our commitment is to preserve and perpetuate heritage varieties. Online catalogue. Catalogue free.
Cottage Gardener Heirloom Seed 4199 Gilmore Rd., RR#1, Newtonville, Ontario L0A 1J0 905-786-2388 fax: 905-786-2204 www.cottagegardener.com heirlooms@cottagegardener.com
A family-owned heirloom seed and plant nursery specializing in Certified Organic seeds of heirloom vegetables, herbs, perennials and annuals. Plants available each spring. Over 500 varieties of rare and/or endangered, open-pollinated seeds from the past. Catalogue free.
Crafty Gardener Box 794, Fort Langley, BC V1M 2S2 604-882-8364 www.craftygardener.net craftygardener@telus.net
Mail order catalogue online. Plant sales in Canada only, seeds worldwide. Specializes in garden-worthy species of perennial and annual flowers. Many North American native and many heritage and heirloom varieties. All seeds come with specific growing instructions, and website has detailed growing from seed directions. Printed Catalogue $2 refundable with first order. Catalogue $2
Devonian Botanic Garden University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1 780-987-3054 fax: 780-987-4141 www.discoveredmonton.com/devonian lhewlett@ualberta.ca
“Friends of the Devonian Botanic Garden” membership includes catalogue, 15 free seed pkgs, subsequent pkgs are $1.50, a pass to the garden, and a quarterly newsletter. Seed pkgs are $3.00 to non-members. friends@ualberta.ca for memberships, lhewlett@ualberta.ca for seeds. Catalogue $3
Dominion Seed House P.O. Box 2500, Georgetown, Ontario L7G 5L6 800-784-3037 fax: 800-282-5746 www.dominion-seed-house.com mail@dominion-seed-house.com
Mail order catalog of seeds, plants, and bulbs for gardeners. Catalog free and on-line.
Eagle Creek Seed Potatoes Box 70, Bowden, AB T0M 0K0 1-877-224-3939 www.seedpotatoes.ca mills@airenet.com
Catalogue free.
Early’s Farm & Garden Centre Inc. 2615 Lorne Ave., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7J 0S5 800-667-1159 fax: 306-931-7110 www.earlysgarden.com sales@earlysgarden.com
Early’s has been in business since 1907 offering a large variety of seeds and garden accessories. Local phone 306-931-1982. Catalog $2 to U.S, free in Canada.
Ecogenesis Inc. Box 111, Homestead Drive, Mount Hope, Ontario L0R 1W0 1-877-836-3693 www.ecogenesis.ca ecogenesis@hotmail.com
Ecogenesis offers early, heirloom and certified organic seed to gardeners. They do not sell hybrid or genetically engineered seeds. Ecogenesis also offers work to people and donates seeds to charities. Catalogue $5
Eternal Seed 657 Pritchard Road, Farrellton, Quebec J0X 1T0 819-827-8881 edecas@travel-net.com
Ellen de Casemaker offers seeds of heirloom herbs, flowers and vegetables of more than fifty years ago. Many organic offerings. Catalogue free. Both official languages served. Catalogue free.
Florabunda Seeds P.O. Box 3, Indian River, Ontario K0L 2B0 705-295-6440 fax: 705-295-4035 www.florabundaseeds.com contact@florabundaseeds.com
Dirk Berghout offers untreated seeds for heirloom and unusual flowers, medicinal herbs, black, white, and fragrant flower collections. Catalog free and online. Service in both Official languages.
Fraser’s Thimble Farms 175 Arbutus Rd., Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 1A3 250-537-5788 fax: 250-537-5788 www.thimblefarms.com thimfarm@telus.net
Pacific Northwest natives ferns hardy orchids erythroniums, corydalis and other rare plants. Main catalog $3 or on-line. Fall bulb list $2
Full Circle Seeds Box 807, Sooke, BC V0S 1N0 (250) 642-3671 www.Fullcircleseeds.com info@fullcircleseeds.com
We are a certified organic seed co-operative that carries many heritage vegetable, herb and flower seeds. Catalogue on line or $1 through the mail.
Gardens North 5984 Third Line Rd. N., North Gower, Ontario K0A 2T0 613-489-0065 fax: 613-489-1208 www.gardensnorth.com seed@gardensnorth.com
Many species of perennials, trees and shrub seeds are offered. Most are grown out to ensure fresh seed. Catalogue $4
Goutzy Canada Inc 279 Sherbrooke St. W. #310, Montreal, QC H2X 1Y2 514-284-6556 fax: 514-284-6696 www.goutzy.com info@goutzy.com
GMO Free and Organic seeds offered. By internet only. Catalogue free.
Grass Root Seeds Box 397, Princeton, BC V0X 1W0 250-295-0094 www.grassroot-seeds.com
Open Pollinated & Heritage Garden Seeds —I have been involved in seed saving and sharing for over 17 years and had the pleasure of being part of the historical horticulture team at Upper Canada Village for 8 years.Grass Root Seeds is my continuing growth in participating in keeping bio-diversity in our food supply and to practice sustainable farming/living. Catalogue free.
Green Space Design PO Box 122, Manson’s Landing, Cortes Island, BC V0P 1K0 250-935-0135 www.organic-seeds.ca gsdesign@oberon.ark.com
Green Space Design grows a comprehensive selection of organic flower seeds, organic herb seeds, and organic vegetable seeds.Catalogue on line. They also offer gardening design and care. Catalogue free.
Greta’s Organic Gardens 399 River Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 1C9 613-521-8648 fax: 613-521-5792 www.seeds-organic.com greta@seeds-organic.com
Greta’s catalog is full of open-pollinated seeds, grown for short season in Eastern Ontario. Canada zone 5a. Free catalogue available in French or English.
Halifax Seed Company Inc. P.O. Box 8026, Stn A, 5860 Kane St., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 5L8 902-454-7456 fax: 902-455-5271 www.halifaxseed.com info@halifaxseed.ca
Canada’s oldest seed company does everything offering a wide variety of vegetable, flower and herb seeds, gardening supplies, roses, perennials and bulbs. Catalog free and online.
Heritage Harvest Seed RR #3, Box 40, Carman, Manitoba R0G 0J0 204-745-6489 www.heritageharvestseed.com seed@heritageharvestseed.com
Heritage Harvest Seed is a seed company specializing in truly rare and endangered heirloom vegetable varieties. The vegetables are grown using organic methods and harvested by hand. The catalogue contains a wealth of information including detailed variety descriptions and histories. Free pack of seed with every order. Catalogue free.
Heritage Seed and Produce 577 Little Crosby Lake Road, RR #1, Westport, ON K0G 1X0 Toll Free: 1-888-773-2948 www.heritageseedandproduce.com heritage@kingston.net
Offering a wide variety of heritage vegetable seeds, many of which are rare and free from chemical fertilizers or pesticides. All seeds have been acclimatized to our growing region (zone 5a). Seeds can be purchased on-line or by phone. Catalogue available to view and download on-line.
Hole’s Greenhouses & Garden Ltd. 101 Bellerose Dr., St. Albert, Alberta T8N 8N8 888-884-6537 fax: 780-459-6042 www.holesonline.com info@holesonline.com
The Holes specializes in seeds for northern gardeners. The visual color reference catalog is a mine of information and because the price list comes separately the catalog can be used for years. Catalog on-line.
Hope Seeds and Perennials PO Box 130, Glassville, NB E7L 4T4 506-375-6934 fax: 506-375-8502 www.hopeseed.com hopeseed@nbnet.nb.ca
A locally owned and operated seed company in New Brunswick, specializing in organic heritage cultivars of vegetables, herbs and flowers for zones 3,4 and 5. Some of our seeds have Maritime connections - we share the stories in our catalogue and seed packets! We’re always looking for endangered cultivars to rescue and growers to help keep the traditions alive. Catalogue for $1, free viewing and download on website. Catalogue free.
Horticulture Indigo 80, route 116 Ulverton, Melbourne, QC J0B 2B0 1-877-666-3314 fax: 819-826-1011 www.horticulture-indigo.com info@horticulture-indigo.com
Specializes in native plants propagation from seeds. More than 200 native species : forbs, ferns, grasses, vines and a few shrubs species. Vast range of native seeds: 12 seed mixes, custom seed mixes and about 50 species in bulk. Catalogue online
Howard Dill Enterprises RR #1, Windsor, NS B0N 2T0 902-798-2728 fax: 902-798-0842 www.howarddill.com howarddill@yahoo.ca
Dill’s Atlantic Giant might be world-renowned as the seed that, year in and year out, produces the largest pumpkin, but you’ll find more. Catalogue free.
La Ferme de Bullion 1555 Coteau des Hetres, St-Andre-d’Argenteui, Quebec J0V 1X0 450-562-0104 debullion@sympatico.ca
Offers Open-pollinated seeds, Heritage varieties, Bedding plants, Farm Kiosk, Greenhouse vegetables, U-Pick berries, eggs, honey, jams, conserves and fresh bread, CSA Baskets, Workshops, Garlic festival.
La Societe des plantes 207 rang de l’Embarras, Kamouraska, QC G0L 1M0 418-492-2493 www.lasocietedesplantes.com lasocietedesplantes@videotron.ca
Catalogue free.
Les Jardins de l’Écoumène , Saint-Damien, QC J0K 2E0 450-835-1149 www.ecoumene.com info@ecoumene.com
Les Jardins du Grand-Portage 800 Chemin du Portage, Saint-Didace, Quebec J0K 2G0 450-835-5813 fax: 450-835-5813 www.intermonde.net/colloidales colloidales@intermonde.net
Canada only. All seed are organic. Catalogue free.
Lindenberg Seeds Ltd. 803 Princess Ave., Brandon, Manitoba R7A 0P5 204-727-0575 fax: 204-727-2832 www.lindenbergseeds.ca lindenbergr@lindenbergseeds.ca
Specializing in seeds for northern climates. Catalog free to Canadians.
Little Pine’s Native Heritage Place PO Box 5222, Penetanguishene, Ontario L9M 2H7 705-533-9960 fax: 705-533-3815
Specializing in Traditional Native Seeds and Native wild flowers grown in northern Ontario. Catalog on-line only
Majella Larochelle 403 Pierre Lafontaine, Gatineau, Quebec J8T 6Z1 819-643-3308 fax: 819-243-1562 www3.sympatico.ca/vivaces vivaces@sympatico.ca
Hundreds of perennials plus Thompson&Morgan annuals and vegetables available on-line.
Manhattan Farms 5874 Hwy. 6, Vernon, BC V1B 3E1 250-545-2811 fax: 250-545-5874 www.manhattanfarms.ca suzanne@manhattanfarms.ca
Specializing in small-plot and container gardening. Check out heirloom and open-pollinated seed catalogues. Catalogue free.
Mapple Farm 129 Beech Hill Rd., Weldon, New Brunswick E4H 4N5 506-734-3361 wingate@nbnet.nb.ca
Unusual but useful certified organic (OCIA) seed & plant stock: Short-season Sweet potato slips, A select list of distinctive tomatoes, Jerusalem (2) and Chinese Artichokes, Egyptian onions, French Shallots, Horseradish. Catalogue SASE or by email. Catalogue free.
McFayden Seed Co. Ltd 30-9th Street, Brandon, Manitoba R7A 6N4 800-205-7111 fax: 204-725-1888 www.mcfayden.com cataloguerequest@mcfayden.com
Mails everything but specializes in prairie hardy nursery stock. Catalogue free.
Misho Bonsai 337 St. James, Gatineau, QC J8P 3N7 819-669-6476 www.mishobonsai.com sales@mishobonsai.com
Offer over 60 species of tree seeds, mostly bonsai and asiatic species, listed between, tropical, deciduous and coniferous species. Sell in retail and bulk package. Catalogue on line.
Mr. Fothergill’s Seeds 14730-124 Avenue , Edmonton, AB T5L 3B3 1-800-565-8432 www.fothergills.ca orderenquiry@fothergills.ca
Over a quarter century of selling flower and vegetable seeds in over 40 countries. Look for us in retail stores or order by telephone. Catalogue on line only.
OSC Seeds (Ontario Seed Company) Box 7 330 Phillip St., Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3Z6 519-886-0557 fax: 519-886-0605 www.oscseeds.com seeds@oscseeds.com
For over 100 years the Ontario Seed Company has been serving the Canadian gardener with the finest quality flower vegetable and herb seeds. Catalogue free.
Patri-semences , Beaconsfield, QC H9W 3Y5 514-697-8189 patri_semences@yahoo.ca
Producer of OP heritage seeds and plants of vegetables and herbs, often endangered or rare. We use organic techniques to produce. Catalogue free.
Pepiniere ancestrale , St-Ferdinand, QC G0N 1N0 819-369-8003 www.pepiniereancestrale.com admin@pepiniereancestrale.com
Pépinière Déco , St-Roch de l’achigan, QC J0K 3H0 450-588-3226 www.semencesvertes.net pepinieredeco@semencesvertes.net
Catalogue free.
Prairie Garden Seeds Box 2758, Humboldt, Saskatchewan S0K 2A0 306-386-2737 www.prseeds.ca prairie.seeds@sasktel.net
Organically grown open-pollinated seed for short season, dryland growing. Many heirloom varieties with historical backgrounds supplied. On-line catalog or Canadians only obtain printed catalog for $2 Canadian postage stamps.
Richters Herbs 357 Hwy 47, Goodwood, Ontario L0C 1A0 905-640-6677 fax: 905-640-6641 www.richters.com orderdesk@richters.com
An enormous selection of unique seeds and plants. On-line catalog gives descriptions and uses for plants. Catalogue free.
Salt Spring Seeds Box 444 Ganges P.O., Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 2W1 250-537-5269 www.saltspringseeds.com dan@saltspringseeds.com
Dedicated to sustainable agriculture. Organically grown open-pollinated seeds. Specializes in beans. A large and interesting variety of vegetables grains and garlic. Catalog $2 or on-line.
Seeds of Diversity Canada Box 36 Stn Q, Toronto, Ontario M4T 2L7 905-372-8983, toll free 1-866-509-7333 www.seeds.ca mail@seeds.ca
A grassroots seed exchange whose members offer seeds and bulbs of heirloom and scarce varieties of vegetables fruits grains herbs and flowers. Memberships: Regular $30 Low Income $25 US $35 US$. Overseas $50 Cdn.
Seeds of Victoria 395 Conway Rd., Victoria, B.C. V9E 2B9 250-881-1555 fax: 250-881-1304 www.earthfuture.com/gardenpath thegardenpath@shaw.ca
Organic vegetable, flower, herb seeds: Heritage plants, old-fashioned flowers; open-pollinated, heirloom vegetables.Catalogue free on line. Catalogue $2
Siloam Orchards RR#1, 7300 3rd concession, Uxbridge, Ontario L9P 1R1 905-852-9418 fax: 905-852-3182 www.siloamorchards.com mail@siloamorchards.com
Heritage disease-resistant fruit trees, including apples, plums, pears, peach, and cherry. Small fruits include gooseberries,cherry plums, blueberries, currants, asparagus and horseradish. Catalogue $2
Stellar Seeds S6 C5, RR #1, Sorento, B.C. V0E 2W0 250-675-0076 fax: 250-675-6849 www.stellarseeds.com info@stellarseeds.com
All seeds offered are high quality organically grown by Stellar Seeds at Left Fields, Sorrento, BC. Catalog $2 or online.
Stokes Seeds Ltd 296 Collier Road, Box 10, Thorold, Ontario L2V 5E9 800-396-9238 fax: 888-834-3334 www.stokeseeds.com stokes@stokeseeds.com
Catalog has enormous information for the starting and growing of flowers, herbs and vegetables. Offers untreated seeds in many varieties. Local 905-688-4300. Catalogue free.
Sunshine Farm , Kelowna, BC www.sunshinefarm.net sunshinefarm@shaw.ca
We sell certified organic seeds and specialize in rare, heirloom and unusual varieties of tomatoes, vegetables, herbs and some flowers. Catalogue has 24 pages, illustrations, descriptions and related plant information. Catalogue free.
T & T Seeds Ltd. Box 1710, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3P6 204-895-9964 fax: 204-895-9967 www.ttseeds.com
Wide variety of seeds and plants offered of excellent quality. Also offers herbal and health products. Catalogue $3
Terra Edibles Box 164, Foxboro, Ontario K0K 2B0 613-961-0654 fax: 613-961-1462 www.terraedibles.ca karyn@terraedibles.ca
Organically grown vegetable and flower seeds including uncommon rare and heirloom varieties many with unique qualities such as superior flavour higher nutritive value low space requirements or bee plant. Catalog is online and can be downloaded. Catalogue free.
Tomatoes etc. 63 Nelson, Outremont, Quebec H2V 3Z8 514-272-5185 fax: 514-272-5185 www.tomatoesetc.com
Catalog by e-mail request. Offering over 50 varieties of heirloom tomato seedlings. Orders by phone or e-mail Payment Cash. Both official languages served.
Turtle Tree Seeds (Aux Couleurs de Saisons) 115 des Myriques, Ste-Catherine de Hatley, QC J0B 1W0 819-843-8488 www.biodynamie.qc.ca
Catalogue free.
Two Wings Farm Seeds 4768 William Head Road, Victoria, BC V9C 3Y7 250-478-3794 fax: 250-478-3784 www.twowingsfarm.com seeds@twowingsfarm.com
All our seed is Certified Organic, open pollinated public domain. Catalogue on line.
Upper Canada Seeds 8 Royal Doulton Dr., Don Mills, Ontario M3A 1N4 416-447-5321 www.uppercanadaseeds.ca uppercanadaseeds@rogers.com
Organic open-pollinated heirloom varieties of tomatoes. Catalogue free.
Urban Harvest Garden Alternatives PO Box 176 Station C, Toronto, ON M6J 3M9 416-504-1653 fax: 416-504-7426 www.uharvest.ca grow@uharvest.ca
Urban Harvest is dedicated to providing its customers with seedlings and garden supplies that promote ecological diversity and preserve the health of our planet. Our plant seeds and garden supplies are specially chosen for their unique qualities by seasoned urban gardeners. All of our seedlings are grown in or near the greater Toronto area to support our local economy. Catalogue free.
Vesey’s Seeds Ltd. Box 9000, Charlottetown, P.E.I. C1A 8K6 800-363-7333 fax: 800-686-0329 www.veseys.com veseys@veseys.com
A large selection of seeds plants and gardening supplies. Spring & Fall bulb catalogs for Canadian customers only. Catalogue free.
West Coast Seeds Ltd. 3925 64th St., RR#1, Delta, B.C. V4K 3N2 604-952-8820 fax: 877-482-8822 www.westcoastseeds.com info@westcoastseeds.com
Many excellent organic varieties especially chosen for coastal B.C. On-line catalog also includes growing information and planning for year round harvesting. Catalogue free.
Western Biologicals Ltd. PO Box 283, Aldergrove, BC V4W 2T8 604-856-3339 fax: 604-856-3339 westernb@shaw.ca
Mushrooms: Books, workshops, spawn and supplies all offered by this company. Catalogue free.
Wildsome Gardens 248 Clifford Rd, R.R.1, Warsaw, ON K0L 3A0 705-652-7070 fax: 705-652-7741 www.wildsomegardens.ca info@wildsomegardens.ca
We offer native and heirloom plants and seeds, with a focus on species native to Ontario. We are a small, ecologically thoughtful nursery. No chemical sprays are used. On-line catalogue and ordering. Heirloom tomato seedlings available in spring. Catalogue free.
William Dam Seeds Box 8400, Dundas, Ontario L9H 6M1 905-628-6641 fax: 905-627-1729 www.damseeds.com info@damseeds.com
Untreated seeds; more than 900 varieties of vegetables flowers and herbs. Many European and heirloom but not marked as such. Catalogue free.
Windmill Point Farm 2103 boul. Perrot, N.D. Ile Perrot, Quebec J7V 8P4 514-453-9757 fax: 514-453-5228 www.windmillpointfarm.ca ken@windmillpointfarm.ca
An OCIA certified organic source for open-pollinated vegetable seeds and hardy seedlings of standard and unusual fruit and nut trees. The catalog also acts as a planning and planting guide. Catalogue $5
Yuko Horiuchi , 202 Arklan Rd, Carleton Place, ON K7C 3R9 613-253-0787 www.yuko.ca seeds@yuko.ca
Organic, open-pollinated seeds from Ottawa Valley on Mississippi River. Heirloom tomatoes, Japanese squash, unusual vines, herbs and flower seeds. Nanking cherry which you can grow from seeds is very popular. Catalougue free-send us a SASE or print on-line Catalogue free.
United States
Aurora Farm 157 Turner Hill Rd., Antrim, NH 03440 603-588-2302 www.soulmedicinejourney.com
There has been, for 10,000 years and more, an honorable custom of gifting seeds; the grandmother to her granddaughter on the occasion of the young woman’s marriage, to and from the neighbors, in the celebration of life. Giving the promise of life, the wish for fertility, in the certainty of abundance. Our Gift Seed Packages revive the tradition. Each contains five packets of righteous, old fashioned, organically grown seeds. Gift Packages come in five varieties: “Garden”, with carrot, spinach, lettuce, swisschard, hollyhock; “Flower”, with poppy, calendula, gallardia, primrose, hollyhock; “Old Fashioned Tomato”, heirloom varieties “Medicinal Herbs” “Three Sisters”, with native corn, beans, squash; “Bee and Butterfly Garden”, with flowers very attractive to our insect allies. at http://soulmedicinejourney.com/GiveSeeds.html
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds 2278 Baker Creek Rd., Mansfield, Missouri 65704 417-924-8917 www.rareseeds.com seeds@rareseeds.com
This company sells only non-hybrid vegetables, flowers and herbs.None of the varieties sold are hybrids, gene-altered or patented. Well worth investigating. Catalogue free.
Cook’s Garden Box 535, Londonderry, Vermont 05148 802-824-3400 fax: 802-824-3027
Cook’s Garden are committed to ecological and sustainable farming methods. All seeds are untreated and time tested. Claim to have the largest selection of lettuce and salad greens in the world. Catalogue free.
Deep Diversity (Peace Seeds) P.O. Box 15700, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87506-5700 800-957-3337 fax: 505-438-7052 www.seedsofchange.com
1000+ varieties emphasizing biodiversity; food plants herbs flowers fiber plants heirloom and medicinals. Seeds of Change merged with Peace Seeds and Deep Diversity. Checks or money orders only accepted. for seed orders Catalogue $4
Down on the Farm Seed P.O. Box 184, Hiram, Ohio 44234
Offers a full line of untreated, open- pollinated, heirloom vegetable, herb and flower seeds. All seed packets except corn are $1. Catalogue free.
Eastern Native Seed Conservancy Box 451, Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230 413-229-8316 www.enscseeds.org natseeds@aol.com
A seed-conservation program for heirloom and historical varieties of the Northeast U.S. food crops including native varieties. Heirloom tomato project promotes tomatoes and local value added products.
Garden City Seeds Box 307, Thorp, Washington 98946 877-733-3001 fax: 800-964-910
Specializes in varieties adapted to northern climates. They offer a number of heirlooms which are marked as such. Catalog is worth having for the wealth of information it contains. Online at irish-eyes.com ,inhotpursuit.com and beanandpea.com. Catalogue free.
Harvest Moon Farms and Seed Company Box 143, Union City, IN 47390 (765) 964-3971 www.felcopruners.net/index customerservice@felcopruners.net
The Finest Seed Source for the CSA Market Grower & Gourmet Home Gardener!! Providing Culinary Specialty, Certified Organic, Gourmet, and Heirloom Seed Varieties!! Home to over 1,400 Vegetable and Flower varieties available You have just discovered the best kept secret in garden seed & supplies. Certified Organic Seed, Heirloom Seed and Gourmet Seed from Italy, Germany, France and all over Europe. Catalogue free.
Heirloom Acres Seeds PO Box 194, New Bloomfield, MO 65063 573-491-3001 www.heirloomacres.net
A Christian family business selling over 450 open pollinated and heritage seeds. Catalogue free.
Heirloom Gardens 13889 Dupree Worthey Rd., Harvest, Alabama 35749 256-233-4422 www.heirloomnursery.com heirloomgardens@mchsi.com
Catalog Online only. Organically grown seeds of heirloom and rare varieties many from the pre-1900’s.
High Mowing Organic Seed Farm 76 Quarry Rd., Wolcott, Vermont 05680 802-472-6174 fax: 802-472-3201 www.highmowingseeds.com
Open Pollinated and Heirloom Varieties for New England. Catalogue free.
J.L. Hudson Seedsman Star Route 2 Box 337, La Honda, California 94020 www.JLHudsonseeds.net
Browsing thru this ethnobotanical catalog is like taking a botanical journey around the world. There is a fantastic selection of exotic foreign rare and heirloom seeds. All seeds are open-pollinated public domain and biodiversity. Catalogue $1
Johnny’s Selected Seeds 955 Benton Avenue, Winslow, Maine 04910 207-861-3901 www.johnnyseeds.com homegarden@johnnyseeds.com
An excellent selection of varieties regionally adapted to New England. Johnny’s does plant breeding and thoroughly tests the varieties it offers. Catalogue free.
Landreth Seed P.O Box 16380, Baltimore, Maryland 21210-2229 800-654-2407 fax: 410-325-2046 www.landrethseeds.com
The oldest seed house in the U.S. Hundreds of varieties of heirloom vegetable seeds, flowers, herbs. Online shopping cart. Printed catalogue available for $10 with cost deducted from first order.
Native Seeds/SEARCH 526 N. 4th Ave.,, Tucson, Arizona 85705 520-622-5561 fax: 520-622-5591 www.nativeseeds.org nss@azstarnet.com
Seed conservation which focuses on the traditional native crops of the U.S. SW and Mex. NE. Members receive a quarterly newsletter and a 10% discount on purchases . All seeds for desert conditions. Books and value added products listed. Catalogue $1
Redwood City Seed Co. Box 361, Redwood City, California 94064 www.ecoseeds.com
Ancient varieties of vegetables, culinary, and medicinal herbs Catalogue free.
Sand Hill Preservation Center 1878 230th Street, Calamus, Iowa 52729-9659
Dedicated to the preservation of our Genetic Resources. Offers over 175 breeds of rare poultry, 700 varieties of Heirloom Seeds and sweet potatoes. No calls on Sunday or Mondays and after 9:45 PM. Postal Money Orders only. Catalogue free.
Seed Savers Exchange 3076 North Winn Rd., Decorah, Iowa 52101 563-382-5990 fax: 563-382-5872 www.seedsavers.org
A grassroots seed exchange. Members receive two information filled issues and a huge seed listing. Membership $U.S.35 SSE subsection “Flowers & Herb Exchange” U.S.$12 A free heirloom and products catalog published for the general public.
Seeds of Change Box 15700, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87506-5700 888-762-7333 fax: 505-438-7052 www.seedsofchange.com gardener@seedsofchange.com
Organic and open-pollinated flower herb and vegetable seeds featuring many heirloom traditional and other rare seeds collections built around specific themes. Catalogue free.
South Carolina Foundation Seed Association 1162 Cherry Road, Box 349952, Clemson, South Carolina 29634 864-656-2521 fax: 864-656-1320 virtual.clemson.edu/groups/seed/ seedw@clemsonedu
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Box 460, Mineral, Virginia 23117 540-894-9480 fax: 540-894-9481 www.southernexposure.com gardens@southernexposure.com
A seed company dedicated to preserving our vegetable heritage. Offers many heirloom varieties gives many backgrounds and dates of introduction. Many varieties especially for the climate of the mid-Atlantic region. Catalogue $2
Southern Seed Legacy Project (PASS) c/o Agrarian Connections 10 Legacy Rd., Crawford, Georgia 30630 706-542-1430 www.uga.edu/~ebl/PASS/ rrhoades@arches.uga.edu
Catalog online only.PASS (Pass Along Southern Seeds) is an initiative undertaken to promote the conservation through use of both cultural knowledge and heirloom plants of the American South.
Thompson and Morgan Box 1308, Jackson, New Jersey 08527-0308 800-274-7333 fax: 888-466-4769 www.thompson-morgan.com tminc@thompson-morgan.com
Catalog has a huge variety of seeds with in-depth information. Orders are accompanied with “The Germination Times” a booklet on starting various seeds. Some heritage and many unusual seeds offered. Catalogue free.
Underwood Gardens 4N381 Maple Ave., Bensenville, IL 60106 630-616-0268 fax: 630-616-0232 www.underwoodgardens.com info@underwoodgardens.com
Many hard to find or endangered , untreated , open-pollinated seeds of heirloom vegetables, herbs, and flowers Catalogue $3
Victory Seed Company P.O. Box 192, Molalla, Oregon 97038 503-829-3126 fax: 503-829-3126 www.victoryseeds.com Inquiries@VictorySeeds.com
The Victory Seed company is a family owned and operated garden packet seed company specializing in open pollinated and heirloom seeds. Catalog cost refundable. Catalog on-line with many heirloom tomatoes Catalogue $2
England
Chiltern Seeds Bortree Stile, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 7PB 011441229 581137 fax: 11441229 584549 www.chilternseeds.co.uk info@chilternseeds.co.uk
4600+ varieties of wild and cultivated plants from around the world. Seed packets are usually generous. Catalog listed by ethnobotanical names. Payment by credit card or postal order. First catalog Can $4. Free after first order.
Seedsman’s Cottage Puddlebridge, Horton Somerset, Britain TA19 9RL 11020 846667 85 www.thomasetty.co.uk sales@thomasetty.co.uk
Online Seed catalog with heirloom seeds dating back to medieval times.An interesting book “Roots of vegetables” is offered at #9.00. Catalogue free.
France
B & T World Seeds, sarl Paguignan, Olonzac 34210, Olonzac, France 34210 33-6891-29-63 fax: 33-46891-30-39 b-and-t-world-seeds.com matt@b-and-t-world-seeds.com
Extremely large selection of over 35,000 common and exotic seeds. Publishes a master catalog and several sub-lists. Catalog is also on CD or on-line. It can be downloaded to any database (ask for schema). Minimum order U.S.$ 9.00 Catalogue $24
Genesis Seeds 10 Plaut St. , Weizmann Science Park, Rehovot, Isreal 76122 972-8931-8966 www.genesisseeds.com genesis@genesisseeds.co.il
Israeli seed breeder Genesis Seeds is promoting its organic vegetable, flower and herb seeds to the conventional market. There are about 10 companies in the world producing organic seeds and Genesis is among the big players, producing over 350 varieties of heritage, open pollinated and F-1 hybrid seeds. It has an 11-year history in the field. Catalogue free.
L’Association Kokopelli Oasis, 131 impasse des Palmiers, Alès, 30100 0033466306491 www.kokopelli.asso.fr kokopelli.semences@wanadoo.fr
Association Kokopelli endeavours : - to promote the preservation of biodiversity through the distribution of organic and open-pollinated seeds of heirloom varieties of vegetables and grains. - to create a network of gardeners involved in seed saving. - to help Third World countries to develop sustainable organic agriculture through the gift of seeds and the setting of seed grower networks. Catalogue free.
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