I've said it before and I'll say it again, this year's garden was a bit of a bust. It did not yield the produce I had hoped for, but it is giving me lots of seeds for next year! What is so exciting is that the plants have been able to create such a bounty of seed in a drought year.
This makes me wonder, could these seeds be stronger than others in a drought? Working in a garden is all about possibilities, and one of the most rewarding experiences to share with a child if land and opportunity come together.
This years bean crop would not have been enough to feed us more than several meals. But it did create enough seeds for a much larger planting, even if that little field mouse visits again next year. I think I am going to start beans, corn and squash inside, and try to fool that little mouse.
I just left the pods on till they had lost their green color and had dried and when I opened them there was a glorious dried bean, to use in cooking or saving. Just look at it's coloring! To think that this comes from an Anasazi Cave in New Mexico. Just imagine how old the seeds must be? It just reminds me that saving seeds is important for the next generation. I can't wait till next year, I found bean seeds that come from the Mayflower which I hope to share with you next year.
As promised, I have counted the seeds from the Fat Mama Sunflower and there are....1,520!
Which means Sasha who wrote:
Thank you to everyone who entered! The seeds are now drying and will be stored in seed packets in a cool dark place till next spring. I have two others that are almost ready, when they are harvested I am going to try to extract their oil by boiling the seeds like our native people did.
To saving seeds and sharing them with our kids.
~ Deb
*Last time in Barn Stories: Dunker
