#seedkeeping

Mareko Fana Berbere Pepper

Long, slender brown cayenne chiles with medium heat from the Mareko region of Ethiopia. These peppers are most well-known for their use in Berbere, a traditional spice blend used in Ethiopian cuisine for centuries, and Mareko is particularly famous for its berbere peppers. This variety is a genetically diverse population with occasional red peppers, though seeds are only saved from the brown ones. Most of the fruits are thick-fleshed, but some are thinner. This variety was originally selected by an agricultural extension agent and researcher named Fana Woldegiorgis who studied at Haramaya University in the Harrar region. Menkir Tamrat is an Ethiopian tech-worker turned farmer who introduced these seeds and other Ethiopian varieties to Fred Hempel, who shared this variety with us, and who runs Artisan Seeds (@artisan.seeds) in Sunol, CA,. Menkir adds: “It’s believed the original ancestors of Mareko peppers came to Ethiopia at the dawn of the seventeenth century from Goa, India, courtesy of Jesuit missionaries (mostly Portuguese and Spanish) who were in Ethiopia trying to convert the country to Catholicism and to find out about the fables of Prestor John”. Berbere refers both to the dried pepper pods AND the powder. Thank you Fana, Menkir, and Fred!

Also known as the Ethiopian Brown Pepper, Ethiopian Brown Chile Pepper, and Ethiopian Berbere.

Photos by Artisan Seeds.

#berbere #berberepepper #marekofana #marekofanapepper #seedkeeping
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZxuse5rfmv/?utm_medium=tumblr

Dr. Khem Fatimi (@khemkumaripradhan) holds Dalle (or Dallai) Khorsani Peppers from back home. She helped me write this description:

Dalle Khorsani (“round chili”) Peppers are a special type of hot chilies grown in the hilly areas of Darjeeling and Sikkim. The peppers are small and round and turn red like cherries when ripe. The word Dallai means round in Nepali, and is often the name given to a short round kid! The plant grows into a shrub up to 5 feet in height and can last 5-6 years at the right climatic conditions. (I have mine for 6 years as I trim them and bring them in for the winter).

Dalle Khorsani is an important condiment for the Nepalis of the hilly region. It is often served as a hot sauce with their famous Momos (dumplings), and also pickled and preserved in Mustard oil, or made into chutney with mint or coriander and tomatoes.

We received seeds from Dr. Khem Fatimi, our friend Meena’s mom, a Nepali from Kalimpong, Darjeeling district in West Bengal, India. She grew up in a village where they did not have electricity and running tap water, and attended school with bare feet. More than half a century later, while working in Long Island, she has built a digital library in Kalimpong in her parents’ name to benefit the needy and also to educate local teachers in computer skills.

Dr. Fatimi shared these seeds with our mutual friends at Rise & Root Farm in Chester, NY. We sent the seeds to Johanna Rosen at Meadowhawk Farm in western Massachusetts since Jo works with farmers from Nepal.

Dr. Fatimi also shared a pepper sauce she made with roasted Dalle Khorsani. She adds canned mango or peach pulp to dilute the sauce.

Other names and spellings: Akabare, Akabare Khursani; Dalle, Dallay, Dallai, and Dallae Khursani.

Seeds now available at www.trueloveseeds.com!

Photos: 1-3 by me in 2019 at @riseandrootfarm of @khemkumaripradhan and Meena and @farmerjaneh
4-8 by @meadowhawkfarm
9-10 by @khemkumaripradhan

#seedkeeping
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZscfx-L1hR/?utm_medium=tumblr

The @phillyinquirer came to photograph us for an upcoming article about seeds! Here is @cryptogam_ holding Transkutukú Peanuts from Ecuador. More info on those very soon! #seedkeeping
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZjmyZKObW2/?utm_medium=tumblr

Uvilla seeds are back in stock now, thanks to the persistence of our coworker Maebh Aguilar (@cryptogam_), who made it their goal to get a good seed harvest on their beloved ancestral crop from the Andes this year. They crawled, mulched, smooshed caterpillars, and sought out every good fruit, squeezing the seeds out for you.

Uvillas taste incredible: tart, sweet, so bright and tropical like citrus. Unlike Ground Cherries, their fruit does not fall on the ground when ripe. They are originally from Brazil but long ago naturalized in high-altitude, tropical Peru and Chile. Back home in the Andes, it is known by many names, including “Aguaymanto,” “Uvilla,” and “Uchuva.” In English-speaking places it is often called “Cape Gooseberry” (named for the Cape of Good Hope) or “Goldenberry.” In France, it is sometimes marketed as “Amour en Cage” meaning “love in a cage.” At Truelove, while we love Ground Cherries we prefer eating Uvillas. However, while their plants are much more sprawling, they are a bit slower to ripen and less productive. That said, this is a surprisingly good late summer treat!

#uvilla #aguaymanto #uchuva #capegooseberry #goldenberry #amorencage #physallisperuviana #seedkeeping
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZiVm0pruDO/?utm_medium=tumblr

Ulam Raja (Kings Salad) seeds are now available at Truelove Seeds!

Ulam Raja (Malaysia) or Kenikir (Indonesia) is a cosmos species grown for its flavorful, pungent, and nutritious edible leaf in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and beyond. It is native to the Caribbean, Central America, and parts of North and South America.

According to “A Comprehensive Review on Cosmos caudatus (Ulam Raja): Pharmacology, Ethnopharmacology, and Phytochemistry,” Spaniards took this plant to Asia via the Philippines as a vegetable during the long sea voyage. While it is mainly grown as an ornamental in Europe, it has become an important culinary and medicinal plant in parts of Asia.

Some of its local names in its native range are as follows: chactsul, estrella del mar (Yucatán); combray, combray rojo, mozote-doradilla (Honduras and El Salvador); and flor de muerto (Costa Rica).

#seedkeeping #ulamraja #kenikir #cosmoscaudatus
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZfu-xNLqjB/?utm_medium=tumblr

Ewa Oloyin (Honey Bean) seeds now available at www.trueloveseeds.com!

I first learned of these delicious beans when @vivianeleokojie sent me a wonderful package of seeds of important vegetables from Nigeria. I later found them in huge quantities for cooking at one of our local West African groceries in West Philly. For the past couple of years we have been growing our original seed stock with love to acclimate them to our farm and increase them in order to share them with you.

Here’s the description:

Known as Ewa Oloyin in Yuruba, these sweet and creamy “cowpeas” are a staple in Nigeria where they are cooked in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes with palm oil, onion, and crawfish. They can be used to make Akara (bean fritters), Moi-Moi (bean pudding), and Gbegiri (bean soup). They are high in protein and fiber. We first learned about these and received seeds from our seed penpal Vivien Elebiyo-Okojie, a Nigerian “Entrepreneur and Food Conversationalist” living in Ohio.

Also known as Oloying and Brown Bean.

#seedkeeping #ewaoloyin #oloyinbeans #honeybeans
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZfATp0OdhE/?utm_medium=tumblr

Our signature Speckled Brown Butterbeans are back in stock! This photo is of #mypartnerchris (Chris Bolden Newsome of @sankofacommunityfarm) who grew up shelling these beans with his grandma Newsome. The photo is the inspiration for our logo (by @hilaryannlovetattoos) which adorns our t-shirts and webpage and seed packets.

Here’s the description and the story, as told by Chris: The Speckled Brown Butterbean is a plump and creamy bean, with a mild earthy flavor that satisfies the soul on cold winter evenings or on any bright summer day. The beautiful tan bean, when mature, sports mocha colored streaks and freckles that melt into a smooth light brown bean when cooked. Speckled Brown Butterbeans are a traditional delicacy in much of the American South and nowhere more so than in Mississippi. In Mississippi these beans are generally cooked fresh shelled or fresh frozen usually with hamhock or other pork, butter, a chopped onion, garlic and salted when finished. For dried beans, pre-soak in cold water at least 4 hours. In our house, we substitute butter, olive or palm oil, and sweet smoked paprika for a delightful meal. Serve with cornbread or rice.

Our Speckled Brown Butterbeans are bush beans, hardy to zone 7 and mature in 65-70 days. Plants set pods when day temperatures are reliably 85 degrees or more. Pole varieties take longer, between 80 to 100 days, depending on consistent hot days. The pods, grass green and thick, are similar in appearance to most Lima beans though they are smaller containing between three to four seeds that ripen from pale green to speckled brown.

This species is originally from South America, hence the name “Lima.” In much of the South, these beans are referred to generally as Butterbeans. Each cultural region of the South boasts it’s own favorite though in Mississippi the Speckled Brown reigns over all legumes. This variety, of unknown origins, has been grown and eaten in Mississippi since before God remembers. We received the seed stock in 2017 from Duck and Earl of Shaw, MS. Duck is the sister of Sankofa Farm friend and community elder Ms. Pearl Trotter.

#speckledbrownbutterbeans #seedkeeping (at Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZCVjbMruXA/?utm_medium=tumblr

We had our first virtual gathering of the Truelove Seeds growers network yesterday! Over 30 of the amazing farmers and gardeners that grow the seeds that are in our packets were there and it was very sweet, important, and productive. Up til now, we’ve had a couple local gatherings but mostly our growers just talk to me and not necessarily to each other. This was a great opportunity for people to get a sense of the rest of the network, hear about each other’s ancestral seeds, dream up ways to collaborate across the network, and let us know some ways to support the individuals as well as the collective of this group. There were themes around mentorship, regional gatherings in different parts of the US, sharing tips on finding ancestral seeds, and better ways to communicate within this network. Super grateful to all the growers we work with, and super excited to see what else comes from these gatherings. #seedkeeping
https://www.instagram.com/p/CY76hXstFe-/?utm_medium=tumblr

This is how each morning starts these days. Thank you for ordering and caring for the seeds we carry! We are a brief moment in the journey of these seeds from 10,000 years of human care to our farm and the 50 farms we collaborate with, to our seed cleaning, storage, packaging, and then this post office window. Now they are in your hands and hearts! It’s up to you to grow them with love and reverence, to love their flavors and personalities and histories, and to save some of their best seeds for the future. Or you could just eat them all as food! We will do our best to continue to be and to help teach and support seed keepers for the rest of us. Thank you for your support! #seedkeeping (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYtrRdAP1Ep/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Kusa is back :) Thanks to our dear friend @ananzahr for sharing seeds for her Palestinian Kusa with us years ago. We have a limited run back in the catalog thanks to the seed keeping work of @phillyorchards at @woodlandsphila.

Here’s the description:

Stuff or grill this tender summer squash with your favorite Middle Eastern and Mediterranean recipes. Also known as Grey Squash, this type is beloved in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and most Arabic nations. The most common kusa dish is known as kousa mahshi (simply: “stuffed zucchini”), in which you remove the seeds and core of the kusa, and stuff it with rice and/or lamb, plus herbs and spices, boil, and serve as a main or side dish. Think stuffed peppers, but with kusa.

Kusa means zucchini in Arabic. Zucchini is plural for zucchino, the Italian word for small squash. Squash is short for askutasquash, the Narragansett word for “eaten green or raw.” So what is the story of this cultivar? This species, Cucurbita pepo, originates in Mexico and Central America and now includes many types such as the New England pumpkin, acorn, scallop, straight neck, crook neck, and vegetable marrow. It is said that Christopher Columbus introduced this species to Europe and the Mediterranean region. In the mid-19th century, Italians developed the zucchini, perhaps by selecting cultivars of the vegetable marrow type for cylindrical, green fruits that were tasty in their immature stage.

It is difficult to determine which came first, the zucchini or the modern kusa. In his fairly thorough 1794 book “The Natural History of Aleppo,” Alexander Russell describes an “orange-shaped pumpion” (Kusa Siffer - Cucurbita) and “several varieties of gourd” (Kurrah - Cucurbita pepo). In 1901, the Encyclopædia Biblica mentioned “various gourds are included [in the] Mishna, among them perhaps the favourite kusa or vegetable-marrow,” however, the Mishna was written from oral tradition around 200AD, so his conjecture is almost definitely wrong, yet illuminating. From these two sources, we can see that the much adored kusa probably emerged in the 19th century Middle East around the same time the zucchini emerged in Italy.

#seedkeeping #kusa (at The Woodlands)
https://www.instagram.com/seedkeeping/p/CYsahJFtT43/?utm_medium=tumblr

Each year our farmer friends from the Karen state of Myanmar get a little closer to the flavors of home. They had to flee the civil war through the jungles into Thailand, and lived in refugee camps for many many years before finding refuge in South Philly where they now grow their traditional foods at @novickurbanfarm and other community spaces and backyards. They’ve been offering their seeds in our catalog for five years now - since the beginning - and we just added this new pea eggplant variety this week. They say it’s the one! The one they grew last year was too pale and not bitter enough - same with the one we grew at our farm this year. But this one is just right. Here’s the description:

This variety is preferred by our Karen friends from Burma at Novick Urban Farm: its fruits are darker, more bitter, more productive, easier to pick, and the plants are more compact.

Pea Eggplants originate in Central America, and have naturalized and become important in tropical Africa, and many other tropical parts of the globe. Our seeds were grown by Karen farmers in Philadelphia for their own community as well as for our catalog. They eat these small, round, and bitter eggplants when green and unripe in curries and sauces.

This species is also known as Turkey Berry and is used in medicine. Known and loved as Susuma in Jamaica!

Photo credit: Novick Urban Farm.

PS - as with all our seeds - 50% of the sales go directly back to the growers, so when you support us, you support them :)

#seedkeeping (at Novick Urban Farm)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYsZPqWteR1/?utm_medium=tumblr

In other purple and culturally important news:

After two years getting to know this beauty, she too is now available in our seed catalog and part of our Italian Collection, some of which are also in this slide show and tagged here.

Ischia Eggplant

Ischia Eggplant is a long, dark purple heirloom eggplant from the volcanic island of Ischia, which you can see across the bay from Naples, Italy. Abundantly growing on 4’ tall bushy plants with elephant-like leaves, these are superb fruits that are great for eggplant parmesan.

This variety was shared with us by an Italian man named Vinny of Norwalk, Connecticut who got them from a friend whose parents still live in Ischia. He loves this variety and says he’s “never seen eggplants like this.” He was inspired to share the seeds with us in order to show us “that it pays to love your grandmother.” Vinny had read our descriptions of other southern Italian varieties from our Italian Collection in which our cofounder Owen Taylor lovingly described his great grandmother who was from south of Naples. Thank you Vinny!

#seedkeeping #ischiaeggplant #ischia #italiancollection #italianseeds
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYaKUour4DD/?utm_medium=tumblr

After two years of getting to know this beauty, she is now in the seed catalog!

Purple Hyacinth Bean

Tall, twining, purple vines cover any trellis or fence with beautiful dark foliage and abundant bright purple pods.

Lablab, or Hyacinth Bean, is widely eaten in parts of South and Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. The young pods are boiled and added to curries, sometimes the immature fresh seeds are boiled or roasted, the dried beans can be processed like tofu or sprouted like mung beans, and the leaves and flowers eaten like spinach. The flowers are a beautiful edible addition to salads and desserts and florists love their pink flower clusters and pods on long slender stems. The fresh or dried seeds eaten in large quantities can be toxic if not prepared correctly (double-cooked with two changes of water).

This versatile, drought-tolerant, soil-building species has a center of diversity in much of tropical Africa. Our coworker Amirah Mitchell of Sistah Seeds found it listed in the Lost Crops of Africa (to whom we owe thanks for much of this information), and so she began stewarding this beauty at our farm as part of her work to keep the seeds of the African Diaspora.

#seedkeeping #hyacinthbean #lablab @sistahseeds #purplehyacinth
https://www.instagram.com/seedkeeping/p/CYaImNCL6Jl/?utm_medium=tumblr

Our wall calendars are now 30% off! That makes them $1/month :) and this month alone is gorgeous enough on its own! www.trueloveseeds.com

Here’s the words that go with Ms. June:
Nykisha Madison looks tenderly and profoundly at her Burgundy Okra plants in the setting sun in West Philadelphia, where she managed the Urban Tree Connection farm and kept seeds of the African diaspora for our catalog. These days, she spends most of her year strengthening her spirituality as a root worker living and farming in Ghana, West Africa. She hosts healing and meditation retreats in the Volta Region at the “Africana Village Land of Peace Project” for those who are called to explore their African roots and traditions and she grows food for her family and community in an intentional farming community.

Nykisha is also a member of a new cooperative business led by black and brown women called 4DaSoil, which supports black and brown farmers in and out of the diaspora with administrative and food safety needs for their small agribusinesses. Her mantra: “Get Excited About Life! It’s Worth Living!”

Nykisha: @organyk

#seedkeeping
(at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYVECpYrxOq/?utm_medium=tumblr

Coral Sorghum seed is available again! @saharchphoto was visiting the day we harvested it and took these beautiful photos. This row was an impressive presence on our farm this year.

Here’s the description from our seed catalog:
Coral is a tall, beautiful, versitile sorghum! Pop the seeds like popcorn, boil them as a grain, or press them into a sweet syrup and for making mollasses. Coral Sorghum stands 10 feet tall and is braced well by branching roots with twice the strength of corn.

This delicious, all-purpose variety was gathered in Malakal, South Sudan, where many battles between the Sudan’s People’s Liberation Army and the Nuer White Army have been fought in the last few years. As part of their work to preserve endangered varieties from areas experiencing turmoil due to war and climate change, the Experimental Farm Network @experimentalfarmnetwork requested the seed from the USDA and shared with their network of growers across the US. While it has grown well in New York and Washington states, it tends to take a long season to mature, and should be planted as early as possible after the last danger of frost.

#coralsorghum #sorghumbicolor #seedkeeping #seedsaving
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXzpddENtuS/?utm_medium=tumblr

Alkebu-Lan Marcus and his kids brought by some of his seed harvest: maybe 10 pounds of Clemson Spineless Okra seeds in many bags, Kusa Squash, and Landreth String Beans. Key grew these at Philadelphia Orchard Project’s farm in West Philly, and he grew some other seed crops in his own community garden beds also in West. We are almost five years into our seed keeping journey together, and watching his son play in the depths of the abundant okra seed bags really brought home how far we’ve come. Seeds grown abundantly on community farms in Philadelphia is so awesome and I’m so glad to be a part of it!
Thanks Key! #seedkeeping (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXUimFHL8js/?utm_medium=tumblr

Miki and Harper are both taking the 2022 Organic Seed Production Online Course with @organic_seed_alliance, and I’m their on-farm mentor. Miki is an old friend and experienced farm educator who just started working with Truelove a couple months ago, and Harper is a second-year apprentice at @camphillkimberton. From OSA: “This course is intended to compliment applied learning opportunities for students in internship positions on seed growing farms. The role of the mentor seed grower is to provide support, feedback and advice to the student on their seed growing experience in 2022 and in planning for achieving their personal/professional goals as a seed grower.” Glad to add this other layer of mentorship to our farm! PS we basically finished planting today - maybe 95% finished (thanks @claykitchenstudio @realglitterb0y @caitlyn_sheila and Harper!) Even with 6 coworkers and apprentices calling out for various reasons including several COVID exposures. Stay safe out there! Next week we focus on trellising, protecting seed crops with bird netting, and weed and pest management. #seedkeeping (at Glen Mills, Pennsylvania)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeFDwEmOXQo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Chives were one of the first plants I remember eating fresh from the earth. It was in my grandma Letty’s garden (which was mostly actually my aunt Kathy’s garden) and I remember her handing me a sprig plucked from the earth. I thought it was grass but it tasted so oniony. But it was kind of like Willy Wonka in the chocolate factory: the world was edible!

Chives are native to Asia, Europe, AND North America - it’s the only species of Allium (the onion/garlic genus) that can make this claim to both sides of the ocean.

It’s been used for many thousands of years as food and medicine. It is considered one of the best nectar sources for pollinators and at the same time can help deter some unwanted insect pests from the garden.

Today it was in full flower, embarking on its first sexual reproductive phase since sowing the seeds last year.

We plan to have them back in our catalog by fall!

#seedkeeping #Alliumschoenoprasum

(at Glen Mills, Pennsylvania)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdhYpj8uU8x/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Suburu Outback has 12 trays ‘out back’ and four more on the various floors. I wish they weren’t fertilized with fish emulsion right before loading them in (oops) but very happy with how many fit with no shelves/contraptions! Can’t wait for the day when our greenhouse and farm are closer than 30 miles apart! #seedkeeping (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdJsU1LuQFU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Krapao Red (Thai Holy Basil)

This just in at Truelove Seeds, grown by our wonderful friend Heidi Ratanavanich of @goldendragonphilly and @manyfortunes. All our coworkers and apprentices have the opportunity to tend our to their ancestral seeds at our farm, and Heidi introduced us to this delicious holy basil last year. Here’s the web description:

Intensely aromatic, slightly spicy holy basil used in Thai cooking, traditionally in dishes such as Pad Krapao. This branching, geometric and narrow-leaved holy basil makes a low bush, reaching about 20" in height in our experience. Its distinct, clove-like aroma perfumed the air whenever we’d brush past it in the field. Sports handsome, deep fuschia to dark red stems and flower stalks, covered in tiny pink blooms and abundant green foliage. Thrives in heat and prefers full sun. This seed came to us through our friend and previous apprentice Heidi Ratanavanich, who has this to share about their ancestral herb:

“When I eat Pad Krapao, minced pork stir fry with Krapao, topped with a fried egg and a side of Nam Prik Pla (fish sauce, lime juice, garlic), I feel Thailand. For a long time, I thought Krapao was the same as Thai Basil (Horappaa), which has a different flavor from a totally different plant. On a trip to my mom’s hometown in Thailand, Sappaya, my aunt pointed out Krapao growing on a path. This was the moment where I first learned this Krapao, in hand in Thailand. She helped me harvest the 2 varieties, red and white. I am so lucky and happy to be tending to Krapao this season at Truelove.”

#seedkeeping
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdF7LQRurau/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=