Should you store seeds?

SHOULD YOU STORE SEEDS?

Cosmos, lobelia, nicotiana, poppy, portulacaWhat is the result of all this? It is easy cooking. Cooking that is easy on our time, easy on our schedule, and certainly easy on our pocket book. Hopefully there are some cooking ideas you can use, too.The other thing we do to make easy cooking a reality is limit what goes into a meal. What do I mean by that? We almost always use quick and easy recipes that have few ingredients. My personal cooking book includes a lot of recipes I have acquired over the years and then simplified by reworking the recipes until they only have four five ingredients. The fewer ingredients I have to worry about, the more easy dinner recipes I collect. My other consideration in this is that I am cooking for kids, so I want to make sure these are healthy easy recipes as well.Ageratum, carnation, celosia, dianthus, gaillardia, snapdragon, sweet alyssum, sweet pea, zinniaWe like cooking ideas that give us healthy easy recipes to use and we are always looking for new things to add into our cooking book collection. The other thing that we have done recently is to revisit some things we used to do, but put on a shelf.Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, melons, okra, pumpkin, radish, squash, turnipsAquilegia, California poppy, calliopsis, candytuft, centaurea, clarkia, coleus, dahlia, gypsophila, hollyhock, impatiens, marigold, morning glory, petunia, scabiosaA friend in coastal California once asked us if there is anything good to do with seeds too old to save. She called them tired seeds and said her garden seemed tired, too. We suggested she strew the seeds over her garden at the end of the season and in spring spade under whatever growth resulted, to add organic matter to her tired soil. She did, and the soil began to revive. In cold-winter climates we'd do the strewing in early spring, in a place where we'd later be transplanting tender plants such as peppers and tomatoes. This would give the casual cover crop a chance to grow enough to be worth spading under.Shortly before serving, let cubes stand at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes, then place in a food processor and whirl to make a smooth slush (or beat slowly with an electric mixer, gradually increasing to high speed as mixture turns into a smooth slush). Serve as a slush, or cover and freeze until firm enough to scoop. Top each serving with cream and nutmeg. Makes 8 to 10 servings.1-YEAR LIFE (seldom worth saving)For more kitchen resources, cooking ideas, and to CLAIM YOUR FREE GIFT, visit http://cooking.cmg4life.netBeans, carrot, celery, chicory, corn, peas, spinachMake strong coffee (directions above) using 2 cups water. Use this coffee to make coffee snow (above); add 2 cups milk after sugar is dissolved. Serves 6 to 8.Onion, pepperNasturtiumGood seeds, from reputable companies, are expensive and are the best garden investment you make. So we don't waste them, and we follow the standard rule for storing any leftover seeds at the end of the season--put the packets into a capped jar along with a tablespoon of sugar in a cloth bag to absorb moisture, and put the jar in the refrigerator (not the freezer). The idea is, keep them cool and dry. Also, date each packet.Balsam, calendulaStir together coffee and sugar until sugar dissolves; let cool. Stir in coffee-flavored liqueur. Pour into 2 or 3 ice cube trays. Freeze at 0[deg.] until solid, at least 3 hours, or cover and store cubes up to 1 week.5-YEAR LIFE6-YEAR LIFE

A friend in coastal California once asked us if there is anything good to do with seeds too old to save. She called them tired seeds and said her garden seemed tired, too. We suggested she strew the seeds over her garden at the end of the season and in spring spade under whatever growth resulted, to add organic matter to her tired soil. She did, and the soil began to revive. In cold-winter climates we'd do the strewing in early spring, in a place where we'd later be transplanting tender plants such as peppers and tomatoes. This would give the casual cover crop a chance to grow enough to be worth spading under.

Author: Ken Kraft, Pat Kraft