All posts by Jordan Charbonneau

Garden Advice

Putting Up Produce the Old Ways: Fermenting, Drying, and Cellaring

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For the modern gardener keeping a surplus harvest means blanching and freezing or canning. These methods certainly have their virtues but it’s important to remember they’re not your only options. For hundreds of years humans put up their harvests without the aid of modern canning jars or electricity.

For some in areas with frequent power outages or off grid houses freezing produce may not be the best option. Canning, especially pressure canning, can be relatively time and energy intensive. Plus fermenting, drying, and cellaring all have their own benefits.

Fermenting

It sounds a little weird but fermented food may be some of your healthiest preserves. Fermented food has lacto-bacteria that has been shown to improve gut flora. Your gut flora is important to your digestion but new studies have also shown gut flora to be an important facet of your overall health.

Easy fermented foods include pickles, kraut, and kimchi but nearly any vegetable can be fermented. Check out this post for a more in depth look at fermenting vegetables.   

Drying

Drying or dehydrating produce is probably one of the easiest methods of preserving produce and it can be much less energy intensive than canning or freezing but still keep for a very long time. Dried produce can be eaten as snacks or rehydrated for use in soups and stews during the winter months. It’s also great lightweight food for families who enjoy camping or backpacking.

Before electricity was available drying food was mostly used a preservation method in warm, arid climates where food could be quickly dried outside before it rotted. Today you can find many plans online for solar dehydrators which will help those in more humid climates achieve the same effect. Thankfully for those in really humid areas or without a passion for DIY projects there are tons of electric dehydrators available on the market and most are very affordable.

Cellaring

Don’t skip this section just because you don’t have a root cellar! There’s many ways to store produce fresh even if you live in a small apartment. Check out this post, How to Store Crops Without a Root Cellar for our best ideas.

A lot of produce can be kept fresh in storage including onions, carrots, beets, turnips, winter squash, even cabbage and brussels sprouts! Cellaring is a method in which heirlooms will often have the advantage. As many were bred when people put up all or much their own food heirlooms often have some of the best storage abilities. Keep this in mind this winter as you’re choosing varieties.

Succession Planting

For anyone who dreads spending time preserving a great way to avoid a lot of food preservation altogether is to use succession planting. This is when you start plants at different intervals so that they’re ready at different times. Rather than planting all your green beans in one day plant a row or two (depending on your family’s size) one day and then plant again in a few weeks. This will spread your harvest out over a longer period of time ensuring you can enjoy more of it fresh!

For more tips check out, Succession Planting 101.

These methods may be old but they’re still awesome! Fermenting, drying, and cellaring can help you avoid food waste and keep healthy, local food continuously available.

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Garden Advice

The Importance of Heirloom Seeds

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As we begin to plan and gear up for the 2018 season we’re reminded of the importance of keeping heirloom varieties alive. At Southern Exposure we define heirlooms as open pollinated varieties developed prior to 1940. While some believe that hybrids and GMOs are the answer to our current agricultural dilemmas we know that these old varieties hold incredible value and potential.

Diversity

As growers have shifted away from heirlooms we’ve seen drastic decline in crop diversity in the United States. Keeping heirlooms alive means increased diversity which in turn increases resilience. When you only grow one crop variety it only takes one problem to wipe out the entire crop. Planting multiple varieties helps to ensure your crops survival.

A diverse source of food is also better for our health. You may have heard that you should always try to eat a variety of vegetables but that’s also true for specific varieties. The purple, yellow, green, and multi colored heirloom tomatoes all have different nutrients than the couple of red varieties offered at the grocery store. The same is true for other crops as well.

Adaptability

As heirlooms have been handed down from generation to generation they’ve become adapted to specific places and climates. They’ve evolved natural defenses to certain diseases, pests, and weather patterns. These defenses mean organic farmers and gardeners can beat their local problems without resorting to chemicals.

They can also continue to adapt to different localities. If you save seed from your favorite corn variety year after year, always picking the best and most productive plants to save seed from you will adapt that variety more and more to your climate and challenges.

Flavor

Depending on who you talk to this may just be heirlooms best characteristic. Heirlooms are often the tastiest produce because seed varieties that didn’t taste great just weren’t saved. Heirlooms are those lovely varieties that were bred by small farmers around the world before they had to worry about choosing varieties that kept for weeks and weeks or shipped well.

History

Each heirloom variety is a little piece of living history. They tell the story of the people that grew them and the place that they farmed. Keeping these seeds alive maintains a connection to cultural roots, ancestral ways, and the earth.

Having a local food culture not only has an impact on the environment but on people’s health. If people once again had a tradition of growing and eating specific heirlooms they would be less likely to replace important customs with proccessed foods.

Independence

The last great thing about heirlooms is that they allow farmers and gardeners independence. Because heirlooms can be saved from year to year growers don’t have to rely on big companies to supply their gardens each year. They’re financially independent.

At SESE we believe these traits give heirlooms immense value. They’re important for growers that want independent, resilient farms and homesteads. They’re perfect for the chef who wants to create healthy dishes with unique, rich flavors. They’re the seeds that keep us connected.

Hybrids certainly have their charm but when you’re selecting seeds this year consider adding a few heirlooms to your garden. Whether it’s for their flavor, charm, or usefulness we know you’ll fall in love.

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Garden Advice

17 Varieties New to SESE in 2018

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At Southern Exposure we’re dedicated to preserving and sharing open pollinated and heirloom seed varieties. As part of that mission we’ve added many new varieties that we’d loved to see grown, shared, and enjoyed like SESE’s classic favorites.

These varieties are new varieties selected to help small farmers and gardeners overcome disease and insect pressure using sustainable, organic methods. They’re heirlooms lovingly nutured by generations of gardeners who’d love to see their rich flavors and unique traits enjoyed by others. They’re seeds from aorund the world that can bring a little piece of other flavors, cultures, and traditions into your garden and onto your plate.

Monticello Old Breadseed Poppy

This gorgeous variety was saved by Seed Savers Exchange members Christina Wenger and Patrick Holland! Along with its beauty it also offers a long bloom time.

Silverleaf Sunflower

A rare species added to the SESE ranks, this sprawling sunflower is native to the Gulf Coast and Southern Texas. If planted early the stalks can reach 15 feet tall and are highly attractive to pollinators and birds.

Willowleaf Colored Lima Beans

With a rainbow mix of colors this bean is sure to win your heart. It’s named for its narrow, willow-like leaves which make the plants appear more like willow trees than lima beans.

Hog Brain Southern Peas

Though we don’t know how this Alabama heirloom earned its name we do love this variety for its good flavor and excellent drought resistance. This seed was sent to SESE by Douglas Pitts.

Odell’s Large White (White Stoney Mountain) Watermelon

The rich sweet flavor of these melons is said to rival the legendary “Bradford.” This rare South Carolina variety dates back to 1840 and has been stewarded by Karen Metze’s family since 1880. Her husband Rodger Winn now grows and cares for the seed. It produces very large melons (30-35 lbs) with excellent storage quality.

Zapallo del Tronco Summer Squash

This rare Argentinian variety is a great summer squash to try for a unique, sweet, rich flavor and texture. It’s ready to harvest in just 48 days!

Bettersnap Southern Peas

Unlike many southern peas Bettersnap can be eaten young in the pod like green beans. They’re also an excellent choice for southern gardeners because they’re resistant to root knot nematodes and many other southern afflictions.

Mayan Jaguar Lettuce

Mayan Jaguar was the heaviest yielder in SESE’s 2017 lettuce trials! This variety has a lot going for it with dark green leaves with bold dark red splotches, attractive pink hearts, upright leaves that reduce splashback of soil onto leaves, and it’s slow to bolt.

African Drum Gourd

These huge, thick walled gourds are perfect for making baskets, buckets, or drums! They’re round to slightly teardrop-shaped and hold up well to downy mildew.

Rotten Clarage Dent Corn

Rotten Clarage is a rare Ohio heirloom from the early 1900s that was a cross between Yellow Clarage and another blue corn. This variety grows sturdy 9 foot stalks, 8-9 inch ears, with mostly two ears per stalk. Its seed has been grown and stewarded by the Appalachian Heirloom Plant Farm in Winchester, Ohio.

Early Nozaki Chinese Cabbage

This chinese cabbage variety fairs better than others in warmer areas being slower to bolt than our other varieties. It’s also tender and mild perfect for salads, stir frys, and ferments and is quick to produce.

Aji Chinchi Amarillo Hot Peppers

These peppers pack a lot of flavor into there small size. They’re fruity with medium to high heat and are typically about 3 × 1/2 inches. This variety is a heavy yielder and a key ingredient in Peruvian cuisine.

South Anna Butternut

The South Anna Butternut is a cross between the Seminole Pumpkin and Waltham Butternut develop by Common Wealth’s Edmund Frost. They have good productivity, excellent storage ability, and high levels of downy mildew resistance.

DMR 401 Slicing Cucumber

Another downy mildew resistant variety, these cucumbers can withstand levels that would kill another standard slicing variety. They were grown as part Michael Mazourek’s breeding program at Cornell University and did the best in Cornell’s 2015 trials.

Jasmyn Rissie Hot Peppers

Jasmyn Rissie Hot Peppers offer a lot of sweet peppery flavor along with mild heat. The seed for these little beauties was collected in Hartbeespoort, South Africa.

Prize Choi

This quick growing, cold hardy heirloom grows 2lb heads in just 7 weeks! Prize choi has dark green leaves with crunchy bright white stems and did excellent in our 2017 Asian green trials.

 

We all have our tried and true favorites but we hope you’ll try some of our newly available varieties too! We’re sure there’s a variety here that will win over your heart or tastebuds.

 

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