Blue Tinge Wheat ETHIOPIA Marfax Bean USA Alubia di Tolosa Bean SPAIN Tiger’s Eye Bean CHILE Purple Barley TIBET Sakamotowase Soybean JAPAN
Mandan Red Clay Corn GREAT PLAINS
Puntarelle Chicory ITALY
Elephant Ear Pepper SERBIA
Filderkraut Cabbage GERMANY
Tarahumara Sunflower MEXICO
WELCOME TO UPRISING SEEDS 2017 _____________________
Strength in Diversity *** Well friends, here we go! It’s time to find inspiration in the coming season, be it planting your first garden, trying a new variety or recipe, or renewing a commitment to spend more time outdoors, hands dirty, and immersed in the sights and sounds and smells of the world around us. It’s time to lace up those boots and get to work doing what you do best , joining others in their efforts, and most of all knowing that when we stand together, in spite of all that could and often does divide us, we are powerful, we are capable, we are unrelenting, and we are bright beyond measure. This work, for us, is about harnessing the power of growing food to create community and dialogue and 2016, in many ways, made it painfully clear that there is much community building work to be done. As we’ve learned from time spent in community garden plots and farmers markets, the common ground we find with others in the simple acts of tending a garden and preparing and sharing meals are a few good places to start. This catalog is filled with the encapsulated stories of relationships between people and plants and places, and like all living stories they connect our past to our future. The 2016 chapter of our story had a spirit of experimentation about it at the home farm. We’ve added quite a few new varieties this year including several that have likely never been available as organic seed before. For vegetable growers, we’ve worked to focus on varieties with exceptional hardiness and disease resistance like Neptune leeks and several new lettuces as well as culinary standouts like Filderkraut Cabbage, Cascade Glaze Collards and Puntarelle Chicory. We’ve added several new and lesser known culinary herbs like Mentuccia, Blue Fenugreek, and Mexican Tarragon to bring new flavors to your palate. And, for cut flower growers, we have prioritized making available high quality, domestically grown organic seeds for the specialty cultivars you depend on. You’ll find 15 new flower varieties this year inside, including several cut flower classics and a couple experimental breeding populations with the farmer-florist in mind. We wish you all a happy 2017, ours will most certainly be a busy and goal filled one. Our hope for the coming year is that as people move around the globe, either out of desperation or in seeking new opportunities, that they find respect, fertile ground, and community in which they may thrive, much as their seeds that have made similar journeys before them have. As scientist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer writes in a piece about three sisters gardens, “All gifts are multiplied in relationship”. We at Uprising wish you all abundance in 2017 and invite you to join us in this JOYOUS UPRISING Brian, Crystine, Rio, Eric, Erica, Rowan, and baby Meira.
CATALOG CONTENTS VEGETABLES Beans………………. 11-17 Beets……………….. 18 Broccoli……………. 18-19 Burdock …………… 19 Cabbage/Napa…… ... 20-21 Cardoon …………… 21 Carrot……….…… ... 21 Cauliflower…………22 Chard……………..... 22 Chicory…………...... 22-23 Collards………….. ... 27 Corn………………... 23-24 Cucumber………... ... 24-25 Eggplant…………. ... 25 Fennel…………….... 25 Greens…………… ... 25-27 Ground Cherries….... 39 Kale……………… ... 27 Lentils…………….... 17 Leeks………………. 28 Lettuce……………... 28-32 Melons……………... 32 Onions & Shallots…. 32-33 Parsnips……………. 33 Peas……………… ... 34 Peppers…………... ... 34-36 Pumpkins…………... 36-37 Radish…………… ... 37 Rutabaga………… ... 37 Spinach…………...... 37 Squash…………… ... 38-39 Tomatoes…………... 40-46 Turnip……………… 46 Watermelon……… ... 46 HERBS……………… 47-50 GRAINS…………….. 50 FLOWERS………….. 50-59 COLLECTIONS….. ... 60 MUSHROOM KITS ... 59 BOOKS…………… ... 60-61 TOOLS……………… 61 ORDERING……….... 62-64 PLANTING CHART.. 65
About Uprising Seeds: Uprising Seeds is the culmination of years of fresh market farming, variety trialing, seed production and breeding work, and most importantly, a decades-long love affair with food and its power to bring people together. Our ideal vision of seed sustainability involves farmers and gardeners as the stewards of the varieties that they depend on. We are therefore committed to strengthening the public commons of seed genetics by working to preserve and improve open-pollinated varieties, keeping biodiversity strong through adaptability and resilience. Relationships are the cornerstone upon which we define ourselves as we pass on and add to the stories of these seeds. The health of our relationship with the land, the seeds, and ultimately the food that sustains us has the power to shape our present and define our future. We believe anyone can have a garden, anyone can save seed, and the more we connect to producing food, the stronger our communities become. Seeds are a gift to be shared, hard work to harvest, and yours to plant. Uprising Seeds is adamantly opposed to GMO’s and considers it a challenge and honor to take part in the rebuilding of healthy and just food systems for all. We love what we do. We grow our future together.
All our seeds are Open-Pollinated and Certified Organic by the USDA. Please save and share them.
Donations: Every year we happily donate bulk seed and thousands of packets to organizations around the country who are doing great work and rely upon donations to keep their gardens growing. About the most satisfying thing to do is to fill a box with seeds and send it on its way! Many of these organizations are working with kids in school gardens, veterans, and those among us who may have otherwise fallen through the cracks. We’d like to think that reconnecting individuals with place, reinvigorating a sense of purpose and wonder, and the plain fun of watching a plant grow and then eating it can start with one small seed. You can learn more about the great organizations we donate to on our website and follow the links to discover how you can contribute or simply marvel at all the good things happening in your community!
Meet Our Network of Growers:
If the modern industrial food system has done much to remove the faces behind the foods we eat, the seed industry represents the extreme of that trend. Let’s face it, it’s hard to find out where your seed comes from. We are proud to work with such a great group of Pacific North West family farms to bring you the seeds in this catalog. Many of the varieties we sell have been bred or improved upon by these skilled growers, and this list represents many, many years of experience in growing high quality seed. The two letter code following “days to maturity” at the end of each variety description refers to who grew it for us, as listed below. We encourage you to read more about them in the grower profiles on our website. UO: Uprising Seeds, Bellingham, WA AS: Adaptive Seeds, Sweethome, OR AC: Ayers Creek Farm, Gaston, OR BG: By George Farm, Jacksonville, OR CB: Canyon Bounty Farm, Nampa, ID CF: Chickadee Farm, Ashland, OR DT: Seven Seeds Farm, Williams, OR DW: Delhi Wind Farm, Everson, WA EB: Essential Blooms, Port Townsend, WA ER: Eel River Produce, Scotia, CA EO: Ernie’s Organics, Shoshone, ID FF: Fellowship Farms, Paul, ID GC: Garberville Community Farm, Garberville, CA
HW: Highwater Farm, Mount Vernon, WA LK: Lupine Knoll Farm, Williams, OR MF: Midori Farm, Port Townsend, WA MM: M&M Heath Farms, Buhl, ID MO: McGreevy Organics, Royal City, WA NF: Nash’s Farm, Sequim, WA RS, Resilient Seeds Everson, WA SM: Strictly Medicinals, Williams, OR TR: Twisp River Seeds, Twisp, WA WF: Wandering Fields Farm, Jacksonville, OR WG: Wolf Gulch Farm, Jacksonville, OR WGS: Wild Garden Seed, Philomath, OR WO: White Oak Farm, Williams, OR
Open Source Seed Initiative: One of the biggest power grabs over the last 30 years by corporations looking to foster and control a profit driven food system has been the privatization of plant varieties and traits through intellectual property protection mechanisms of patents and trademarks. We are happy to have joined forces with the Open Source Seed Initiative as a seed company partner to espouse a different model, one of collaborative, open, unrestricted access to plant genetic resources. Inspired by the open source software movement OSSI has partnered with over 40 breeders and seed companies to pledge unrestricted access to varieties listed with the OSSI label. Varieties in the catalog with an “OSSI” tag after their descriptions carry this designation of unrestricted access, which stays with the variety through subsequent breeding and distribution. We encourage you to find out more about this effort to preserve access to our plant genetic commons on their website at www.osseeds.org OSSI Pledge: “You have the freedom to use these OSSI-Pledged seeds in any way you choose. In return, you pledge not to restrict others’ use of these seeds or their derivatives by patents or other means, and to include this pledge with any transfer of these seeds or their derivatives”
Slow Food® Ark of Taste
Some of the most exciting work happening in the greater food movement these days is that of our good friend Lane Selman with the Culinary Breeding Network. Over the past several years she has had both the vision to bring all ends of the food system, from breeders to eaters, to the same table in a unique and inspired way, and the savvy to passion to get the story of public vegetable breeding out into the mainstream. What started as vegetable variety tastings among members of Portland, OR’s vibrant farming and restaurant communities, has grown into a national network of breeders, farmers, chefs, and food industry professionals focused together on a goal of improving the quality of what we grow and eat by creating feedback relationships up and down the food chain. On a shoestring budget of grants and sponsorships, Lane has organized several public events, including 3 annual “Variety Showcases”, that have helped open people's eyes to the behind the scenes breeding work that dictates many of the qualities of what and how we eat. The results have been the forging of valuable collaborations, interesting exchanges of information, and ultimately the strengthening of our food system. We encourage you to check out and support this important work at: www.culinarybreedingnetwork.com
The “Ark of Taste” was conceived at a Slow Food gathering in Torino, Italy in 1996. It is a project to identify foods with special culinary and cultural significance that are facing extinction with the industrialization of our food supply. We are pleased to offer 12 varieties this year that have been listed by RAFT (Restoring American Food Traditions) as American “Ark Foods” as well as a handful from Italy, Germany, and Spain. Hutterite Bush Dry Bean Jacob’s Cattle Bush Dry Bean Lina Cisco’s Bird Egg Dry Bean Alubia di Tolosa Dry Bean (Spain) Purgatorio Bush Dry Bean (Italy) Rockwell Bush Dry Bean Rosso di Lucca Dry Bean (Italy) Sorana Dry Bean (Italy) Zolfini Bush Dry Bean (Italy) Cicerchia (Italy) Filderkraut Cabbage (Germany) Roy’s Calais Flint Corn Grandpa Admires Lettuce Speckled Butterhead Lettuce Tennis Ball Lettuce Jimmy Nardello Pepper Fiaschetto Tomato (Italy) Red Fig Tomato Sheboygan Paste Tomato Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry These are seeds with stories to tell and in planting them we are all helping to bring a piece of our culinary heritage back to the forefront in our gardens and on our tables. We are excited to be a part of this project and will continue to explore more varieties to offer. Enjoy!
Beans: Bush Snap
NEW ADDITIONS FOR 2017! “4 Bean” Snap Bean Mix “Cocaigne (Haricot Paimpol)” Bean, Bush Dry “Gokuwase Hayabusa Edamame” Soybean “Ezonishiki” Soybean “Shinsei” Soybean “Sakamotowase” Soybean :Wase Kuro Daizu” Soybean “Takinogawa” Burdock “Spigariello” Broccoli, Leaf “Filderkraut” Cabbage “Gobbo di Nizza” Cardoon “All the Year Round” Cauliflower “Arch Cape” Chicory “Puntarelle” Chicory “Neptune” Leek “Barnwood Gem” Lettuce “Eruption” Lettuce “La Brilliante”, Lettuce “Marvel of 4 Seasons” Lettuce “Royal Red” Lettuce “Scarlet Butter” Lettuce “Mini mix” Lettuce “Ishikura” Scallion “Piccolo Rosso di Madonie” Hot Pepper “Bridge to Paris” Sweet Pepper “Doe Hill” Sweet Pepper “Petite Marseillais” Sweet Pepper “Garden Peach” Tomato “Green Zebra” Tomato “Moldovan Green” Tomato “Tokyo Market” Turnip “Coral Fountains” Amaranth “Snow Puff” Cosmos “Lacey Blue” Didiscus “Black” Hollyhock “Gems” Marigold “Alaska” Nasturtium “Delft Blue” Nigella “Pastel Meadows” Poppy, Iceland “Mother of Pearl” Poppy, Shirley “Prairie Sun” Rudbeckia “Alpenglow mix” Snapdragon “Reds” Sunflower “Transylvanian Giant” Sunflower “Bristol” Sweet Pea “Flora Norton” Sweet Pea “Trigonella” Blue Fenugreek “Mentuccia Romana” Nepatella Mexican Tarragon Returning after a brief (or longer) hiatus “Tonda di Parigi” Carrot “Cascade Glaze’ Collards “Lancer” Parsnip “Golden Sweet” Pea, Snow “Sweet Meat” Squash, Winter “Siskiyou Sweet” Sweet Onion Borage “Black Knight” Scabiosa “Salmon Rose” Zinnia “Benary’s Giant Mix” Zinnia Symbol Key: drought tolerant excellent as cut flower cold hardy selection
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VEGETABLES BEANS (Phaseolus vulgaris)———–———— BUSH SNAP
Blooming Prairie We generally regard purple beans as we do purple bell peppers or purple kale, that is, quite nice to look at, but rarely tasting remotely as good as they look (and often even that phrasing is too generous). Enter Blooming Prairie, passed along to us by Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds in BC. Named after a town in Minnesota, Blooming Prairie hangs heavy with glossy purple, slender, straight and crisp pods. The flavor is full and decidedly old-school “beany” in the best way, the texture, crisp and refreshing. This is one that will change your opinion about purple beans, as it did ours. Sometimes these like to think that they are pole beans! If you give them support they may vine up as much as 12-18”. Don’t give them any ideas! 55-60 days. UO Packet: 1/2oz.(~50 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $12.00
Dragon Langerie *Heirloom* Lar ge, flat-podded, unusually juicy, wax beans that have both great flavor and beauty! It took only one bite for our market customers to decide that these creamy white and purple striped beans were indeed great eating and not just a visual novelty. You will love them and they will reward you with abundance and longevity. 19th century Dutch heirloom. 55-60 days. MM, EO Packet: 1oz (~60 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $8.00, 1lb $13.00
Empress Empress is simply our best bush green bean for both eating quality and yield. We usually grow Provider as our first succession for its strength in cool soil germination, and then Empress for the rest of the season. Vigorous plants hang heavy with long, straight 6-7” pods. Crisp and delicious they are slow to turn starchy and tough. Also great for canning and freezing. White seed. 55 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~90seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $7.00, 1lb $11.00, 5lbs $45.00
Provider Provider is the classic early green bean variety for northern climes, known to excel in cooler soil. Heavy yields of fleshy 5-7” pods atop compact plants are usually the first of our direct seeded green beans at market. Rich green bean taste. Maroon/Purple seeded. 50 days. EO Packet: 1oz (~90 seeds) $3.50, 1/2 lb $6.00, 1lb $9.00
Tanya’s Pink Pod A truly remarkable bean in growing habit, taste, and appearance. Large (6”), flat and wonderfully tasty pods of a uniquely beautiful iridescent hot pink color that remind us quite a bit of magen-
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Beans: Pole Snap/Bush Dry
taspreen. The bushy plants are very productive over a long period. You need not fret if you miss the fresh eating stage as they also make a tasty cooked dry bean. Discovered as a sport in the garden of Salt Spring Seeds owner, Dan Jason, by his then apprentice, Tanya, over a decade ago, this bean has grown true ever since. Many thanks to Dan for sharing this one with us! 40-50 days fresh, 90 days dry. UO Packet: 1oz (~60 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $10.00
flowers are followed by long and slightly fuzzy green beans that, when picked young, are delicious in their own right. Immature bean seeds can be eaten as shelly beans, while mature dry beans are eaten like lima or kidney. Giant mottled purple/black seeds look like magic beans straight out of Jack and the Beanstalk. Who knows where they’ll take you if you start climbing… 70 days. ER/UO Packet: 1oz (~30 seeds) $3.50
**New for 2017** 4 Beans
BUSH DRY
A four way color mix of bush snap beans in a single packet! Blooming Prairie, Empress, Tanya’s Pink Pod, and Dragon Langerie. Fun! Packet: 1oz (~70 seeds) $3.50 POLE SNAP
Fortex We present you with a delicious French filet green bean that remains completely stringless, tender, and sweet while growing to over 11” in length. Wonderfully nutty and rich with the intense flavor of a filet bean. Smooth and sultry. There, I said it. If a bean can be called smooth and sultry, you have found it. Smashingly productive. Brilliant green round pods. 6-10’ vines. The running favorite among our commercial and home grower friends alike. Laborious seed to produce. Get them while you can! Reddish brown seeds. 60 days. UO, RS Packet: 50 seeds $3.50, 1/2lb $18
Marvel of Venice *Heirloom* We have become ver y picky over the years when it comes to flavor with fresh beans and think it’s a tragically overlooked quality in modern bean breeding that focuses too much on looks and yields alone. We have tried and turned down several recommended varieties because they simply don’t taste as good as a handful we know and love. Marvel of Venice is one we have fallen in love with year after year; so rich and buttery it may well be tops in our experience for flavor. Long, flat, golden-yellow Romano-type pods bear early and prolifically on strong climbing vines. Perfect lightly steamed and tossed with olive oil and lemon. We’ve tried both the black-seeded and white-seeded strains and strongly prefer the white seeded both for earliness and flavor. We have worked to virtually eliminate the green off-types (these taste just as wonderful by the way) that plague much of the commercially available seed. If you grow them, plan to give them 7’ or so of support. 55-60 days. UO Packet: 40 seeds $3.50
Scarlet Emperor This is a real dandy of a runner bean, vigorously growing 8-10’ and bearing a profusion of showy bright red blossoms loved by butterflies and hummingbirds. Our son Rowan has grown many an “Emperor” tepee and they are a sight to behold. Often grown just as an ornamental, the
Calypso *Heirloom* Known for their distinctive black and white markings, these beauties set abundant fruit and finish even in the late and cool growing seasons we “sometimes” experience in the PNW. With 4-6 seeds per pod you’ll be rewarded with steaming pots of chili and soup just when the weather begins to turn the corner from Fall into Winter. Creamy and rich with a flavor slightly reminiscent of your favorite potato they will retain their shape while black markings will fade to brown when cooked. Can also be eaten in the green stage but the dry beans are most certainly worth waiting for! 85-90 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~60 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $9.00, 1lb $14.00
**New for 2017** Haricot di Paimpol (Cocaigne) The climate of Brittany on France’s Atlantic coast is not so dissimilar from our Pacific Northwest with its wet shoulder seasons and cool summers, so when we heard there was a regionally famous white bean, (with its own AOC protection of origin status) we thought it was worth seeking out. The autumnal harvests of Coco di Paimpol are celebrated from Brittany to Paris in both homes and on seasonal bistro menus. Almost exclusively sold as shelly beans (fully mature but not yet dried down), the season is extremely short, and the price is often high. Why all the fuss? These plump, round, creamy white beauties are one of the most melt-in-yourmouth beans you will have ever tasted. I’ve even read them described as “beany ganache”. Because they generally aren’t sold dry, they were one of the more difficult beans to track down, but in our first grow-out, they proved fantastically prolific in what was a pretty mediocre season. Bushy in habit, the strong plants hang heavy with large lightly streaked pods. Like all white beans, they are more susceptible to rot in cool soils than more pigmented cultivars (perhaps even more so, being such a fleshy bean), so be patient and wait for warmer soil temps and drier stretches of weather at planting. The variety name, Cocaigne, was a place of medieval myth, an imaginary land of extreme luxury, comfort, and plenty that stood in stark contrast to harsh peasant reality. 90 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~55 seeds) $3.50 web only, limited supply.
Order online at: www.uprisingorganics.com
Beans: Bush Dry
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Flageolet Vert
Jacob’s Cattle
*Heirloom* On br isk Fall evenings in November we begin to share meals with friends that we have since learned are fit for nobility! A small pot of simmering Flageolet beans, a sprinkling of sage and salt, and a generous helping of good olive oil topped with freshly picked and sautéed chanterelles, crispy French shallots, and a squeeze of lemon heaped on a warmed Bread Farm baguette. The perfect sensory end to a busy harvest season. The Flageolet, a close relative of the Hungarian rice bean, which was grown on private estates to feed the European nobility during the winter months, was introduced for the International Paris Exposition in 1878 by French gardener, Chevrier of Bretigny. The shelled beans can be eaten (and celebrated!) in their semi dry stage as a shelly bean, and when they are fully dry. Reserved, as William Woys Weaver so aptly states, for elegant and sophisticated cooking (think cassoulet, crostini, risotto...), flageolets are intensely creamy, hold their shape when cooked, and cook quickly. The plants themselves are compact and loaded with slender long green pods (8-10 seeds/pod) that remain a light green even when fully dry as do the seeds themselves. As you may have sensed from our exuberant and lengthy description, these beans are a celebration unto themselves. Our highest yielding bean, which is surprising, given its small size. 80 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~120 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $10.00, 1lb $16.00, 5lbs $60.00
*Ark of Taste Heirloom* A legendar y nor theast variety that has been shown for centuries to thrive in tough northern climates. Local stories claim this Prince Edward Island heirloom to have been a gift from the Passamaquoddy Indians to Joseph Clark, the first white child born in Lubec, ME. The rest of its legend comes from kitchens across northern New England where it is known to make a fierce pot of baked beans. The white and maroon speckled kidney-shaped beans hold up well to long cooking. Early and prolific in the field. Tried and true. 80 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~60-70 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb 7.00, 1lb $12.00
Hutterite Bush Dry *Ark of Taste Heirloom* Once thought to have been brought over from the Ukraine by the Hutterites, a Christian sect, in the mid 1800’s, this bean is now thought by some to be a selection from the China Yellow bean, widely grown since the early 1800’s. Among the best for making quick cooking, delicious, creamy white bean soup, they are also very productive to boot. Color is a greenish yellow completed with a dark ring around the eye. Wait until ground has warmed and dried to sow as they are susceptible to rot in cold, wet soils. Weak vining tendency does not require support. 90-95 days. UO. Packet: 1oz (~85 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $9.00
Ireland Creek Annie *Heirloom* An old English heir loom var iety brought to Canada in the 1920’s, they are said to be named after the Ireland Creek Farm in BC where they’ve been grown since the 30’s. Cool season tolerant and very early maturing, they bear long pods on heavily laden bush plants. A VERY solid producer of buff yellow to mustard colored beans that cook down to a deliciously rich, creamy texture. Excellent for soups, sauces, and spreads. Dry beans this reliable in northern maritime climates are worth their weight in gold. 80-85 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~60 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $7.00, 1lb $12
Jacob’s Gold This beautiful bean is the product of a stabilized cross between the classic “Jacob’s Cattle” and “Paint”. Early, large, and prolific they’ve found a lasting place in our dry bean collection. The speckled gold and white beans are about the size of pintos with a rich flavor and meaty texture perfect for hearty soups and chili. 80-90 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~60 seeds) $3.50, 1/2 lb $7.00, 1lb $12.00
Kenearly Yellow Eye *Heirloom* As far as beans go, yellow eyes are about as quintessentially Maine as lobstah or wild blueberries. The plump, creamy white beans sport a molasses-yellow mark around the hilum and are the business for authentic New England style baked beans. Kenearly is the variety of choice amongst a couple of different yellow-eye cultivars, known to keep its pods up off the ground and mature over a tighter harvest window. Wicked good eating. Early and productive. 90 days. UO Packet: 1oz $3.50, 1/2 lb $7.00, 1lb $12.00
Lina Cisco’s Bird Egg *Ark of Taste Heirloom* A family heir loom from of one of the six original members of the Seed Savers Exchange (now the largest public participation heirloom seed organization in the world). These beans are said to have been brought by Lina’s grandmother to Missouri by covered wagon in the 1880’s. Delicious smooth texture and rich flavor for soups or on their own. Great to freeze as shelly beans for wonderful winter meals! Borlotti/Cranberry type.. 85-90 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~60 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $7.00, 1lb $12.00
Marfax *Heirloom* Also known as Mar afax, or Marifax, This beloved New England bean has a long but difficult to track history, said by some to have been introduced by the federal government to “downeast” Maine during the depression. Medium sized, round, buff-brown beans are rich in flavor and very well adapted to cool climate growing. They are a classic variety for
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Beans: Bush Dry
baked beans and hearty soups and are also great on their own with a toothsome texture that retains its shape even with long slow cooking. A traditional way of cooking these in old Maine logging camps was the “Bean Hole”, a rock lined fire pit in the ground where the bean pot was buried and slow cooked from the heat of the stones. We grew Marfax years ago and are happy to have it back as one of our dry bean staples. Very early and reliable. A favorite of Eric and Erica for serving slightly al dente with rosemary and olive oil. (See recipe below.) 85 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~ 80 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $7.00, 1lb $12.00
Wedding Beans Marfax beans are our favorite to prepare in this way because of their excellent flavor, and also the skins darken to a beautiful color and they do not fall apart when reheated in the olive oil. We served these beans as the second course at our wedding meal, and it was unexpectedly the major hit of the night. Any of our white beans would be lovely as well, but I highly recommend trying the Marfax. -Eric 1 cup beans 1/4 cup olive oil Salt 4 garlic cloves 1-2 springs rosemary, chopped Soak beans 8 hours and then cook until soft (but not mushy), 1 hour or until done. Or, if you want the beans now, pressure cook until soft, roughly 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, gently heat the olive oil in a pan. Crush the garlic with the side of your knife blade, and add it to the oil along with the rosemary. Let this cook together on low for at least 15 minutes, the goal is to infuse the oil with the fragrance of the aromatics, not to fry the garlic and herbs. Remove the garlic (and eat it, it’s a tasty treat!) Drain the beans, and add in the olive oil, stirring to coat and heating gently. Add salt to taste and serve with a thick slice of chewy, crusty bread. If you make the oil in advance, add a sprig of rosemary to the oil before storing it, to get an extra flavor boost. Method adapted from The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters
Purgatorio *Ark of Taste Heirloom* Ever y Ash Wednesday, about 100k NW of Rome in the town of Gradoli, the townspeople gather for the Pranzo del Purgatorio or ‘Purgatory Lunch’ organized by the Confraternità del Purgatorio, a truly humble meal of fish, wine, and white beans cooked with salt, pepper, and olive oil. The event goes back to the 1600’s and the cultivar of beans used, known simply as “Purgatorio” (by association), are said to date back to the Etruscans. The small, round white beans retain a toothiness and texture from their skin that makes them an excellent counterpoint to the soft flesh of fish. Because of their small size, the beans do not require pre-soaking and cook relatively quickly. Threatened by shrinking and very localized production, it was boarded on Slow Food Italy’s Ark of Taste in 2013. 85-90 days. AC Packet: 1oz (140 seeds) $3.50,
Rockwell *Ark of Taste Heirloom* An heir loom fr om the Coupeville area of Central Whidbey Island in WA, it is named after the late 1800’s pioneer Elisha Rockwell who brought it to the area. Though it never became a commercial crop, the bean has remained popular in homestead gardens for well over a century, renowned for its ability to germinate in cool soil, its early maturity, and outstanding flavor. The beans are creamy white with a mottled burgundy spot around the hilum and are great for most dishes but are especially known for making terrific baked beans. Our seed stock came from the folks at Willowood Farm in Coupeville who are working to popularize this local treasure. A first rate, productive dry bean for our maritime climate. Very rare and recently boarded on the Slowfood USA Ark. 80 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~ 85 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $7.00, 1lb $12.00, 5lb $48.00
Rosso di Lucca *Ark of Taste Heirloom* Year s ago, when our son Rowan was barely able to ride in a bike seat, we spent a lovely afternoon bicycling around the renaissance-era walls of the beautiful northern Tuscan city of Lucca. It is from the plains surrounding the picturesque city that these speckled red-orange beans hail. With its designated Slow Food presidium, fagioli Rossa di Lucca is part of the local food landscape and featured in hearty faro and vegetable soups, pasta e fagioli, or just simply cooked and served with sage and good olive oil. Compact bushes yield early and heavy harvests of the striking rose-to-pink-to-orange beans with dark burgundy speckles. A versatile and beautiful dry bean for the winter pantry, well adapted to our PNW climate. 90 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~60 seeds) 3.25, 1/2lb $7.00 1lb $12.00, 5lb $48.00
Zolfino *Ark of Taste Heirloom* Dur ing the 1999 World Trade Organization Meeting’s “Battle in Seattle”, while protests and chaos reigned in the
Beans: Pole Dry streets, inside the proceedings Italian Agricultural minister Paolo de Castro stood up and waved a bag of beans in the faces of the assembled neoliberal bureaucrats. The meaning? To express a need to protect genetic heritage and regionalized biodiversity against the onslaught of global free trade and cultural hegemony. The Beans? “Fagioli Zolfini” from the Valdarno, a hilly region of eastern Tuscany. At one point nearly extinct, its production was resurrected by an “Associazione del fagiolo Zolfino del Pratomagno” and the bean was boarded on Slow Food Italy’s A rk of Taste in 2000. The small, thin skinned, light yellow beans (zolfo means “sulpher” in Italian) cook up with a wonderful creamy texture and really only need a bit of sage, rosemary, salt, pepper and good olive oil. In the Pratomango there is a tradition, Fagioli al fiasco, where the beans are placed in an old fashioned Chianti-type wine flask (fiasco) and cooked overnight in a wood fired stone oven with the remaining embers and heat from the day’s bread baking. *sigh* Our culinary lives should be so romantic… 90 days. AC Packet: 1oz (85 seeds) $3.50 POLE DRY
Alaric (Tarbais) In the village of Tarbais at the foot of the Pyrenees in southwest France, a cooperative of growers produce one of the most renowned white beans of Europe. The variety is called Alaric (named for a local canal), and the purpose is singular: Cassoulet. Alaric holds the unusual distinction of being a bean used to lighten the meal up! Cassoulet is truly a rich and fatty affair for the winter months, traditionally full of pork, duck fat, and sausages, slow cooked for hours, and the beans excel in this role: some softening to thicken the stock and some retaining their shape and texture in spite of their nearly nonexistent skin. The name and production is protected by the French government with the Label Rouge (similar to other protected products like Champagne and Roquefort), meaning that any bean carrying the name “Tarbais” must come from the cooperative. We’re calling ours by the variety name, Alaric, Washington grown and slowly adapting from the original French stock to its new home at our farm. Vigorous vines grow to 7+’ and set wide, flat pods filled with the large, pure white beans. For a white bean, we found them fairly resilient to wet weather around harvest time. 100-110 days. UO Packet: 40 seeds $3.50
Alubia di Tolosa *Ark of Taste Heirloom* As the title of an article in The A tlantic about the Basque black bean proclaimed a couple of years ago, Alubia di Tolosa is indeed “The Most Famous Bean in Spain”. Complete with its own “Brotherhood of the Bean”, a harvest festival in Tolosa, a Slow Food Presidium, and denominación de origin protection it is considered a pretty big deal in it’s homeland and is quickly gaining a wider audience. A vigorous climber, Alubia pushed the limits of our farm trellis system, growing easily
15 to the tops of the 8’ poles and often continuing another 8’ horizontally along the top wire. Vines hang thick with pods of the plump, glossy black bean. Maturity is on the late side for the coolest pockets of the PNW but we had no problem in the warm years of 2015 and 2016 and know several growers who have reliable success in the Willamette Valley. The beautiful beans cook to a deep purple and the traditional preparation is one of simplicity: olive oil, bay leaf, salt, and nothing more. The publicity has been good for the growers in Spain; the beans fetch a good price and increasing demand has encouraged larger harvests each year. 110 days. UO Packet: 40 seeds $3.50
Annie Jackson This beautiful pole bean takes its name from the Canadian gardener who brought it from Russia to southern Manitoba, where it has been maintained since. Vigorous, fast-growing vines produce a prolific set of large, plump, stunning half cream/half burgundy beans. While many enjoy these in their fresh stage, we consider them primarily a dry bean. Very early and excellent as a baking bean. Similar markings to our Calypso, but burgundy instead of black. 90-100 days. UO Packet: 40 seeds $3.50, 1/2lb 10.00
Borlotto Gaston Borlotto, or cranberry beans, as they are known in the US) are a staple of northern Italian cuisine, and none is prized more than the famed Borlotto Lamon of the Veneto. For years Anthony and Carol Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm in Gaston Oregon have been selecting from the Italian stock for a Pacific Northwest adapted strain of this treasure with refined culinary qualities and a concentrated harvest period more suitable for commercial production on their farm. They renamed it to both reflect its new home and give a nod to its roots. In his book, Beautiful Corn, Anthony describes the Gaston (Lamon): "There are several reasons why this variety is not more available commercially. Pole beans cost more to grow, and the Lamon must be handpicked and has just three or four beans per pod compared to the usual five to seven. It also ripens late, splits in the rain, and is prone to viruses. Mere details, considering that it is perfect, the most glorious of the cranberry beans. We cannot imagine winter without it". If you are like me, that is a perfect invitation for the stubbornly defiant grower. 100-110 days. AC Packet: 40 seeds $3.50, 1/2lb $10.00
Papa de Rola *Heirloom* (aka “Dove’s Breast”) This Portuguese bean is one of the most beautiful in our collection: large and plump, half pure white, the other half speckled beige and burgundy. Though we list them as a pole bean, they display more of a half-running habit to about 4-5’, thus benefiting from support. They make a wonderful and hearty soup bean. 90-95 days. UO Packet: 1oz (40 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $10.00
16 Sorana *Ark of Taste Heirloom* A year or two ago, we (read “Brian”) developed an obsession for collecting the classic regional white beans of northern Italy and France. “Sorana”, a famed pole bean of Tuscany proved difficult to find and we are thankful to Josh Volk and Lane Selman for tracking some down for us on their 2014 Terra Madre trip. The small white beans, traditionally grown for centuries on just a few hectares along the Pescia River NW of Florence, are known and sought out for their very thin tender skin and excellent flavor. Slow Food Italy has designated a presidium to the bean’s preservation and promotion. In our field they are remarkable early for a pole bean (our earliest by several weeks) maturing instead with the bush beans. The vines are only moderate climbing to about 6 -7’ with much of the pod set low down on the plant. In this regard you lose some of the benefit of climbing (ie. keeping the pods off the soil in wet weather), but the early maturity tends to make it a non-issue. 85-90 days. UO Packet: 40 seeds $3.50, 1/2lb $10.00 DRY BEAN SAMPLERS
Mangiafagioli Sampler In Italy, Tuscans are sometimes referred to as mangiafagioli (the bean eaters) on account of the importance that legumes play in the day to day cuisine of the region. We’ve collected a number of the classic regional Tuscan beans over the years and this sampler represents some of our favorites. One packet each of Rosso di Lucca, Zolfino, Purgatorio, and Sorana 4 Packet sampler: $13.00 MISC. BEANS/PULSES
Cicerchia *Ark of Taste* (Lathyrus sativus) Sometimes it takes a while for things to come back into fashion. This unusual legume is said by some to be among the first cultivated food plants, predating even grain based agriculture. Once a common peasant food in Central Italy, Cicerchia had fallen off the map a bit until interest was recently revived by Slow Food Italy and a presidium dedicated to it’s revival. And, get ready for it... there’s a festival held for it each November in the commune of Serra de’ Conti in the Marche (how many different harvest festivals could you possibly squeeze into one country?) Also known as Chickling Vetch, Grass Pea, Khesari, and Almorta, among other names, the legume has played an important role in the diets of drought prone regions of the Mediterranean, East Africa, and India for centuries as an “insurance crop” on account of its extreme drought tolerance, but therein lies the rub. When eaten daily for months as a primary protein source (such as during prolonged drought periods when it was the only surviving crop), it can cause irreversible nerve damage and even paralysis due to low concentrations of a compound, diaminopropionic acid, found in the seed. The disease is even named “Lathyrism” after the Latin name of the plant. Moderate consumption is not considered dangerous however and the bottom line is: Cicerchia is
Misc Beans & Pulses delicious, sometimes described as a cross between lentils and chickpeas, hearty and earthy and with a tender skin. The “beans” are angular little, white, pebbly things and grow on 3-4 foot vines that, appreciate a little support but really need very little from you, as they are well suited to poor soil and general neglect. Sometimes grown as forage in India they are also one of the best nitrogen fixing cover crops known and can be an excellent component of a crop rotation and soil building regimen. We encourage you to try this unusual and ancient food. Enjoy occasionally with people you like, or serve it often to people you don’t! 90 days. UO Packet: 1/2oz (~60 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $10.00
Fava “Aquadulce” (Vicia faba) Another of the oldest cultivated plants, fava popularity is on the rise! Wonderfully nutritious and delicious, they can be found in everything from elegant to rustic seasonal preparations on the tables of food lovers everywhere. Fall planted, they are one of the culinary harbingers of the spring harvest season, beginning to mature in mid-May, and are excellent in dips, stews, braises, on the grill... Spring plant in April-May for July harvest. Plants grow to about 30”+ and are heavy yielding, though the beans take some time to size up even once the pods are full size. Harvest as fresh shelly until the leaves just start to yellow. For dry beans, pods or whole plants can be pulled for further drying once leaves have browned and fallen off. While a bit of a labor of love to prepare, most will agree they are certainly worth the effort. Also, fava greens! I don’t know how we have only now just discovered that they are delicious, tasting like a cross between spinach and pea shoots. Pick them young (the top 4-5”) and add to salads, scrambled eggs, soups, quiche, pesto...And please remember the captivating, thick and buttery edible flowers. On top of all this favas are of course a wonderful cover crop. There are so many reasons to love them. Aquadulce produces huge yields of uniformly long pods and large beans. 80 days. UO Packet: 20-25 seeds $3.50, 1/2lb $9.00, 1lb $15
Fava “Frog Island Nation” (Vicia faba) This beautiful purple fava variety was given to us at a seed conference several years ago and likely comes from the old Abundant Life collection. Tall 4’ vigorous plants produce somewhat irregular length pods with most commonly 3-4 beans/pod. Lighter yielding than our “Aquadulce” but with a superior rich flavor. Excellent raw, as well as sautéed with olive oil, garlic, salt, and a squeeze of lemon. Purple color develops as the bean dries. See above for all those other uses! 80 days. UO Packet: 20-25 seeds $3.50, 1/2lb $10.00
Order online at: www.uprisingorganics.com
Misc Beans & Pulses Garbanzo “Black Kabouli” (Cicer arietinum) One of our favorite discoveries of the past several years, we enjoy spending an inordinate amount of time keeping these pristine and weed free as they are such a priority for us. Everything from their desire to be Spring planted with the peas to their delicate leaf and plant structure and finely veined, bi-colored purple/pink flowers have kept us riveted, enraptured...I kid you not. Yes, we are easily delighted. More reliable though less productive then our other dry beans, they are Spring planted, harvested with the dry peas and yield usually two beans per pod. Also a rare tasty treat harvested and eaten fresh and green like English peas, steamed like Edamame or made into any number of delightful dishes and spreads. And while garbanzo beans can be traced back 7,500 years to Afghanistan, these were most recently improved by WA State University to be tolerant of cooler soils and light frosts. So go on. Certain rapture awaits. 95-115 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~75-80 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $10.00, 1lb $16.00
Lentil “Black” (Lens culinaris) We have fallen hard for growing lentils these past few years. While not as high yielding as their leguminous dry-bean cousins, if you have a bit of space to commit, we have found them very easy, reliable and rewarding in our cool maritime climate. Sometimes referred to as “the caviar of lentils”, this little black variety, likely from Syria originally, combines a wonderfully earthy rich flavor with a delicate fine texture. Retaining its black color through cooking, it makes for a dramatic presentation on the plate. “Poor mans caviar” perhaps but we prefer them to the latter. Growing lentils is fun! Spring sow. 100-120 days. UO Packet: 1/2oz (~550 seeds) $3.50, 2oz $5.00
Lentil “Le Puy” (Lens culinaris) It is indeed true that these were not grown in Le Puy en Velay, France where they have been grown for over 2,000 years. They were grown here people, which means you too can grow them! (You cannot hear this but I am shouting with excitement!) Sown a bit earlier in the Spring and harvested several weeks earlier then our earliest dry bean, these began as an experiment and ended as an incredibly beautiful seed crop. A seed crop we are having a hard time not eating because, we grew lentils!! Low growing (to perhaps 1’) slender plants with seed pods encasing 1-2 beans. Speckled blue/green little lentils (think jewels) which readily soak up all matter of deliciousness you may throw at them. Rich, nutty, and eminently satisfying. Le Puy is the best yielding and easiest threshing of several varieties we have trialed on a small farm scale. 100-130 days UO Packet: 1/2oz (~400 seeds) $3.50
Soybean/Edamame “White Lion” -Back in 2018-
17 Soybean Diversity Project Our love of legumes runs deep and while soybeans are decidedly un-fashionable these days we are on a mission to reel back their image from one of processed foods and fillers to one of traditional culinary glory. There is a huge dearth of diversity in what is available in the US for non-industrial soy cultivars, especially in comparison to common dry bean, in spite of centuries of selection throughout several continents. We started our soybean project with about 15 accessions from the national GRIN plant genetic repository with a focus primarily on early maturity. Soybean breeders have a number system to rate earliness that goes from ‘000’ (earliest), ‘00’, ‘0’, and then 1-10 (latest). All of the varieties we selected are from the extra-early ‘000’ category. We also loosely focused on Northern Japan due to our fondness for their culinary tradition with the bean, as well as the similarity of climate between places like Hokkaido and the PNW. In the field trial we narrowed to 5 cultivars of primary interest based on resistance to shattering in the field, upright bushy habit, yield, and aesthetic interest. Now, we prefer to sell seeds with stories attached to them, but we were introduced to these as little more than names and numbers in a database, largely detached from their homes and history, and with little, if any, reference online. We welcome the task to figure out who they are and write a new chapter of their story, to try to discover their best uses and help adapt them to their new home. We encourage you to experiment and do the same. We are in the process of multiplying them out but have limited amounts of the following individual varieties for sale this year. Packets: 1/2oz $3.50 per variety, or 5 pack sampler $15 ‘Gokuwase Hayabusa Edamame’ (Green) A green edamame variety collected for GRIN near Kyoto ‘Ezonishiki’ (Yellow/Purple) Beautiful Japanese bicolor bean: yellow with a brown mark around the hilum. ‘Sakamotowase’ (Green/Purple) Another beautiful bi-color green with a purple mark around the hilum. Landrace from Hokkaido, notable for its uncommon trait of photo-period insensitivity. ‘Shinsei’ (Yellow) Small, high yielding yellow bean from Hokkaido, sometimes apparently used lightly roasted and ground for flour. ‘Wase Kuro Daizu’ (Black) Kuro Daizu is what the Japanese call black soybeans. This short sturdy cultivar was collected on the islands of Okinawa and Kyushu
18 BEETS (Beta vulgaris)————————– Boston A special selection from Dutch bred cultivar “Boltardy,” which has become one of the most popular beets in England and the beet of choice for spring planting. Beets are by nature, biennials and a common problem with spring sown crops is that the cool spring weather tricks them into thinking they have gone through a winter, triggering bolting before the plants have grown a proper root. As their name suggests, Boltardy types have been selected to require a higher degree of vernalization, consequently making them much more resistant to spring bolting (so much so that it can be tricky to produce seed!) Uniform and refined, Boston produces beautiful crops of smooth skinned red globes with excellent pigmentation and flavor. Especially suited to spring sowing, but a great choice all season long. 60 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $15.00
Bulls Blood A standard in salad mixes, bulls blood is often grown for its beautiful dark burgundy greens alone. This strain was selected for leaf color and is darker red than most other bulls bloods on the market. While the leaves garner a lot of the attention, if allowed to mature they also produce sweet roots. 30 days baby greens, 55 days roots. WGS Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $6.00
Chioggia
Beets/Broccoli Lutz Green Leaf *Heirloom* Lets get this out of the way r ight from the start, Lutz is not a pretty beet. Perfectly round and “refined” it is not. However, nowhere in the world of beets is its common history with Swiss chard more apparent. Lutz is like a full sized chard plant sitting on top of each beet. It has easily twice the greens of other “tall top” beet varieties. And the root can grow enormous while maintaining excellent eating quality. Very winter hardy and excellent for storage, Lutz has a devoted following and we have received requests for it nearly every year we’ve been in business. Once popular, now becoming somewhat rare. 65-70 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $12.00, 1/4lb $30, 1lb $75.00, 5lbs $250.00
Shiraz Tall Top Uniformly smooth and shapely, delicious red roots with strong, lush green, fast growing tops, and excellent disease resistance. A top quality all-arounder and taste test winner from Dr. Navazio. We like them slathered in olive oil, lemon and sea salt with a touch of sweetener and a handful of pistachios. These are starting to garner more attention as a superior market variety for organic systems and we expect to start seeing them from some of the larger seed companies soon. Tops for taste. Perfect for market. Perfect for the roots. Perfect for the greens. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. 55-60 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $9.00 1/2lb $25.00, 1lb $80.00
*Heirloom* Beets don’t get much more beautiful than this early 19th century Italian heirloom from the Veneto. The bright red roots reveal the classic red and white bull’s-eye patterned interior when sliced crosswise. One of the most beautiful dishes we’ve ever made was a beet carpaccio, a pine nut pate sandwiched between two paper thin marinated Chioggia slices and topped with pesto oil. The flavor is milder but sweeter than traditional dark red beets. We are proud of our work with this variety. Chioggia has been well known to be variable and funky in its genetics. We find ours to be as uniform yet more vigorous than the other “improved” entrant in this class, Guardsmark. 60 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $9.00, 1/4lb $24.00
Touchstone came on the scene a several years ago and took the golden beet category by storm! Golden beet varieties had been plagued by low germination, wonky shapes, and inconsistent performance. Here's a new standard: lush and vigorous leaf growth, beautifully shaped round smooth roots, great mild, sweet flavor. Nice to see such a solid breeding effort go into an OP when so much of the beet market has gone hybrid. Golden beets are a thing of culinary beauty and make for a very classy presentation in any beet dish (and no migrating color!). Grate them, grill them, steam them, roast them… 55-60 days. WGS Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Feuer Kugel
3 Beet Mix
German for “Fire Ball”, this beet came out on top of the beet trials at Whidbey Island’s Greenbank Farm Center for two consecutive years. Vigorous plants yield refined red round roots and a healthy top of greens. Milder in flavor than “Shiraz”, the roots feature a very light zoning to the flesh when cut crosswise. Excellent as a market bunching variety. 60 days. UO, HW Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $9.00, 1/4lb $28, 1lb $80
Touchstone Gold
Sounds like a DJ demo but is our mix of Red, Gold, and Chioggia beets in equal parts. For those or you that have a hard time deciding, limited space... Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
BROCCOLI & RAPINI (RAAB) (Brassica sp.)———–——————– Solstice (Brassica oleracea) The (justifiably) much maligned public opinion of open pollinated broccoli among commercial growers is about to
Broccoli/Burdock be turned on its head by a couple of new releases in the category. “Solstice” comes out of a gene pool started at OSU and later selected on by Jonathan Spero of Lupine Knoll Farm in Southern Oregon. Big Vigorous plants hold their tight, dark green heads high above the leaves on very long stems with excellent side shoot production. Maturity is much more uniform than most OPs while still giving about a week+ harvest window, a feature we find to be positive attribute. Very early maturing! 70 days. UO *OSSI* Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00, 1oz $25.00
Umpqua (B. oleracea) Open pollinated broccoli has been long neglected in the realm of seed breeding. Several years ago, our extensive trials of all the OP varieties then available proved to be fairly discouraging, with one exception. Umpqua was simply head and shoulders above the pack in growth and flavor. We have often seen Umpqua described in catalogues with the kiss-of-death descriptor, “best suited for home gardens.” Really? We happily grew Umpqua for fresh market and CSA for years and were impressed with its color, taste, vigor, and head size. Growing quite large when given good fertility, it matures over a period of about two weeks with strong side shoots for a couple weeks more. We’ll leave the “farm suited” weirdly dense, month-long shelf life, tastes-like-cardboard, 10-acres-ready-to-cut -at-7:42AM-sharp-on-Tuesday-July-6th-just-intime-to-meet-the-truck, modern hybrids to those whose businesses require such qualities. Great for fresh market but not a shipper. 65-80 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00, 1oz $14.00
Rapini “Novantina” (B. rapa) Novantina boasts an appealingly large floret size, excellent branching, and productivity, while showcasing a first rate flavor and milder, less assertive mustard pungency then “Spring Raab”. Re-sprouts from early cuttings. Best sown in Spring and Fall. Italian cultivar. 40-45 days. UO Packet: 1g (~450 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $5.00
Rapini “Spring Raab” (B. rapa) Prized in its homeland of Italy and by chefs worldwide, this broccoli relative is a culinary treat. Rather than a large central crown ala broccoli, rapini (aka broccoli raab) sends forth more graceful, smaller and looser bud clusters. Plants branch extensively after first harvest to yield loads of secondary bud stems. In the kitchen lightly sautéed leaves, stems and flower buds are a delight with lemon, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil. They are richer, wilder, and more pungent (similar to mustard or turnip) in flavor than broccoli and much earlier from sowing to harvest. Known as “Broccoli Asparago” in Italy. 40-45 days. WG Packet: 1g (~450 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $5.00
19 **New for 2017** Spigariello “Liscia” (B. oleracea) Spigariello is a traditional southern Italian specialty sometimes referred to as a “leaf broccoli”. While often likened to rapini in that it does not make a central broccoli “head”, we find it to be much less pungent than raab and with a much bigger and more heavily branching frame. The narrow, very dark green leaves, develop a wonderful wavy, curvy, twisting form as the plant matures, making for a striking bunch at the market and a beautiful addition to braises, sautés, pizzas, and soups. The hearty flavor is something of a cross between broccoli leaves and Tuscan kale or collards and is perfect for rustic Italian cuisine. Somewhat unusual in the Brassica family, it has white flowers, suggesting that it originally came to southern Italy from Asia as from a relative of gai lan or Chinese broccoli. 60 days. MF, EB Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, Check website for bulk availability.
BURDOCK (Arctium lappa)————————— **New for 2017** Takinogawa Known as ‘gobo’ in Japan, the first year roots of this stately perennial plant are a beloved and traditional vegetable in Japanese cuisine. The taproots can grow to well over 4’ (though we are rarely able to pull more than 12-16 inches of them) and are popular pickled, sautéed, in soups, and with ramen. We often slice some of the root into a pot of cooking rice to subtly infuse it with its delicate, earthy flavor. In Chinese medicine it is know as a blood purifier and diuretic. From a perspective of purely botanical admiration, the plants are quite magnificent. Rosettes of enormous broad fuzzy leaves grow to 3’ the first year before bolting in their second year to a branching spread of up to 8’ tall and 6’ wide with deep magenta thistle-like blooms. More than once this summer we ate lunch in the shade of the burdock canopy! The easily recognizable sticky ‘burrs’ that are the seedpods also provided the original idea for the hooks and loops of Velcro. 80 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $20.00 1/4lb $50.00, 1lb $120.00
In case you thought you didn’t know what to do with Burdock, here’s two delicious recipes from our good friend Hanako Meyers of Midori Farm in Quilcene, WA.
KINPIRA GOBO The most classic Japanese gobo recipe. 1 medium Burdock root, scrubbed A few tablespoons sesame (not toasted) or other vegetable oil 2 tbsp. sake 2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari 1 tbsp. sugar Hot red pepper flakes to taste (continued)
20
Cabbage: Fall & Winter
Shave burdock lengthwise into ribbons with a vegetable peeler. Coat a cast iron or frying pan with oil and let it get hot. Add burdock and stir fry until it begins to soften. Add sake, stir in soy sauce and sugar and keep frying over medium heat until the frying liquid is almost gone. Season to taste with red pepper flakes and serve hot or at room temperature.
SESAME GOBO (GOMA-GOBO) 1 Burdock root scrubbed well. 1/2 tsp black peppercorns 4 tbsp. white sesame seeds 5 tsp soy sauce or tamari 2 tsp sake Cut burdock into two inch long sections and then cut into matchsticks. Add to boiling water, immediately lower temp to a simmer and cook until tender but still crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water. Toast sesame seeds and peppercorns in a dry pan for about two minutes over medium heat, stirring so they don’t burn. Then grind in a suribachi or mortar until it makes a flaky paste. Add this paste to the cooled burdock, along with the soy sauce and sake and toss until well coated. Add additional soy sauce and sake if needed. The flavor improves if left to marinate in the fridge overnight, with an occasional tossing to distribute the paste.
CABBAGE (Brassica sp.)———–——————–SUMMER
Columbia (B. oleracea) A market-worthy re-selection of an old cultivar from Nash Huber out in Sequim WA, Columbia is a quick to mature, split resistant, round green cabbage showing good uniformity of medium size, dense heads. Great summer cropper to get the kraut season rolling early. (We formerly called this variety “Nash’s Summer Green”). 70 days. NF Packet: 100 seeds $3.50 FALL/WINTER
**New for 2017** Filderkraut *Ark of Taste Heirloom* (Brassica oleracea) We are thrilled to finally be offering our favorite cabbage this year, having worked on producing a seed crop for several years now. We searched for seed after first seeing it at the Slow Food “Salone del Gusto” food fair held in Torino,
Italy in 2006 where its unusual conical shape and sweet flavor made a lasting impression. And I’m not talking about “egghead” conical; Filder is a cartoonish gnome hat extreme reaching sizes of a foot wide and two feet tall. Named for the region it hails from, near Stuttgart in southern Germany, it is traditionally a sauerkraut cabbage and in our opinion the very best there is. Written records of the variety date back to the 1700’s but with the mechanization of the kraut industry in the mid 20th century, it fell out of favor due to its awkward shape for mechanical processing. Having maintained a regional following, it was boarded on Germany’s Slow Food Ark of Taste, and has since then found a wider audience. A long season, fall cropper it can reach huge sizes (10+ lbs), with a single cabbage filling a 3 gallon crock for us last year. Much of the head is coreless making slicing much easier. And please, it shouldn’t just be thought of as a processing cabbage. It is hands down the best tasting, sweetest cultivar we’ve tried with none of the sulfur-y pungency that mars many of the modern varieties, and is a good medium term storage to boot. For us, one of our most exciting new vegetable introductions of the year, strongly recommended, especially for fermenting enthusiasts. 100-120 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $12.00, 1oz $36.00, 1/4lb $108.00, 1lb $324.00
January King *Heirloom* (B. oleracea) This is our second generation of selection from a genetically variable population of this classic semi-savoyed winter cabbage with a cultivation history dating back to the late 19th century in England. Planted in late summer these beautiful vigorous plants produce medium sized, slightly flattened, green-tingedpurple heads ready to harvest in Jan-Feb. There is nothing like heading out to the garden after a hard freeze in January and harvesting some fresh vegetables. Practically indestructible (our patch, fully headed and uncovered, was completely unfazed by temps down to 5F a couple years back) they have a delightfully strong cabbage flavor. We have committed ourselves to this important variety and are working to select for greater uniformity, but expect some variability. 180 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $10.00, 1oz $32.00
Marner The cabbage breeding program at Nash’s Farm in Sequim represents everything we wish to see in farm-based breeding: Market growers, heavily invested in particular market crops, working to improve the genetics of those open-pollinated varieties to better their own production. Given the unreliability of the hybrid seed supply, Marner is a great Northern European med-large green, hardy, round winter cabbage with some black spot resistance and excellent density. It was impressive to walk the fields with Nash and see how well adapted to our maritime conditions Marner is. A fantastic open pollinated variety 120 days, NF Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Cabbage: Napa/Cardoon/Carrots NAPA/CHINESE
Matsushima #2 This variety was the star of a Napa trial at our home farm a couple years back and we are happy to be able to offer the seed to you. Stocky heads can grow enormous when summer/fall sown and in our seed grow–out a few years back proved to head up reasonably well even from spring plantings. Another resilient Napa for all your Kimchi cravings! 80 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
CARDOON (Cynara cardunculus)——————— **New for 2017** Gobbo di Nizza Cardoons are a lesser known relative of artichokes that are most commonly grown for their thick fleshy leaf stems (like a giant oversized celery) rather than their flower buds. A tender perennial, they grow to about 4 feet in their vegetative state with flower stalks towering to over 8’. Native to the Mediterranean, cardoons are considered a specialty and prized in cuisines throughout the region. In Spain they are boiled and added to stews and sauces and are a staple of Christmas meals, in France they are used in gratins, in North Africa they are a common vegetable used in couscous dishes, and in Italy they are used to flavor Amari (bitter herbal liqueurs) and, eaten raw, are the traditional accompaniment to the classic north Italian garlic/anchovy sauce bagna cauda. Interestingly, the pistils of the flowers of cardoons are also widely used in Spain and Portugal as a primary source of vegetable rennet used in cheese making. Part of the attractiveness of the vegetable is its mild bitterness which must be tamed by several weeks of blanching (depriving of sunlight) in the field. While this is most commonly achieved by tying the plants with twine and wrapping the stems with plastic, cardboard, or old feed sacks, this particular cultivar is named for its old Piedmontese method of blanching under the soil. In late fall a shallow trench or fosse (grave) is dug next to each plant which is then, still attached its roots, tipped over horizontally into it and covered with soil to be left for about a month. Naturally the plant wants to grow back vertically towards the sun giving the swollen stalks a characteristic curve and their nickname gobbo or hunchback. In our area, we grow them as annuals waiting to sow until late may/early June, as earlier plantings will bolt by midsummer. A truly majestic plant and wonderful addition to any garden. 130-150 days (including a month of blanching). UO Packet: 25 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $10.00
Symbol Key: drought tolerant excellent as cut flower cold hardy selection
21 CARROT (Daucus carota)—–——————— Dragon There’s been a proliferation of new purple carrot varieties over the past few years. We’ve tried many of them but we keep coming back to Dragon. Another gem bred by John Navazio, Dragon is a showstopper. The 6-7” tapered roots have a stunning deep reddish-purple skin and orange or sometimes concentrically orange and yellow colored flesh. But how do they taste? Our customers loved them for their sweet, spicy, and full flavor for fresh noshing. These carrots respond especially well to attentive thinning to 2” to produce the most beautiful, uniform, and long roots. Somewhat brittle tops (although we are working to remedy that!) for bunching. Fun for kids! 70 days. MO Packet: 1g (~750 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $19.00, 1oz $35, 1/4lb $80
Scarlet Nantes A classic carrot. Unlike many of the modern hybrids which just come off as sweet, our open pollinated scarlet nantes has plenty of the sweetness but also a rich real carrot flavor. Widely adapted, it is very versatile for everything from fresh baby carrots to fall storage and juicing. Highly selected strain and a farm favorite of ours for years. 65 days. TR, MO. Packet: 1g (~650 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $12.00, 1oz $20.00, 1/4lb $60.00
**Back!** Tonda di Parigi This cute, round, golf ball sized carrot is great fun to grow. Popular in Parisian markets, the round types are a great choice for clay or poorly draining soils as the roots don’t grow very deep. Brilliant orange roots of this 18th century French heirloom are wonderful for fresh eating and its shape just begs for a dramatic presentation, whole or halved and roasted with an orange or maple glaze. Another fun choice for kids too! 60 -65 days. TR Packet: 1g (~650 seeds) $3.50
Yellowstone A simply beautiful carrot. In the past we had almost gotten annoyed at how wildly vigorous and robotically uniform they were in the rainbow carrot beds at the home farm. Imperator type roots are very long and straight. Not quite as sweet as an orange carrot (which they make up for in pure mass!) and yet lovely in a slightly milder but never bland way. An essential part of any rainbow carrot mix, these carrots glow yellow! 8-10” long. 70 days. TR Packet: 1g (~650 seeds) $3.50
Rainbow Carrot Mix A brilliant mix of Scarlet Nantes, Dragon, and Yellowstone. Ideal for fresh market, home gardens, and to enthrall you and the little ones into eating your veggies and the rainbow! Packet: 1g (~750 seeds) $3.50
22 CAULIFLOWER (Brassica oleracea)———————— **Back!** All The Year Round We are happy to bring back All the Year Round after a several year hiatus from our catalog, especially as open-pollinated overwinter cauliflower varieties are quickly becoming an endangered species. Overwintering types, like ATYR, are summer planted and require vernalization (going through a winter) to trigger heading the following spring. This cultivar, an old British standby producing huge heads with fine pure white curds, has been grown for commercial fresh-market production by Nash Huber out in Sequim for many years. NF Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
CHARD (Beta vulgaris)————–———— Golden Chard *Heirloom* A beautiful char d str ain fr om the old Abundant Life Seed Foundation and maintained by Frank Morton at Wild Garden Seed in Oregon. Striking yellow petioles and veining contrast against emerald green leaves. Tender baby leaves for salads or full size for braising. 30 days baby 55 days mature. WGS Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $7.00
Rainbow Chard Unquestionably the brightest burst of rainbow brilliance in the garden. Rainbow chard is actually a hybridized population of various colors allowed to freely cross and recombine in a full spectrum of hues. Expect hot pinks, yellows, reds, white, and, our favorite, varying shades of orange. We always fought over who got to harvest the rainbow chard on market day as it was such a joy. 55 days. WG Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $8.00, 1/4lb $20.00
Rhubarb Swiss Chard The classic red chard variety with striking ruby red petioles and veins contrasting against dark green savoyed leaves. As a baby leaf, it is also a vibrant red stemmed addition to salad mix. 55 days. WGS Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1oz $6.00
CHICORY/ENDIVE (Cichorium intybus)———————– **New for 2017** Arch Cape Anthony and Carol Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm are farmers we admire a whole lot. Unconcerned with fashions in the retail world, they grow what they love and inspire others, through their passion and skill, to pay attention. Fortunately for us, one of their passions is chicory. Arch Cape is a selection of the beloved Treviso tardivo type. Traditionally tardivo is grown similarly to Belgian endive: the plants are grown in the field through the summer, dug in the fall, and forced during the winter months for the
Cauliflower/Chard/Chicory & Endive second, marketable growth. They are wild, loose heads of long curling burgundy leaves with white midribs, just the personification of elegance. At Ayers Creek they have been selecting for field heading, thereby eliminating the labor intense step of lifting an forcing. Very hardy, it heads in the field in February, providing a source of farm fresh greens in what is usually a very lean time of year. A perfect combination of beauty, crunchy midrib, tender leaf, and refreshing lightly bitter flavor. We’ve been pestering them to sell us seed for a couple years now and they finally deemed it ready. 210 days. AC -Please check website for sizes and availability-
**New for 2017** Puntarelle We are crazy about the chicories in general, but puntarelle has exploded into a full blown obsession here at Uprising. Traditionally grown in the region around Rome, puntarelle is unique among the chicories in that it is the young, hollow bolting shoots that are usually eaten rather than the leaves. They grow into dense beautiful “heads” with many points that, upon harvest, are separated, julienned into thin strips which are soaked in cold water to remove some of the bitterness while at the same time developing an elegant curl. The texture is crisp and crunchy with the lovely refreshing bitterness of its radicchio siblings. In Rome Puntarelle alla Romana, thin strips of puntarelle in an anchovy, garlic, vinegar and olive oil dressing, is a quintessential winter salad. There it is mainly a winter vegetable, but because bolting is triggered by photoperiod (daylength or, more accurately, nightlength) it generally heads much earlier at our more northerly latitude, usually between mid October and mid November. It can be a somewhat fickle and variable crop, and timing of planting is very important, but to us it is entirely worth the challenge. We are committed to a long term improvement project to adapt it to life at the 49th parallel. The strain we are selling is the one we have had consistently the greatest success with. 90 days. UO Packet: .5g (~350 seeds) $3.50
Early Treviso *Heirloom* A magnificent var iety fr om the chicory treasure trove of the Veneto in Italy, and named after the town it hails from. Treviso is a tall type, the shape of a tightly wrapped mini romaine heart, and a deep wine red with contrasting white veining. A touch of refreshing bitterness rounds out the full flavor and sweetness. Lovely in a salad and unbeatable braised with garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Best results in fall. Long term (1+ mo) storage in the fridge. 65 days. WGS Packet: .5g (~350 seeds) $3.50
Variegata di Castelfranco *Heirloom* The Veneto r egion of nor theast Italy is rich with diversity in the chicory family. Despite its limited following here, this family is one of THE prized agricultural crops and identities of the region with entire festivals dedicated
Chicory/Corn: Dry & Flour to the humble greens. Many of the varieties (Variegata di Castelfranco, Radicchio di Treviso) are simply named after the towns where their production is centered. Castelfranco is sown mid summer for harvest beginning in December and lasting well into winter. Initially big, sprawly, and somewhat homely late summer heads fill in with a more tender inner growth in the late fall. The resulting partially blanched apple green flecked with wine red inner heads are among the most beautiful greens we’ve seen. Delicious, tender, and very hardy these are a must for any serious winter garden. Grow them and you’ll understand why we wax poetic over our selection of chicories. 110 days. WGS Packet: .5g (~350 seeds) $3.50, 1/8oz $10.00
Sugarloaf (Pan di Zucchero) “Borca” We often jokingly refer to sugarloaf as the “gateway drug” to the chicory family. One of the mildest in terms of bitterness, sugarloaf has some of the most widespread appeal for its sweetness of flavor and crisp texture. With an upright growth habit, somewhat like a tightly wrapped romaine head, it does well to keep its greens up out of the mud in the rainy fall months. It’s sweet, blanched interior is lovely as the base of a salad, braised in soups, or grilled. We’ve found the selection “Borca” to be the best we’ve tried in terms of size, density, and uniformity. Reasonably cold tolerant, it will go down to 20F without trouble, mid summer sown, with its peak harvest window from Oct to early Dec. My friends, if you aren't aboard the chicory train already, here’s a gentle introduction to your new favorite family of greens. 70-80 days. UO Packet: .5g (~350 seeds) $3.50, 1/8oz $10.00
CORN (Zea maise)—————–—–————DRY/FLOUR
Floriani Red Flint Known as "spinna rossa della Valsugana" in its native alpine home, the Sugana Valley in the Northern Italian province of Trentino, Floriani is an old land-race variety selected by the local farmers for many generations for one purpose: polenta. Like grits to the American south, polenta is at the center of the hearty rustic gastronomy of these southern foothills of the Alps, coarsely ground and slow cooked to creamy perfection. It's flavor is exceptional, and while polenta is its traditional preparation, it is equally at home ground for corncakes and breads. We at Uprising have a soft spot for the Italian staple though and there are few dishes we crave more than polenta ai funghi de bosco, soft polenta topped with porcini mushrooms. If you like, grate in some sharp alpine cheese like pecorino, lightly braise something from the chicory family, open a bottle of Nebbiolo and spend a couple hours with friends. 90-100 days. CV Packet: 1oz (80 seeds) $3.50, 1/4lb $10.00
Plan a “Three Sisters” garden with corn, pole beans (p. 11) and winter squash (p. 34).
23 Mandan Red Clay (Parching) aka Lavender Mandan Parching. This strikingly beautiful and delicious flour/parching corn is said to come from the Mandan Tribe of North Dakota. Short (4’), stout and bushy plants with multiple tillers (secondary stalks) provide early yields of lavender colored ears. Parching corn is a soft kernelled type that puffs slightly when heated in a dry skillet, and makes a great snack eaten out of hand. It also grinds down to a beautiful pink cornmeal, used often in our house for pancakes, muffins, and cornbread. One of the more beautiful corns we’ve come across and wonderfully adapted to PNW growing conditions. 80-90 days. DW Packet: 1oz (~80 seeds) $3.50, 1/4lb $10.00, 1/2lb $16.00, 1lb $29.00,
Painted Mountain Flour Corn The life work of Montana breeder Dave Christiansen, Painted Mountain is one of the great farm -bred successes of our time. In a time when seed companies were breeding corn for warm, humid mid-west and east coast climates, Christiansen set out to develop a more rugged, early maturing mountain corn to grow in Montana conditions. Starting from an initial cross of close to 70 native dry corns (some now extinct), the variety has been selected upon for nearly 40 years and pushed to the limit of what corn can withstand. His efforts gained the attention of North Korean agricultural ministers who brought him, along with 3 tons of seed, to Korea to work with agronomists and growers to potentially aid their country’s food crisis. It has been grown success fully from Siberia to South Africa. Plants are compact at 5’ and produce long slender ears (68”) with just an unbelievable spectrum of colors. If you can’t mature it you should rethink growing dry corn where you live. Great for cornmeal and we love it for making posole. Resilient, diverse, and adaptable, this is Mad Max corn...the one that will survive the coming climate crisis. 85 days. WG. Packet: 1oz (~100 seeds) $3.50, 1/4 lb $10.00, 1/2lb $16.00
Roy’s Calais Flint *Ark of Taste Heirloom* One of the most beautiful and best northern adapted dry corns we have (and listen, Frenchy, we pronounce it “Callous” in these parts!). A classic 8-row northern flint originating with the Abenaki tribes of northern New England and Quebec, the variety consists of 8-10” single color ears in a color mix of mostly yellow/gold & red, with some less common orange. Passed on to pioneer farmers, such as Roy and Ruth Fair of Callais, VT who put their own stamp of genetic selection on the corn, it eventually found its way to seedsman Tom Stearns who brought it to the commercial marketplace. Anthony and Carol Boutard, of Ayers Creek Farm in Gaston, OR, have been stewarding our stock as an important market crop for their farm for over a decade, selecting for long slender ears, regular 8-row kernel organization, and a higher portion of the recessive red ears, as they show superior cool soil emer-
24 gence and earlier ripening. Roy’s makes a flavorful cornmeal, and is great for hominy, or a toothsome posole. Historically famous, this variety, or a very closely related one, was the one corn that survived the 1816 “Year Without a Summer” in northern Vermont, a year that brought a foot of snow on June 7th and killing frosts every month of the year. So quit complaining about the weather eh? 90 days. AC Packet: 1oz (~100 seeds) $3.50, 1/4 lb $10.00, 1/2lb $16.00, 1lb $29.00 POPPING
Amish Butter *Heirloom* Long ago I can distinctly r emember craving Amish Butter with all the zest of the catalog description….Creamy! Buttery! Needs no salt or oil! I am happy to report that it only gets better. Amish delivers on the popcorn front with large, fluffy white popcorn and opens up a world of versatility in one variety. Ground coarsely or made into masa (hominy) and flour it can then be used for polenta, tamales, grits, breads, cookies...it is that good. Our friends at Ayers Creek Farm in Oregon have been happily sharing it with market customers and discerning restaurants for just these purposes and to great acclaim. 8’ plants selected for 6” conical heads with both rice and pearl type kernels. It’s nice when such delight can be had and shared starting from a small handful of seed. Pre–1885 white kernelled seed maintained by the PA Dutch and brought into the market in 1988 by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. 102 days. AC Packet: 1/2oz (100 seeds) $3.50, 1/4lb $12.00
Dakota Black We are not ashamed to say, in the height of the busy growing season, after a long days work, with no motivation left to cook, we have served up our fair share of popcorn family dinners. (You thought we had anything left at the end of the day to actually cook any of those veggies we so lovingly nurtured for market?). Fact is, we eat a LOT of popcorn around here, and I am so glad we have found a cultivar that we can reliably mature in NW Washington. A product of the Podoll family’s inspiring farm-based breeding program at Prairie Road Organics in Fullerton, ND, Dakota Black produces show stopping 6-7” glossy garnet-black ears on sturdy plants. Kernels pop up pure white. The Podolls have been working at Prairie Road to select for a rounder kernel shape which they consider to produce a superior popcorn, and our stock comes from their latest selections. This is one of the varieties we hold most dear for home use. And, we promise, this seed Grows and Matures in N.WA! 95-100 days. WG Packet: 1/2oz (~90 seeds) $3.50, 1/4lb $12.00, 1lb $35.00 SWEET
Tuxana I’ve always read “great old fashioned corn flavor!” in seed catalogs to mean, “not sweet, starchy, and …well…pretty bad” (kind of like “great for cooking!” in carrot descriptions). If
Corn: Popping & Sweet/Cucumber you are seeking super-sweet Se and Se2 style corn, there are lots of hybrids to chose from (and some exciting OPs in the pipeline). But this is a well bred and soulful sweet corn. I realized perhaps for the first time a couple years ago, that modern sweeties are really not very good for anything but fresh corn on the cob. For salsa, chowder, etc we look for a more complex, rounded, classic taste and texture. Tasters found Tuxana to also be wonderful fresh off the cob, to have a compelling creaminess and…well…great old fashioned corn flavor. Tall plants with large, full, white kernelled ears. Bred and being selected yearly by Jonathan Spero of Lupine Knoll Farm. 80 days. LK OSSI Packet: 1oz (100 seeds) $3.50, 1/4lb $12.00
CUCUMBER (Cucumis sativus)————————–Lemon *Heirloom* People go cr azy for these fun little cukes at market, and for good reason. They have an irresistible crunch and great cucumber flavor. Nothing “lemony” about them other than their yellow color. Actually the small round fruits are at their best eating quality before they begin to turn bright yellow, a little bigger than the size of a golf ball. Vigorous but relatively compact branching vines. Kids love these! 65-70 days. ER Packet: 1g (40-45 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $7.00
Sandita (Mexican Sour Gherkin) *Heirloom* (Melothria scabra) Most commonly known as Sandita or Sandia de Raton, (‘little watermelon” or ‘‘little mouse melon’), this unusual little fruit is native to Mexico and Central America where it has been a dietary staple since pre-Columbian times. Crunchy with a bright lemony, almost pickled cucumber taste, they grow on tall (6-8’) and visually delicate vines. Profusions of smooth skinned 1-2” little green and white speckled watermelon shaped fruit take hold quickly and are easily gathered from the ground where they fall when most ripe. They are delicious eaten raw, added to salsa’s, salads, as well as pickled or simply eaten as a juicy snack. Drought resistant and long keeping both on and off the vine. A fun way to add diversity and delicious fruit to your garden! Trellises fantastically to save space. 65-70 days. UO Packet: 35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.50 500 seeds $14.00, 1000 seeds $22.00
Silver Slicer Our dear friend and coworker, Rio takes issue with white vegetables deeming them suspicious in nature and therefore barely palatable at best. Well we changed her mind with Snow White tomatoes (magnificent!) and are keen to change it again with this creamy white cucumber. Firstly it should be noted that these are never bitter and they have a crisp texture, mild, pleasant flavor, and tender skin. They are prolific producers through late summer, resist powdery mildew and grow to 6-8” long and approximately 2” in width. Bred at Cornell University, seed for this
Cucumber/Eggplant/Fennel/Greens variety is sold under a license with a portion of the proceeds going to back support public vegetable breeding at Cornell. 55-60 days. UO Packet: 1g (40-45 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $7.00
Shintokiwa This one is our favorite tasting cucumber to date. Smooth skinned, long and slender (like an English cuke), sweet, crisp, and juicy with no bitterness. To top it all, wonderfully productive. Trellis for straight 9-12” cukes or let sprawl for mostly straight and some with personality. Harvest on the thinner side for what we consider the most delicious taste. In our experience, far superior in productivity and uniformity than the more ubiquitous Japanese type, “Suyo Long”. 75 days. UO Packet: 25 seeds $3.50
Sweet Marketmore Another selection out of the venerable Marketmore lineage, “Sweet” was recommended to us by commercial grower and seedsman Bill Reynolds of Eel River Produce in northern California. Likely just a refined strain of the classic “76”, Bill found these to be more vigorous, tolerant to adverse conditions, and productive than other strains, without compromising the straight, high quality cukes that have made “Marketmore’ a household name among gardeners. Good disease resistance. 60-65days. ER, WF Packet 1g (40-45 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $6.00, 1oz $10.00
Vorgebirgstrauben There are certain vegetables we have been wanting to offer for quite a while. We love pickles, and for years we have been searching through catalogs and trialing pickling cuke varieties only to never quite be satisfied with what we found. The wrong texture, too shy or too spread out yields, bitter ends…we are fussy, and we’re OK with that, because we are also patient. That made the discovery of this little German pickler all that much sweeter. A little different than your typical American pickler, these have a dimpled bumpy skin at pickling stage. The name is a mouthful, and the vines are heavy producers, the cukes snappy-crisp, and the flavor fresh and never bitter. The first pickler from more than a dozen trialed over the past couple years that we found worthy of production for sale. These discoveries make us happy. One of our best selling varieties. 55-60 days. UO Packet: 40-45 seeds $3.50, 1/2oz $7.00, 1oz $12.00
EGGPLANT (Solanum melongena)————–——Diamond Amazing! Did you know that eggplants WEREN’T just flowering ornamentals here in the PNW but that they might actually produce fruit too...even outside of a greenhouse?! And not just a lonely token fruit to insult all your hard
25 work. Lots of eggplant. Beautiful, slender, 4-8” long, buttery, and Not at all bitter eggplant. Some summers are cold. And wet. And then cold. Yet we are always still awash in these beauties. From our field, not our greenhouse. Even if you think you despise eggplant grow these and give them away to your friends and neighbors. They will be in awe of your mad skills. Seeds collected from the Ukraine in 1993 by Kent Whealy, co-founder of Seed Savers Exchange. The most prolific variety we’ve grown for cool climate production. Terrific for market. 70-80 days. WF Packet: 25-30 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 350 seeds $10.00
Violetta di Firenze -Back in 2018-
FENNEL (Foenicilum vulgare)—–————– Finale One of our favorite vegetables, we are sad to see much of the fennel breeding veering towards hybrids. Swiss bred “Finale” continues to impress us as a production variety with the stoutest and most uniform bulbs we’ve seen thus far in an OP. Heavy bulbs with good greens and excellent bolt resistance. 80 Days. CF Packet: .5g (~150 seeds) $3.50, 1/8oz $10.00
GREENS ——————————– ASIAN
Early Mizuna *Heirloom* (Brassica rapa) A mild ear ly-late season Japanese mustard with graceful, deeply cut, fernlike leaves on vigorous upright plants. Very prolific and visually beautiful mounding plants. An essential part of any baby salad mix and a stand alone vegetable for braising and stir fries. All sweet with none of the mustard spiciness. Very productive. 21 days baby, 40 days full size. CV Packet: 1g (~450 seeds) $3.50, 1oz 7.00
Mustard “Green Wave” (Brassica juncea) An excellent producer of succulent, frilled, spicy/sweet leaves on very slow to bolt and large upright plants. Green Wave is perfect for market bunches or braising mixes when mature and salad mixes at baby leaf stage. The flavor is on the spicy side when eaten fresh but will mellow when cooked. 21 days baby, 40 days bunching/braising. UO Packet: 1g (~500 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00, 1oz $12.00
Prize Choi Bok Choi (Brassica rapa) I can’t think of a more vigorous vegetable in our garden than Prize Choi. From a tiny mustard seed to 1.5lbs of food in a month and a half? Come on. Prize Choi delivers mild and succulent snow white stems contrasted against deep green leaves. Delicious lightly
26 sautéed in stir frys. Our strain has been selected on for several generations for upright habit, thick stems, and uniformity. Classy. 45-50 days. UO. Packet: .5g (~240 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $5.00, 1oz $13.00, 1/4lb $29.00
Ruby Streaks (Brassica juncea) This spicy little number found its way into our salad mix several years back. Delicate deeply lobed leaves and rich purple color (a la “Osaka Purple” but more uniformly colored) add a unique color/texture combo for baby greens. The flavor is fairly fiery in the mustard sense and would be perfect in a spicy mesclun, but we even added it judiciously to our regular mix with nary a complaint. Mature leaves are beautiful bunched. 21 days baby, 35 days bunching/braising. UO Packet: 1g (~500 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00, 1oz $14.00, 1/4lb $30.00, 1lb $65.00
Tatsoi (Brassica rapa) Tatsoi deserves a place in everyone’s garden. A very mild mustard, it is one of our go-to salad mix ingredients and an excellent braising/sauté green. Low growing and beautiful 10” rosettes of dark green, spoon-shaped leaves grow vigorously anytime throughout the season and get very sweet after frost. Early for cutting and quite hardy. Its surprising how long it took us to offer tatsoi as we’ve grown and enjoyed it for over 15 years! 21 days baby, 40 days full rosette. UO Packet: 1g (~500 seeds) $3.50, 1oz $7.00, 1/4lb $16.00 EUROPEAN
Arugula “Astro” (Eruca sativa) Astro is an arugula selected for less deeply lobed (strapleaf) leaf shape and mild flavor. This variety is exceptionally vigorous, quick to germinate and ready to cut as baby leaf in just 3 weeks! We grow a lot of arugula at our farm and love astro for its lush green color, tender texture, and nice mild (for arugula) flavor. We feel that this is the best and most vigorous strain available for baby leaf production. Our strain comes from some of the original breeding stock, before it declined in quality from years of commercial production. 21 days baby, 35 days mature. UO Packet: 1g (~500 seeds) $3.50, 1oz $6.00, 1/4lb $12.00, 1lb $25.00, 5lb $100.00
Arugula “Rucola” (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) Also known as “Sylvetta” or “Selvatica”, Rucola is a slower growing, spicier relative of the more common cultivated arugula. Deeply lobed leaves grow in tight rosettes to about 6” in height and are well suited to cut-and-come-again cultivation. The flavor is deep and makes for lovely autumnal salads. Cold hardy, it’s an excellent choice for fall/ winter gardens. 50 days. UO Packet: .3g (800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00, 1oz $20.00, 1/4lb $60.00
Greens: European, Cress, &Sorrell Magentaspreen (Chenopodium giganteum) We fell in love with this plant years ago and it has become a staple in our salad mix ever since. Very closely related to the common lambsquarters, it has a blush of shockingly iridescent magenta coloring around the growing tip and undersides of its leaves. The flavor is very rich and wild (somewhat like a mix of spinach and collards) and the plant contains three times the calcium of broccoli by weight (of course this would be a lot of leaves but still!). It thrives in summer heat and is indifferent to neglect. Though not nearly as invasive as its weedy (and edible) relative, it will self sow if not removed before seed set. Pick leaves and growing tips all season as a salad highlight. A staple food in the Americas 4000 years ago before corn dominated the diet. 40 days. WGS Packet: .25g $3.50
Erba Stella (Plantago coronopus) The name translates from Italian to “star grass”, an apt description of this lovely plant. Native to Europe’s rocky coastline, it is a seaside plant that thrives in cool wet weather (sound familiar?) and even saline soils. It is a survivor to the extreme and really, no offense to your gardening enthusiasm, it needs nothing from you. It’s a delightful little green with long, slender, antler like leaves, a succulent quality and a satisfying crunch. The flavor is mild, tending towards nutty which, along with its unique appearance, makes it an unusual and distinctive addition to salads. We are salad green enthusiasts here at Uprising and this was another exciting success in our quest for winter/spring hardy greens for the PNW garden. Best quality before flowering. AKA “Minutina” and “Buckshorn Plantain”. 50 days. UO Packet: ~500 seeds $3.50
CRESS
Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled (Lepidium sativum) One of Frank Morton’s most successful original varieties ever. A cross between ‘Persian’ and ‘curly’ cress, the result is a blistered wrinkled lobed leaf that is held up high for easy cutting on a relatively long stem. Its one of the spicier greens in our salad mixes with a distinctive peppery pungency (very similar to nasturtium leaves and flowers). A modern classic amongst salad-heads. 21 days. UO *OSSI* Packet: 1g $3.50, 1/2oz $6.00, 1oz $10.00, 1/4lb $25.00, 1lb $65.00 SORREL
**New for 2017** Blood Sorrel (Rumex sanguineus) Blood sorrel, also known as bloody dock or red veined dock is a striking bright green, red veined herbaceous perennial, culinary green, and aromatic herb (12-18” tall/ around) hardy all the way down to zone 4. One of the first greens to emerge in the spring and last to go come fall and ever ready to put out tender new upright growth provided you supply encouragement by cutting it back. The taste is similar to other sorrels due to its oxalic acid content, tangy
Kale/Collards with a slightly acidic/lemony bite, and is lovely added to salads and sandwiches when young and tender or into soups, gratins, and sauces when more mature. Among the most ornamental of sorrels, you will find it to be just as happy in your flower garden. And if you ever find yourself on the verge of scurvy, this one here will supply the vit C you need! Appreciates consistent watering but is forgiving if you or the heavens forget. Though perennial in our area it is usually cultivated commercially as an annual for a continuous supply of tender baby leaves. 40-55 days (baby leaf). UO Packet: 250 seeds $3.50
KALE / COLLARDS (Brassica sp.)—————————— **Back!!** Collards “Cascade Glaze” (Brassica oleracea) A Pacific Northwest resurrection of the nearly 200 year old southern, wavy leafed classic “Green Glaze”, brought back to life by the collaborative breeding efforts of Alan Kapular, Carol Deppe, and Jeff McCormac. It expresses an uncommon recessive gene for a waxy, glossy leaf texture (think chard) which is said to deter cabbage worms. Top notch flavor and very sweet leaf stems with much improved cold tolerance over its southern original. The reselection still contains slight variability in expressing the “glossy” trait with a very small percentage of regular leaf plants. A staple of our fall/winter garden. Rare. 60 days. UO Packet: 1g (~240 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $12.00, 1oz $18.00, 1/4lb $50.00
Collards “Champion” (B. oleracea) Champion comes out of the old Vates genetic pool and excels as a hardy, longstanding Collard cultivar. We’ve grown this side by side with modern hybrid varieties and really saw no improvement from modern hybrid breeding on this classic. Large wavy dark green leaves to scratch that southern home cookin’ itch. 55 days. WGS Packet: 1g (~240 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $10.00
Kale “Black Tuscan” (AKA Lacinato, Dinosaur) (B. oleracea) Our best selling seed virtually every year we’ve been in business. Thought by many to be the tastiest of the true kales, and due to its dark green color, likely the most nutritious. This variety comes from the Tuscan hills of Italy, where it can be found in nearly every garden. The plants, with their long blistered dark green leaves are beautiful enough to be found in formal flower gardens here in the states. This is a very hardy excellent strain. Like all kales becomes sweeter after frosts. 55 days. WGS/WG Packet: 1g (~240 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $7.00
Kale “Dwarf Blue Scotch” (B. oleracea) Classic green curly kale. Sturdy compact plants stand about 18” tall with a full spread of dark blue-green leaves. Very cold
27 hardy, the plants sweeten after the first fall frosts. Our stand over-wintered down to 0°F with no snow cover in the winters of ‘08-’09. Make kale chips! 55 days. UO Packet: 1g (~240 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $7.00, 1oz $12.00
Kale “Red Russian” *Heirloom* (B. napus) Not often found in supermarkets due to their short shelf life, the oak leaved kales are the most tender of all kales. Hailing from Siberia, Red Russian is extremely hardy, surviving temperatures to -10 F. A nice addition to salads as a baby leaf and a very productive adult plant for braising. Purple tinged leaves become darker and sweeter after frosts. Dates back to 1885. 55 days. UO Packet: 1g (~240 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $6.00, 1oz $10.00, 1/4lb $22.00
Kale “Russian Frills” (B. napus) Enjoy a lovely reintroduction, originally bred in Oregon and then rediscovered on a farm in Belgium by our good friends at Adaptive Seeds who brought it back to the marketplace. Purple veined mature leaves develop secondary and tertiary degrees of frilling giving the plants an amazingly voluminous and starry appearance when fully mature. Like other Siberian types, extremely winter-hardy while retaining a tender eating quality that is unsurpassed. Baby leaves are virtually identical to regular Red Russian and an excellent addition to salad/braising mixes. 55 days. UO Packet: 1g (~240 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $6.00, 1oz $10.00, 1/4lb $22.00
**New for 2017** Spigariello “Liscia” (B. oleracea) Spigariello is a traditional southern Italian specialty sometimes referred to as a “leaf broccoli”. While often likened to rapini in that it does not make a central broccoli “head”, we find it to be much less pungent than raab and with a much bigger and more heavily branching frame. The narrow, very dark green leaves, develop a wonderful wavy, curvy, twisting form as the plant matures, making for a striking bunch at the market and a beautiful addition to braises, sautés, pizzas, and soups. The hearty flavor is something of a cross between broccoli leaves and Tuscan kale or collards and is perfect for rustic Italian cuisine. Somewhat unusual in the Brassica family, it has white flowers, suggesting that it originally came to southern Italy from Asia as from a relative of gai lan or Chinese broccoli. 60 days. MF, EB Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, Check website for bulk availability.
A Tale of 3 Kales (Brassica sp.) Don’t feel bad. Its ok to be indecisive. We’ve got you covered this time. An international soiree of Scotch, Tuscan, and Russian. Packet: 1g (~240 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $7.00, 1oz 12.00
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Leek/Lettuce: Crisphead & Butterhead
LEEK (Allium ampeloprasum)——————
LETTUCE (Lactuca sativa)———–—————–
Blaugruner Winter “Avano”
CRISPHEAD / ICEBERG
10 years into this, and until last year, we had yet to have a leek grace our catalog’s pages! This winter-hardy variety is a great beginning. A workhorse selection from German biodynamic stalwarts, Bingenheimer Saatgut, Avano features blue-green, upright leaves and nice long shanks to harvest through the winter. 110 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Neptune As growers in the maritime northwest, we have seen an explosion of allium rust in the fields over the last several years, most notably in our garlic and leeks. What used to be a once-in-awhile problem has become an annual affair, and, as the problem seems to be here to stay we have started to seriously seek out rust resistant cultivars. Bred in England for just that purpose, Neptune is an excellent multipurpose fall leek with strong straight shanks and attractive bluegreen leaves. Resistance appears to be horizontal (broad) rather than vertical (absolute) so it is not immune to the rust, but it is a good start in addressing this new problem in allium production in our area. Its flavor and appearance are excellent, and in our experience, it overwinters well in our maritime climate. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/8oz $7.50
SWEET & SOUR BRAISED LEEKS Cut 8-10 young leeks (about 1” diameter, white shanks only) crosswise into about 4” sections. Lay them in a single layer in a 10” cast iron skillet or similar. Add two bay leaves, 3 cloves thinly sliced garlic, 3tbsp olive oil, and 1 cup dry white wine, 3/4 tsp salt, and a couple twists of black pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium heat, turning occasionally, until softened (about 30 minutes). Using tongs, remove leeks, and reduce the remaining liquid to about 3 tbsp. Remove from heat and toss with 1 small red oinion finely diced, 3 tbsp. dried currents, 1tbsp. cider vinegar, 2 tsp sugar, and a pinch of salt and set aside in a bowl to marinate. In the large skillet heat 2 tbsp. cooking oil over med-high heat. Add leeks and sauté, turning once after a couple minutes, until browned on both sides. Remove, top with marinating mixture and serve warm. Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty More
Symbol Key:
drought tolerant excellent as cut flower cold hardy selection
Reigne du Glace Q: How do you get a foodie to eat iceberg lettuce? A: Give it a fancy French name! Seriously though, this… ahem… “crisphead” is a real stunner with deeply serrated edges to the wrapper leaves giving the heads a regally ornate and frilled crown: truly the “Queen of Ice”. Compact plants show outstanding disease resistance in the field. Their texture is wonderfully crunchy, the color glowing green, and the flavor refreshing. 50-55 days. WGS Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50
Summertime …and the livin’ is easy. We might lose some people here, but we are waving the flag for an iceberg lettuce comeback. Hating on iceberg has become totally cliché. Vegetable styrofoam, textured water…we’ve heard them all. Get over it, cool club! Seriously, I’m not talking about weeks -old cello wrapped heads from the supermarket… have you ever even eaten it fresh out of the garden? A couple years ago we grew summertime sort of as a joke. We were eating it over a farm lunch in the fields, dipping wedges in salad dressing, and eventually we all broke down into laughter as making conversation over the noise of the crunching was impossible. Look, crunchy lettuce is fun, and any vegetable that can make me laugh out loud has earned a welcome home in my garden. Crisp tight heads, very slow to bolt (so much so that it’s actually really hard to produce seed for), and a party in your mouth. Wedge salad is back! Oregon State Univ. bred. 60-65 days. UO Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $9.00 BUTTERHEAD
Divina This French beauty is the one of the best green butterheads on the market. Its velvety apple green leaves and large sturdy heads are a thing of beauty. Wonderful buttery texture keeps the superlatives rolling on this variety! 50 days. WGS Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00, 1oz $22.00
**New for 2017** Merveille des Quatre Saisons *Heirloom* We originally never gave the French classic ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ much of a second thought. We have a tendency to focus our attention on the rare or the outliers, and Marvel felt boring in its “commonness”: found in practically every catalog, not extraordinary in color or size or shape. On a whim, after hearing from a commercial grower whom we admire that it was their favorite lettuce, we grew a large plot of it this year and are thankful we did. It now ranks among the very favorites of our good sized collection of lettuce varieties. A savoyed French butterhead with bright red contrasted against dark
Lettuce: Butterhead & Cos green leaves, it wowed us with its picture perfect uniformity and beautifully proportioned heads all the way down the bed. Delightfully substantial and crisp in a salad from its colorful outer leaves to is blanched and tightly wrapped core and with the added benefit of harvest over an extended season and into the winter in more mild areas. I suppose some varieties become popular for a reason… Highly recommended. 50 -60 days. UO Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $7.00
**New for 2017** Scarlet Butter Found as a sport in a large field of “Prizehead” in California in the 1980s, this excellent lettuce has dark red tips on a largely green butter head, with a blanched yellow heart. The parent it descends from, Prizehead, is a loose leaf that dates back to 1873, and was one of the most important American commercial lettuce cultivars of the early 1900s. Scarlett makes a moderately dense head with classic, butter texture. 60 days. UO Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50
Speckled Butterhead *Ark of Taste Heirloom* A classic old Amish heirloom dating back to 1799. Medium sized butterheads are flecked with burgundy speckles. Always a joy to eat for their tender blanched hearts and striking appearance in the salad bowl. 50 days. GT Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00, 1oz $17.00
Tennis Ball *Ark of Taste Heirloom* The “Little Gem” of the butterheads, these compact 7” plants produce a miniature head about 4” across. Though this particular variety only dates back to the 1850’s, during the 17th and 18th centuries these types of lettuces were sometimes pickled in salt brines for storage. Simply cut in half and drizzled with salad dressing they make a unique and beautiful side salad. 50 days. UO Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00, 1oz $20.00 ROMAINE (COS)
**New for 2017** Barnwood Gem Another selection from the USDA, donated to their collection in 1979 by the Agricultural Experiment Station in Davis, California. Miniature, dark green, upright plants enveloping a blanched yellow core. Thick, crunchy, and sweet leaves form palm-sized heads which are perfect quartered and served as a wedge salad for one or two. 50 days. UO Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50
Cimarron *Heirloom* This lettuce is Outstanding. Everything you want in a Romaine and so much more. Beautiful deep bronze-burgundy heads are large at 10-12”, crispy but more tender then
29 most Romaine and very slow to bolt. Grown since the 18th century and going strong in the 21st. 65 days. UO Packet: 1g (~600 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $7.00, 1oz $22
Flashy Trout’s Back *Heirloom* A selection fr om the vener able Austrian heirloom variety “Forellenschluss” for more uniform speckling. Flashy Trout is a beautiful green romaine with stunning splashes of wine red speckles. As tender as romaines get, the apple green speckled hearts rival the butterheads for summer salad sumptuousness (say that five times fast). The variety has been traced back as far as 1793 and has come into current favor thanks to the efforts of Arche Noah, the Austrian heirloom genetic preservation project. A truly beautiful, deliciously sweet and buttery lettuce. 28 days baby, 55 days head. WGS Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00, 1oz $18.00
Jericho A great arrow in our romaine quiver, Jericho was bred to excel in the heat of summer with excellent resistance to tip burn. While heat tolerance hasn’t been historically important in our region, years like 2009 and 2015 possibly becoming a new norm suggest it might be a trait worth paying attention to. Hot season or cool, it’s one heck of a romaine at any time of the growing season. A beautiful and unusual luminescent chartreuse green color makes this savoy leafed, very large framed romaine a standout. Consistently drew compliments from our accounts when we grew romaine for wholesale markets and gaining traction among commercial growers. 60 days. TR Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00
Little Gem Alright. This is so cute its ridiculous. Like kittens and puppies play-wrestling together… on the beach… with baby seals rubbing noses in the background. One of the few lettuces that seems to have become “branded” and is referenced by name on menus at fancy restaurants. A mini, single serve romaine, it stands about 6-8” inches tall with a tight structure, dense heart, and great crunch. Often uniquely presented cut in half and dressed as a side salad. Plant denser than full sized lettuces, it doesn’t need much space. 45-50 days. TR Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $9.00, 1oz $24.00
Parris Island Cos That’s Parris Island, South Carolina not Paris, France. Bred by the USDA and Clemson Ag Extension in 1952, Parris has stood the test of time as classic, big, market-quality romaine. We’ve sold this to restaurants for Caesar salads, and to supermarkets by the case. Excellent texture, crunch and vigorous upright habit. Dark green, uniform, productive work horse romaine. Some resistance to tip burn. 65 days. WF Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00, 1oz $17.00
30 OAKLEAF
Bijella Here’s a newer-to-us compact red oakleaf from Europe, similar in growth to the much-loved “Oscarde” (dense wavy oakleaf heads) but even smaller and slower to bolt. Lovely burgundy leaves with emerald green hearts and oakleafmeets-butterhead tenderness. 50 days. UO, Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $7.00 1oz $22.00, 1/4lb $65
Flashy Butter Oak Our most exciting new lettuce variety in several years, Flashy Butter Oak is the first we’ve seen to combine striking red speckling on an applegreen oakleaf frame. Beautiful dense large heads and excellent texture and taste. Another great lettuce from the breeding efforts at Wild Garden Seed.. 55 days. UO, WGS Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00, 1oz $17.00
Galisse This very pretty green-leaf caught our eye at a neighbor’s farm years ago and we are happy to share it with you. Somewhere between an oakleaf and a butterhead, it reminds us of a vibrant emerald green version of Oscarde. The compact but dense oakleaf heads are real head turners. 50 days. WG Packet: 1g (800 seeds) $3.50
Goldrush We are always on the lookout for distinctive new additions to our salad mix. Goldrush has a super frilly and branched leaf structure resembling frisee almost more than a lettuce but without the bitterness. Chartreuse in color, it is great as a cutting lettuce and matures into a stunning if not compact head. Somewhat similar to salad standard “Tango” but lighter in color and more wavy than serrated appearance. 50 days. TR Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00 1oz $20.00
Italienischer *Heirloom* Now that’s a lot of salad in one head of lettuce! This classy green oakleaf gets HUGE! Extremely uniform, great eating quality, and slow to bolt, this variety has won a spot in our garden for years to come. Be sure to give it plenty of space. 55 days. UO Packet: 1g (~600 seeds) $3.50
Mascara *Heirloom* Beautiful r ed oakleaf lettuce. Reliably uniform and huge heads that resist bolting, have a pleasant mild flavor and fancy frilled oakleaf shape. One of our most impressive and dependable lettuces, it holds its color even in the heat of summer. 28 days baby, 65 days head. CF Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50
Oscarde One of our favorite red leaf’s for several years now. Oscarde is a beautiful red densely packed
Lettuce: Oakleaf & Looseleaf oakleaf. Reminded us of brain coral for it’s round, wavy, tight head. Somewhere in the middle of loose oakleaf and dense butterhead in texture and appearance. Lovely. 50 days. CF Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $9.00, 1oz $25.00 LOOSELEAF
Australian Yellowleaf *Heirloom* For a long time we wer e singlemindedly obsessed with finding redder and redder lettuces for our salads. Now we place just as high (if not higher) a value on a really striking green like Aussie Yellow. This beautiful chartreuse colored lettuce grows enormous loose heads with crinkled leaves. An Australian heirloom. 50 days. UO, WGS Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00 1oz $18.00, 1/4lb $55.00
**New for 2017** La Brilliante Eric, having joined us fairly recently from the Willy Wonka factory of lettuce breeding that is Wild Garden Seed, has upped our lettuce game here at Uprising with his enthusiasm for the crop. Digging through the listings of the national GRIN germplasm database, he found several commercially bred castoffs, that never saw the light of day or were inexplicably dropped from the seed trade. Brillliante is one such variety, somewhat famous for being the source of the gene that confers resistance to verticilium wilt, now widely found in all modern lettuces which display that trait. While we love deep reds in lettuce, we appreciate a good green these days just as much if not more so. Bright chartreuse green heads grow quite large and remind us quite a bit of an all green version of one of our very favorite lettuces, Grandpa Admires. If left in the field long enough the hearts form a loose head of deliciously folded and crunchy leaves. Why it never made the big time, we’ll never know, but it’s become a keeper in our collection. Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00
Cracoviensis *Heirloom* Goodness this lettuce is a dazzling beauty. It comes on fast and full with an open growth habit and slightly elongated savoyed leaves that are a soft green blushed with red darkening to purple near the tips. Lovely and quick for salad mix but also incredible as a large (1216”) loose head. Later, the bolting stems, referred to as both “celtuce” and “asparagus lettuce” in China can also be peeled and eaten fresh or lightly sautéed. Described in Vilmorin’s, “The Vegetable Garden” in 1885, it is a French heirloom that is as beautiful as it is versatile. 65 days. TR Packet: 1g(~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $7.00, 1oz $22.00
Emerald Fan We love this variety as a baby cutting lettuce. Unusually long and slender baby leaves bring a good mustard or chicory (Italian dandelion?) look to salad mixes without the more adventurous
Lettuce: Looseleaf/Lettuce, Salad, & Braising Mix flavors. As a full sized head, we found it somewhere between a deer tongue and a romaine with clean, upright habit and satisfying crunch. A lovely variety bred by Jonathan Spero of Lupine Knoll Farm. 50 days. LK OSSI Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00, 1oz $24.00
**New for 2017** Eruption A true mini volcano of a lettuce, Eruption displays Dark red tips over light green butterycrunchy-romaine leaves, all wrapped around a pink magma core. Small “Latin” style heads, slightly larger than Little Gems, with an upright stature. This lettuce has been found to be resistant to multiple strains of Sclerotinia (Lettuce Drop), and Verticillium Wilt, in experiments by the USDA in California, and has been used to breed that resistance into Latin and Romaine lettuces. The pink core makes a stunning cross section, perfect for a gem-type salad, and the flavor is that of a crunchy, sweet Romaine. A relatively recent Enza Zaden variety, dropped into the USDA Germplasm Repository, and plucked out by Eric in a scan of interesting sounding lettuces. Slow to bolt. 28 (baby leaf) 50 days. UO Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50
Grandpa Admire’s *Ark of Taste Heirloom* This might be our favorite lettuce we grow here at Uprising and one that deserves a better look from market growers. Admires’ produces VERY large blocky dense green heads blushed with just the right amount of red to the tips of the leaves. Extremely uniform it holds up well to packing. Some classify it as a butterhead which I don’t think is entirely right (probably more akin to Batavian/ summercrisp types), it will form a loose head if left to full maturity. Firm texture similar to a tender romaine. Presented to the Seed Saver Exchange in 1977 by 90 year old Cloe Lowrey, granddaughter to civil war veteran George Admire (b. 1822). 55 days. WG Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00
Hyper Red Rumpled Waved With a name like that you know it’s got to be a Morton Lettuce! In this case, the name says it all. Rich dark burgundy red plants with very deeply textured leaves, just the type of folds and ridges that hold onto dressings in a salad. 55 days. UO OSSI Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $7.00, 1oz $22.00, 1/4lb $65
Les Oreilles du Diable (Devil’s Ears) *Heirloom* Along with its catchy name, this lettuce caught the attention of our market customers who loved it for its unique rosette shape, long and pointy “deer tongue” type leaves and nutty flavor. Glossy deep green leaves with burgundy hues, it is a pleasure to see and eat. Big heavy heads. 50 days. WF Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $6.00, 1oz $18.00
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Merlot Every year this lettuce attracts more attention and comments than just about anything else we grow on the farm, and we grow a lot of unusual varieties. Hands down the reddest of red lettuces on the market, a deep burgundy from the tip of the leaf to the base of the stem. Destined to become a modern classic, this variety was developed from a breeding population brought over from Holland in the 80’s. Medium sized heads are very slow to bolt. Stunning in salad mix and as full sized heads, Merlot will make you chuckle at what they call “redleaf” at the supermarket! 30 days baby, 60 days head. WGS Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $7.00 1oz $22.00, 1/4lb $65.00
Revolution Well, we can’t go around calling ourselves Uprising Seeds and not sell a lettuce called “Revolution” now can we? Revolution is a seriously flashy, darker red version of the classic Lollo Rosa type. Super frilly and compact, it is most often cut as baby leaf in salad mixes, though it grows to a surprisingly dense (if not smallish) head. Compare to the more ubiquitous “Dark Red Lollo Rosa”, but with a darker richer wine red color. Essential baby lettuce to add loft to the mix. 55 days. WG, UO Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $9.00, 1oz $25.00
**New for 2017** Royal Red Vibrant red tips on green leaves, this looseleaf adds a wonderful shade of red to a salad. Another individual plant discovered in a field of “Prizehead” in the 1980s, Royal Red is a former intellectual property protected lettuce that now resides publicly in the USDA collection. Wavy, crumpled, thick leaves that pack a lot of texture into a bite, with a pleasing crunch. Young lettuces do not show much red in the flats, but develop bright painted tips in the field. 56 days. UO. Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50
LETTUCE, SALAD, AND BRAISING MIXES——————-Uprising Braising Mix The perfect ingredients for stir fries, pizza toppings, quiches, hearty raw salads, and tossed into your mesclun or lettuce mixes. A colorful mix of Red Russian kale, Blue Scotch kale, Bok Choi, Tatsoi, Ruby Streaks, Rainbow Chard and Mizuna. Can be cut as baby leaf for a tender addition, let to grow to mid-life for more substance and crunch and to full grown for mature leaves. Cut and come again. 30-60 days. UO Packet: 2g $3.50, 1/4oz $7.00, 1oz $18.00
**New for 2017** Mini-Mix Lettuces Its not hard to understand why people have really fallen for the class of lettuces that are miniature in size even when fully grown. While I adore the tenderness of a good baby leaf mix,
32
Lettuce, Salad, & Braising Mixes/Melon/Onions: Scallion & Sweet
often I prefer the substantial texture and crunch of a mature leaf and midrib. What we love about the mini heads is while small in stature they tend to be dense with a high percentage of the small but texturally substantial, fully blanched heart leaves. They also make for a beautiful wedgetype salad. Mini-Mix is a equal parts mix of Barnwood Gem, Tennisball, Eruption, and Little Gem. Small size makes for denser plantings. 50 days. UO Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50
Uprising Lettuce Mix A colorful mix of all our lettuce varieties plus some not yet released gene pools to add some diversity to your lettuce patch and as an addition to your mesclun. UO Packet: 1g (~800 seeds) $3.50
Uprising Mild Mesclun Mix Similar to the salad mix our customers loved at the farmers market. Contains a diverse mix of red, green, and speckled lettuces, mild Asian mustards, arugula, red spinach, amaranth, and other specialty greens intended for cut-and-come -again baby leaf salad. For a festive flair try an addition of edible flowers we offer such as calendula, nasturtiums, bachelor's buttons, and marigolds. 30 days baby. UO Packet: 2g $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00, 1oz $20.00
Uprising Spicy Mesclun Mix This mix packs a little bit of heat, with some of our spicier greens added to the classic mix. Mixed red, green, and speckled lettuces, arugula, Wrinkled Crinkled Cress, Ruby Streaks, and Green Wave amongst others. Not overwhelming by any means but certainly friskier than the mild in its “cool” mustard heat. Like the above mix, intended for cut and come again baby leaf salad. 30 days baby. UO Packet: 2g $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00, 1oz $20.00
MELON (Cucumis melo)————–————— Eel River This variety was brought to our attention by Tom and Maud Powell of Wolf Gulch Farm as their favorite melon. Eel River originally dates back to the mid 1900’s in Northern CA, and has a rather muddled history. Very similar to another melon, Crane, it is said to have been the product of a cross between Japanese and European melons, reselected for years by Bill Reynolds of Eel River Produce. Similar to Crenshaw type melons, they are 3-5 lbs, slightly teardrop shaped, and yellow/buff colored with green speckles. Incredibly aromatic orange flesh is very creamy and deliciously sweet. Best suited to warmer microclimates of the PNW. Judge ripeness by color and scent, does not slip. 80-90 days. WG. Packet: 25 seeds $3.50, 1/2oz $11.00
Prescott Fond Blanc *Heirloom* Despite the Amer ican tendency to use the terms “muskmelon” and “cantaloupe” interchangeably, this is a true cantaloupe, some-
thing actually quite uncommon in this country. Native to France where it is prized, this melon was grown in the US as early as 1850. We find most people mistake it for a winter squash at market for its unusual lumpy skin and squat shape. The drought tolerant plants prefer a dry season to reach their best quality. True cantaloupes do not slip when ripe. We pick ours when the skin starts to turn from slate grey to blush tan and becomes fragrant. Food historian William Woys Weaver recommends picking them slightly earlier and ripening them on a window sill for the sweetest fruit. Ethereal, intoxicating fragrance and very thick flesh. 85 days. CV Packet: 25 seeds $3.50, 1/2oz $11.00, 1oz $16.00
Sakata Sweet Crystine’s favorite little melon, she has been plotting to get this in our catalog ever since we grew it over 10 years ago. Sakata’s are about the size of a large grapefruit, with delicious almost honeydew-esque light green flesh and a very thin pale rind. Like many Asian melons they are often picked while there is still a light crispness to the flesh and the skin has just begun to turn a light yellowish green. Vines are compact to medium spreading, productive and very well suited to cooler northern growing. They store well in the fridge and are a rare sweet treat from our northern gardens. 85-90 days. CV Packet: 25 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $10.00
ONIONS & SHALLOTS (Allium cepa)————————–—— SCALLION
**New for 2017** ‘Ishikura Long Winter’ (Allium fistulosum) Ishikura Winter is a classic Japanese winter hardy bunching onion, with long white stalks and sturdy upright dark green leaves. Of a handful of winter varieties we trialed recently, this was our favorite. Lovely diced as a garnish or left whole and roasted, a useful allium for the kitchen garden. We direct sow them with a seeder and have harvested them in every month of the year. 50 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00, SWEET
Ailsa Craig Sweet Spanish type, long day, voluptuously round, yellow globe onion known to perform well in shorter, cooler seasons. Named after an island of solid rock off the coast of England and originally introduced in 1887 by David Murray, gardener for the Marquis of Ailsa. Averages 12# (we have pulled 3 pounders!), it is wonderfully sweet, and while not for extended storage, keeps astonishingly well for a sweet onion…at least 2-3 months in proper storage, long after your Walla Wallas have turned to mush. 100110 days. CV Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Onions: Sweet, Storage, & Shallots/Parsnips Red Long of Tropea *Heirloom* Also known as “torpedo” on account of their elongated shape, Red Long is a great old variety from Calabria in Mediterranean Southern Italy, a region famous for its sweet onions. We’ve been growing these for years and bunched fresh at market, they earned a loyal following amongst our customers. Very unique and beautiful, they are a deep wine red color and very sweet. Perfect for panzanella, our favorite summer salad. Not keepers but last longer than most sweets. Dramatic specialty for markets. 90 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/8oz $6.00, 1/2oz $10.00
**Back!!** *Heirloom* Siskiyou Sweet This is southern Oregon seedsman Don Tipping’s selection of the classic Walla Walla Sweet onion, perhaps the most famous of the northern adapted sweets. Very large slightly flattened bulbs are juicy, mild and very sweet. We have heard tales of people eating these like apples(!). Original seed was brought from the island of Corsica off the west coast of Italy to WA by French soldier Peter Pieri around the turn of the 20th century. Not a keeper. Long day. 110-120 days. DT Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/8oz $6.00 STORAGE
New York Early Originally selected from “Early Yellow Globe” by commercial onion growers in NY, New York Early is a dependable yellow storage variety. Medium sized, uniform, tight bulbs provide excellent storage into spring. Commercial growers note: with ubiquitous hybrid Copra scheduled to be phased out in the next couple years, now is the time to start trying out replacements. NY Early is a great starting place scoring excellently in duplicated northeast & northwest trials. Superior in flavor to Copra if a hair shorter storage. 100 days. WG Packet: 100 Seeds $3.50, 1/8oz $6.00, 1/2oz $10.00
Rijnsburg 5 With several storage onions we grow and love already, we weren’t sure we needed another in our catalog, but our 2014 crop of Rijnsburg so impressed us, we ended up saving the best bulbs from the harvest and producing seed. Dutch bred, and reasonably well known in Europe, it is a very productive large round globe type with gorgeous bronze wrappers, and excellent flavor. Firm yellow bulbs stored without temperature control into June for us in 2015 without sprouting. Strong leaf growth is well suited to organic systems and mechanical cultivation. 100 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Rossa di Milano *Heirloom* This has been our absolute favor ite storage red for years. From Northern Italy
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comes this unusually shaped flat-topped onion with very attractive bronze-red skin. A first rate OP storage onion that is medium sized, very productive, and uniform. In a 2014 storage onion trial done by the Organic Seed Alliance, under heavy disease pressure Rosa showed excellent horizontal resistance to downy mildew. Stores easily until spring. 110 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/8oz $6.00, 1/2oz $10.00
Stuttgarter Riesen If you’ve ever grown onions from Dutch sets before, chances are you’ve already grown Stuttgarter. For many years it was the industry standard for set production. The somewhat flattened, medium sized bulbs have a very attractive glossy bronze skin and excellent storing firm flesh. In a 2014 storage onion taste trial put on by the Culinary Breeding Network, it generated some of the most praise from Portland area chefs and growers of the 15 or so varieties tasted. 100 days. CF Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/8oz $6.00, 1/2oz $10.00 SHALLOTS
Ed’s Red Shallot We were really happy to find this OP shallot a few years back. We were even happier after harvesting the large tasty bulbs and happier still eating them the following June, a full 10 months later. That’s a lot of happiness! Red skinned, dutch-style shallots are on the larger side and very productive. While we find the dutches to be somewhere between storage onions and the famed French grey shallots in flavor, they really put both to shame in storability. Kept in cool dry conditions we’ve still been eating the previous year’s crop when it was time to start harvesting the new one. 100-110 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/8oz $6.50,
PARSNIPS (Pastinaca sativa)————————– **Back!!** Lancer (Pastinaca sativa) Parsnips have an integral place in our winter kitchen: roasted as a side to slow cooked lentils or risotto, pureed into a creamy nutty soup, even paper-thin atop pizzas. Their warming sweet earthy flavor is the perfect match to the hibernation time of year. Lancer is an excellent variety, selected for shapely long straight roots and canker resistance. The creamy white tapering roots grow to about 12”. Plant in late spring and leave them in the ground through the first couple frosts as, like many fall vegetables, they require a cold period to fully develop their flavor and sweetness. 120 days. WF Packet: 1g (~ 250 seeds) $3.50, 1/4oz $7.00
Look at all the pretty pictures, and order online at: www.uprisingorganics.com
34 PEAS (Pisum sativum)————————— SNAP PEAS
Cascadia Bred by Jim Bagget of OSU for northwest gardens, Cascadia is a tremendous snap pea. The 2.5-3’ vines produce an early abundance of sweet, plump pods comparable in quality to the venerable Sugar Snap. We found these to be productive, easy to care for, and the best tasting of our trials. The vines benefit from support. Shorter than other full-vining snap pea varieties but they are Mighty! Some resistance to powdery mildew. 65 days. FF Packet: 1oz (~120 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $8.00, 1lb $12.00, 5lb $50.00
Sugar Ann Sugar Ann is our first snap pea out of the garden every year. Dwarf vines grow to only 2’ and do not require support. Medium sized pods offer excellent sweet eating. Our favorite of the early varieties and deserving of a place in anyone’s garden to celebrate the first peas of the season. 55 days. FF Packet: 1oz (~120 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $8.00, 1lb $12.00, 5lb $50.00
Sugar Snap Sugar snap needs no introduction. Since hitting the scene as an AAS winner 1979, it reigns supreme as the sweetest most flavorful pea around. No one even bothers to debate that. We’ve done significant work to shore up the purity of this variety. Due to years of neglectful production and processing it had become heavily contaminated to the extent that we were seeing up to 30% off types (snow and shelly types) in what was commercially available. W e reselected again in 2015 and 2016. Vigorous 5-6’ vines start cranking out the peas just as “Cascadia” starts falling off. 70-80 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~120 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $8.00, 1lb $12
Snap Pea Succession Sampler Snap peas are one of the true joys of gardening. What could be easier? One planting time, but due to different maturity times, staggered harvests lasting over a month. Sampler contains one pack each of the above three snap varieties. Season starts with Sugar Ann, moving to Cascadia, ending with Sugar Snap. Trellising recommended for Cascadia and Sugar Snap. 3 Packet Sampler: $9.00 SHELLY PEAS
Maestro Very sweet and very productive shelling peas showing excellent resistance to both enation and powdery mildew. Long pods hold up to 10 peas and grow on 24” vines that do not need staking. Wonderful for snacking and freezing! 60 days. FF Packet: 1oz $3.50, 1/2lb $8.00, 1lb $12.00 5lb $50.00
Peas/Peppers: Hot SNOW PEAS
**Back!!** Golden Sweet Snow Pea *Heirloom* This ver y r ar e beauty comes to us from the collection of the Seeds Savers Exchange. Worth growing for its blooms alone, the bicolor pink and purple flowers rival most sweet peas we’ve seen. The sweet flat pods are a gorgeous chartreuse color and are best picked young, at 3”- 3.5”. Stunning in a stir-fry contrasted against dark green vegetables such as Black Tuscan Kale. Originally collected at a market in India. 6’ vines. 60-70 days. UO Packet: 1oz (~110 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $10.00, 1lb $16.00
Ho Lan Dow Here’s a success of the NOVIC (Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement Coalition) trialing project whose goal is, in part, to increase availability of organic seed for varieties suited to organic production systems. In the 2013 Oregon pea trials they threw in a couple of snow peas to look at along with the snaps. Of the snows, Ho Lan Dow came out with the highest rating for flavor, coupled with excellent scores for disease resistance and yield. We’ve received requests for both a smaller statured and smaller podded snow pea variety than Schweizer Riesen and here you have one. Dwarf 2.5’ plants yield early and prolifically. While not necessary for the short plants, a minimal trellis always improves ease and quality of harvest. The seed is not widely available, and as far as we know, has never been available organically grown. Thanks to NOVIC for recommending this great pea! Support public seed research! 60 days. UO Packet: 1oz (100-120 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $8.00
Schweizer Riesen Snow Pea *Heirloom* We tr ialed this year s ago on r ecommendation from our good friend Heather Tiszai as one of her favorites from the late Abyndant Life Gardens and have continued to be pleased by its vigor, sweet taste, and productivity year after year. Beautiful bicolor purple/ pink blooms are borne on sturdy 6’+ vines. The seemingly endless harvest of snow peas stay tender and sweet even as the pods mature and swell. An heirloom native to Switzerland, the name translates as “Swiss Giant”. One of our best new discoveries way back in 2008. Trellis! 65-70 days. FF Packet: 1oz (~100-120 seeds) $3.50, 1/2lb $8.00, 1lb $12.00, 5lb $50.00
PEPPERS (Capsicum annuum)—————–—– HOT
Basque -Back in 2018-
Czech Black The most productive field hot pepper we’ve grown in the PNW for 10 years running. Maturing from glossy black to a glowing garnet red color and perfect for ristras and fresh use in
Peppers: Hot & Sweet
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place of the slightly spicier Jalapenos. Bears fruit weeks before all our other hot peppers. Juicy, thick walled, and perfect for pickling. Great eating quality in both color stages. 65 days green, 80 days dark red. CF Packet: ~30 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
mouth pepper you’ve come to love and expect delivers a spicy kick that will most certainly sweep in a moment of panic. IF they get away from you, think about letting them ripen for a spicy red chili! 65 days. GC Packet: ~ 30 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
Hot Portugal
Sarit Gat
*Heirloom* A danger ous pepper for the disorganized gardener, Hot Portugal is completely indistinguishable in all ways but one from its fabulously sweet fieldmate, Jimmy Nardello: heat. I can’t tell you how many times over the years we have stood together over a pepper plant muttering, “I don’t remember either...YOU try one”. In all honesty, as far as hot peppers go it’s middling, with very sweet flesh and medium heat in the pith and seeds. Stunning long red fruits are wonderful stuffed, beautiful in ristras, and after roasting, makes an incredibly flavorful base for our annual batch of hot sauce, spiced up with some jalapenos and Thai chilis. An excellent chili for cool climates, it is early and productive. First offered in 1935. 70-80 days. GC Packet ~30 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
**New for 2017** Piccolo Rosso di Madonie (C. frutescens) This spicy little pepper was brought back from a small organic farm nestled in a valley of the Madonie, a mountainous region of northern Sicily that feels almost more like the alps of Northern Italy than the vegetable producing Mediterranean lowlands of the Sicilian south (though we saw similar peppers throughout our visit to Sicily). Bushy plants produce sprays of small, upright, red chilies that are our favorite for drying whole. Narrow, and just 1½” to 2” long, they are the perfect size to add whole to pickle jars, Southeast Asian curries, or spicy Chinese dishes. They benefit from extra heat to fully ripen, and their bushy habit makes them perfect as potted plants. We always keep a couple in 2-3 gallon pots in our home greenhouse for drying and the pots can be brought inside when the weather gets cool to continue to ripen any remaining green fruit. 100 days. UO Packet: 25 seeds $3.50
Pimiento De Padron *Heirloom* Br ought back fr om South Amer ica by Spanish monks in the 16th century and grown in the village of Padron in Galicia ever since, these smoky little numbers about drowned us in the summer of 2012. Grown outdoors, to see if they could be, the tall bushy plants were lush, verdant, and loaded. We learned early on to Pick Them Young! 1-1.5” is just the right size and seems to insure that they keep on flowering and flowering and don’t get too hot. Eaten throughout Spain as a finger food that is first blistered in hot olive oil then sprinkled with sea salt then served, stem and all. A delicious game of “Spanish Roulette” awaits as every so often the experience of the subtly spicy, melt in your
I wish I knew more about the history of this beautiful and wonderfully productive chili, native to Kosovo. Though it is known and available to some extent in Europe, it has virtually no presence this side of the Atlantic and we’d like to change that. In 2015 it rivaled Czech Black as the most productive hot pepper we’ve ever grown, eventually requiring staking to prevent it from falling over from the weight of its fruit set. Uniform, canary-yellow, fruits have the approximate heat and shape of a cayenne and are great for hot sauce, powdering, or simply spicing up meals. Beautiful, productive, and hot…now a staple in our kitchen garden and very suitable for commercial production. 80 days. UO -Please check website for availabilitySWEET
**New for 2017** Bridge to Paris This wonderful pepper comes to us from our friends at Hudson Valley Seed Library in upstate New York and is the product of a long chain of farm based seed work. Originally disentangled from the hybrid frying pepper “La Paris” at the biodynamic Kimberton CSA in Kimberton, PA, it then gained a little bit of extra size and a hint of spice in the hands of Phillies Bridge Farm in Gardiner, NY, before being passed on to Hudson Valley Seed Library who have continued to refine and stabilize the best traits to create a marketable cultivar. From “La Paris” to Phillies Bridge, hence “Bridge to Paris”. The result? Perhaps the most beautiful fryer we have seen: long, glossy smooth, very sweet, bright red fruits to 8”s and with much thicker flesh than most fryers. They have performed very well in trials across the northern US and were a standout at the OSA sweet pepper trial in Chimacum, WA. Plants are tall (24-36”), vigorous, and prolific and benefit from staking. Wonderfully sweet for fresh eating as well as for roasting and freezing. 85-100 days. UO Packet: 15 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Doe Hill A 19th century family heirloom from the Appalachian town of the same name (population 75) in Highland County, VA, Doe Hill reminds us of a sunset orange version of a sheepnose pimento type mini bell. Averaging about 5 lobes it has surprisingly thick flesh for its diminutive size and just fantastic, very sweet flavor. Early and prolific it is borne on short bushy 2-2 ½ ’ plants that don’t require much in the way of support. This one is wonderful for crudite plates, to skewer and grill, and just begs to be stuffed with
36 some deliciousness and served as an appetizer. 80-90 days. UO Packet: 15 seeds $3.50
Elephant’s Ear *Rare* Str oll past a kitchen window in Ser bia in October and there’s a good chance you’ll be greeted by the smell of roasting red peppers. Across the Balkans, fall is the time for making avjar, a thick, deliciously rich, and tangy savory spread that preserves the peak harvests of peppers and eggplants to be enjoyed throughout the year (recipe follows). The process can take a couple days and often happens in large volumes (one recipe I read started “Take about 60lbs of ripe red peppers…” ). One of the choice varieties of sweet pepper used is known as “Elephant’s Ear” (Slonovo uvo in Serbian) for its impressive appearance. Our 2015 crop yielded some of the biggest, most beautiful sweet peppers we’ve ever grown, 6” long by 4”wide, slightly flattened and with a pointed tip. 2016 was another banner year as it did not frost until November leaving us awash in peppers. Fruits ripen from green to bright red with thick walls and very sweet flavor. Very reasonable maturity for such a big sweet pepper. 90-100 days. UO Packet: ~25-30 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $8.00
Jimmy Nardello *Ark of Taste Heirloom* Sweet fr ying peppers brought to the states in 1887 from the village of Ruoti in Southern Italy. Shiny red, thin walled, richly sweet, and perfect for roasting or frying (or just nosh them raw and see if you can stop!). Slather them on crusty bread or in sandwiches, use as a pizza topping, or serve with antipasti plates. Approx. 10” long, curved and tapered like a big Cayenne. One of our most reliable and productive field grown sweet pepper for cooler climates. Grow under cover for earlier/heavier yields. 75-90 days. SB Packet: ~30 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
Little Bells Part of the ongoing pepper breeding project at Wild Garden Seed, Little Bells produces very early smaller bells with thick walls, densely set onto dwarf plants with short branches. Ripening from a “transparent” yellow through orange to a dark red at maturity. Reminiscent of hybrid “Jingle Bells” which enjoyed popularity in the late 90’s and early part of the 00’s before disappearing from the trade. Great pepper for northern climes with short seasons. 80 days. WGS OSSI Packet: ~30 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Petit Mersaillais Hailing from Provence in the south of France, this wavy, thin-walled, orange beauty was one among many of the stars of our 2016 pepper trial at the home farm. Amazing in terms of productivity, it seemed like every time we turned around it had a new flush of ripe peppers
Peppers: Sweet/Pumpkins needing to be picked. The 4-5” long by 1-2” wide fruits look like something out of a Dali painting with their fantastical curves and wavy ridges. The flavor is extraordinary and more deep than purely sweet, reminding us of a rich citrusy chili whose heat you keep waiting for but never arrives. In Provence they are picked green and sautéed whole in olive oil stuffed with eggs, garlic, gruyere, parsley, salt and pepper. They also make a fantastic pickler. 85 days. UO Packet: 15 seeds $3.50
Stocky Red Roaster Another gem from Wild Garden, this pepper has caused a stir in the seed world the past couple years as it bested OP’s and hybrids alike in trials on both coasts for yields and quality. It got the nod and is playing in the big leagues now, and for good reason. A fire engine red, elongated Italian type with straight, thick walled, refined fruits in spades. An excellent production variety that benefits from cover in cooler areas. 90-100 days. WGS *OSSI* Packet: ~15 seeds $3.50
PUMPKINS (Curcurbita pepo)———————– Howden Pumpkin. Carving. Party. Really, what else do you need to know? Prolific, large classic jack-olantern pumpkins, averaging about 15lbs, for all your spook and spirit carving needs. Flesh is generally too watery and bland to be much use in the kitchen but don’t forget to salt and roast the seeds! 110 days. BG Packet: 20 seeds $3.50, 1oz $10.00
Long Pie *Heirloom* Long pie has been a top choice for pumpkin pie’s since before pumpkins were even round! This long cylindrical pumpkin, that looks like an overgrown zucchini, was rescued from obscurity and near extinction by John Navazio, when he re-released it through the old Garden City Seeds of Hamilton, Montana. Its trajectory has been steadily upward since and it now has a devoted following among discerning farmers and market goers alike, known for its sweet/savory depth of flavor and fine texture that makes for extraordinary pies. The vines are rampant and productive, with the squashes ready to harvest when the ground spot has turned bright orange but the squash is still mostly dark green. They turn completely orange in storage indicating peak flavor development. A trait endearing themselves to the serious squash grower is their “stackability” with the long uniform fruits lending themselves to efficient cordwoodstyle stacks in a corner of your pantry, mudroom, or commercial kitchen racking where they will last long into the winter. 95 days. UO Packet: 20 seeds $3.50 1oz $12.00
Styrian Hull-less *Heirloom* For centur ies, the people of Styr ia (borders Slovenia in SE Austria) have used these pumpkin seeds to create what could best
Pumpkins/Radish/Rutabaga/Spinach be described as cool climate’s answer to olive oil. Its thick, rich, green oil is used to dress salads, dip hearty breads, flavor soups, and even drizzle over ice cream and desserts. (Now you can press your own with out our new Oil Presses). The hull-less seeds are also one of the truly great snack foods you can grow in your garden. Many fall salads in our home are topped with pepitas dry roasted in a cast iron skillet with lime and chili. The pumpkins themselves, about 10-15 lbs, orange streaked with green even at full maturity, unfortunately have a watery flesh and are not very appealing for culinary use (though they are a great and nutritious animal feed). The plants? Give them space, they are bonkers, hugely productive and wildly vigorous. Seeds must be harvested relatively soon after harvesting the pumpkins or they will begin to sprout. People often have a hard time germinating them and they are finicky as they lack the white protective hull. Wait until soil has warmed or use a heat table and keep them only moist enough to germinate as they rot easily in wet soil. 90-105 days. WGS Packet: 20 seeds $3.50, 1oz $14.00
Winter Luxury *Heirloom* Winter Luxur y is gaining popularity among squash aficionados. Beautiful in appearance, with a very unique, subtly netted skin (think cantaloupe), it’s true calling is simply the best flavor and texture for pies among pumpkins. We have read about people cutting sugar back in their recipes to account for the rich sweetness of Luxury’s flesh. Vigorous and productive in the field, expect 3-4 medium sized pumpkins per vine. Originally introduced in 1893 by Johnson and Stokes. 90-100 days. LK Packet: 25 seeds $3.50, 1oz $12.00
RADISH (Raphanus sativas)——————— French Breakfast *Heirloom* While I’ve never actually seen anyone eat them for breakfast (we eat them this way any time of the day!), they are traditionally split lengthwise and drizzled with butter or olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and served as a simple but elegant appetizer or palate cleanser between dishes in a meal. Oblong roots are crisp and sweet, 2/3 scarlet red with a white tip. Best harvested as young roots about ¾” diameter to avoid pithiness. 26 days. UO Packet: 2g (~160 seeds) $3.50, 1oz $10.00
Sora We do have a tendency to drift toward the unusual and exotic, but there is something entirely satisfying about a classic look done well. Very uniform and high quality red round radishes with good heat tolerance and low incidence of sponginess as they increase in size. After years of growing mixed color bunches for market, Sora was surprisingly and simply beautiful. Crispy with medium heat depending on the season grown. 28 days. TR Packet: 2g (~160 seeds) $3.50
37 RUTABAGA (Brassica napus)————————–Joan Did you know these have been eaten since at least the 17th century? I bet you did not. We hear the Swedes love them, hence their other name, “Swede”. So there you have 2 good reasons to try out these tasty little morsels. Uniformly round with purple tops, mild sweetness, and good resistance to club root...up to 5 reasons. Essential in your “winter roasted roots”(6), Joan might just be the best Rutabaga out there (7)! Rutabaga, it’s what’s for dinner. 90-100 days. WGS Packet: 1g $3.50, 1/4oz $5.00, 1oz $10.00
SPINACH (Spinacia oleracea)—–————–— Beaujolais Spinach A farm original and the first out-of-the-closet, open pollinated “red” spinach on the market. Beaujolais is a striking magenta-red veined spinach that is gorgeous in a salad mix or on its own. Its veins glow much in the way baby chards do but with a milder and sweeter flavor. Buttery tenderness at baby leaf stage when it should be cut. The red spinaches are not well suited to growing for bunching size as they have a tendency to bolt earlier than standard types. This said we have been surprised lately at how well they actually do size up into bunching greens if the spring/summer/fall is sufficiently cool and they have access to water. 30 days baby leaf. UO *OSSI* Packet: 200 seeds $3.50, 1oz $9.00, 1/4lb $28.00, 1lb $85.00
Winter Bloomsdale An outstanding strain from the Bloomsdale line. We decided to drop “Bloomsdale Longstanding” because “Winter” is simply a better all around spinach. We found people weren’t buying it because they thought you could only grow it in the winter; don’t be misled by the name as it is excellent both spring and fall planted. This strain has undergone a couple of good generations of selection at Nash’s Farm and is a real beauty. Dark green, savoyed leaves sweeten after frosts. 45 Days. NF Packet: 200 seeds $3.50, 1oz $7.00, 1/4lb $22.00, 1lb $68.00
Winter Giant (Gigante d’Inverno) After a couple years of searching and testing, we finally connected with a great strain of this venerable Italian variety. Impressively huge, smooth dark green leaves show excellent cold hardiness and vigor. Suitable for salad mix size, but really excels for fall and winter bunching. Triangular shaped leaves are tender and delicious. 50 days. UO Packet: 200 seeds $3.50, 1oz $7.00
For variety pictures, up to date availability, and more growing resources visit us at: www.uprisingorganics.com
38 SQUASH (Curcurbita sp.)————————– SUMMER SQUASH
Yellow Crookneck *Heirloom* (C. Pepo) A var iety that needs little introduction, Yellow Crookneck has been in the commercial seed trade in the US for nearly 200 years and likely predates that by quite a bit. When we grew for fresh market, we’d display all our summer squashes mixed together and, without fail, someone would come along early on and, with a wink, dig through the pile and clean us out of the crooknecks. They are unsurpassed in creamy texture and buttery flavor and plenty of people know it! Big plants come on a little later than the zukes but sustain over a long period. At their best under 6” before they get warty and turn from lemon yellow to gold. A defining food of summer they should find a home in everyone’s garden. 60 days. CV Packet: 25 seeds $3.50, 1/2 oz $7.00, 1oz $12.00, 1/2 lb $35 ZUCCHINI
Costata Romanesco *Heirloom* (C. pepo) We are odd enough here at Uprising to hold an annual blind zucchini taste off, and I don’t recall Costata ever being unseated from the top spot (which perhaps ultimately begs the question, why do we continue to do this every year?) While its light green color and prominently ribbed fruit might worry some, we converted the majority of our market regulars to the superiority and rich, nutty flavor of this unique looking Italian heirloom. Big and sprawling plants produce prolifically with an added bonus of very large male flowers for stuffing. We continued to grow the regular straight green zukes for the non adventurous, and those wanting the comfort of the familiar, but these are the ones we eat at home. Our strain is the most uniform and productive we’ve seen. 55 days. WG Packet: 25 seeds $3.50, 1/2oz $7.00, 1oz $12.50, 1/2lb $40.00, 1lb $65
Dark Star (C. pepo) Market growers take note. Here is a zuke to rival all the corporate owned hybrids currently hijacking the zucchini market. Bred by Bill Reynolds of Eel River Produce in Northern CA & John Navazio, Dark Star was selected in part for vigorous root growth to excel in dry farming conditions. What struck us though is the quality of the fruit, by far the most refined OP zuke we’ve seen with very uniform long, dark green, angular fruit. While not as productive at its peak as some (though certainly no slouch), it sustained its productivity over a longer period than others we’ve grown. Open habit makes it easy to pick. Recommended for the home garden or by the acre. The best OP standard zuke on the market. (Update: during the freakish frosts in Baja in the winter of 2011 Dark Star was likely the only organic zucchini in grocery stores. Just a degree or two more cold hardiness kept it alive amidst a sea of frost killed neighboring fields) 50-55 days. ER Packet: 25 seeds $3.50, 1/2 oz $7.00, 1oz $12.50, 1/2 lb $40, 1lb $65
Squash WINTER
Black Forest Kabocha (C. maxima) When we grew for market, come fall everyone would go gaga for the sweetness of the delicata, the thick rich flesh of the butternut, the classic beauty of a stuffed acorn. We would quietly smile and nod knowing we had a pile of kabocha at home to get us through the winter. The classic squash of Japanese cuisine, it is for those who value richness over sweetness. Squat round 3-4lb squashes roast up to a lovely flakey texture, and the flavor… rich nutty deliciousness with just the perfect amount of sweet. One of our favorite fall dishes is a simple kabocha soup with the roasted dark green skin chopped up, fried crisp, and sprinkled over the top. Smallmedium vines produce 3-4 squashes per plant. Our favorite winter squash. It could be yours too. 95 days. LK Packet: 25 seeds $3.50
Black Futsu *Heirloom*(C. M oschata) This small, bumpy, heavily ribbed Japanese squash is gaining in popularity, showing up at more and more farmers markets and produce departments, and for good reason. Fairly early for a moschata family squash it has a very smooth, fine grained flesh and a fruity flavor at harvest that lends itself to thinly sliced raw or pickled preparations. The fruitiness takes on a nutty depth in storage, and is excellent roasted in wedges or battered and fried as tempura. With its very edible thin skin, it doesn’t require peeling. Productive vines have a medium sprawl and very heavy fruit set. The dark green fruits ripen to a remarkable buff tawny blushed bluish color and develop a thin white film known as “bloom” on the surface. Highly recommended. 100 days. UO Packet: 20 seeds $3.50, 1oz $14.00
Bitterroot Buttercup (C. maxima) Bred for short season production for the old Garden City Seeds of northern Montana, Bitterroot has earned its keep in our farm production. One of the more prolific varieties in the cool 2010 season, it matured early and stored well. Like Kabocha, it is richer and flakier than the finer textured, moister pepo squashes, which are qualities we love in a winter squash. Expect about 5-6 dark green 3-4# squashes with blocky squared off shoulders and a lighter grey “button” on the blossom end. First rate outstanding flavor for roasting, soups, and gnocchi. Back in the lineup after a couple years absence. 95 days. CV Packet: 25 seeds $3.50, 1oz $10.00
Burpees Butterbush (C. moschata) This is an important entrant in the short season butternut category. Many of us in the cooler north, who cannot mature the classic Waltham types are always on the lookout for a reliable shorter season producer. Butterbush fits the bill. Very compact bushes are a boon to space constrained gardeners, but these deliver full sized yields even for the field grower. Medium 2-4lb fruit with moist, sweet, deep orange flesh of excellent quality, rich taste, and a tiny
Squash/Tomatillos seed cavity (and seed yield we must say!). The best tasting, most productive and most brilliant orange butternut we've ever grown in northern climes (it is shades darker then the website photo). We are working with grower Ben Yohai of Wandering Fields Farm in Southern Oregon to breed out a small percentage (less than 5%) of plants bearing fruits with elongated, thinne necks (but which retain excellent eating quality). 95-100 days. WF Packet: 20 seeds $3.50, 1oz $14.00
Potimarron *Heirloom* (C. maxima) The perfect squash for a pot of simmering savory soup (say that 3 times!) on a chilly evening, Potimarron is laced with a touch of chestnut flavor and a delicate, creamy, but flakey texture. A famous French heirloom meaning “Pumpkin” (potiron) and “Chestnut” (marron) we grew these on the recommendation of a customer who declared it her favorite winter squash. We do have a soft spot for maximas with their flakey textures, rich flavours, and versatility from oven baked to gnocchi to risotto to gratin to sweet bread… Tear drop shaped with a stunning deep red orange color similar to Red Kuri but with greater depth of flavor. Medium sized vines with an average of 4-5 fruit/vine at 2-4lbs/fruit. Perfect small squash for one to two people. Superb flavor! Excellent for storage. 80-90 days. BG -Check website for availability1
REBA Bush Acorn (C. pepo) REBA stands for Resistant Early Bush Acorn and comes from the extensive vegetable breeding program at Cornell University, one of the few breeding programs working on improved open pollinated varieties for organic production systems. But about the squash....REBA came to our attention as a real standout in the cool wet season of 2010. The compact bush plants had the earliest and heaviest set of nearly any of our winter squashes. 4-6 dark green squashes per plant with the classic acorn taste and creamy texture. The quintessential stuffer. REBA was bred for resistance to powdery mildew, which many years around here, can do a real number on plant health late in the season. Has out-yielded market standard “Table Queen” 3-1 at one of our growers farms. 90 days. CV Packet: 25 seeds, 1oz $12.50
**Back!** Sweet Meat (Oregon Homestead) *Heirloom* (C. maxim a) When it comes to winter keepers, sweet meat is a northwest classic. Sweet, thick, dry flesh makes for excellent pies, soups, and just plain delicious eating. An excellent keeper known to stick around and improve in storage for upwards of 6-7 months. Originally bred by the Gill Brothers seed company of Portland, OR, and reselected by Oregon breeder Carol Deppe for cool soil emergence, large seed, thick flesh, long storability, and vigorous growth, even in cool colditions. Beautiful
39 slate blue/grey skin. Produce 2+ fruits per plant at 10-20lbs. Allow plenty of space for these vigorous vines. 100-115 days. UO, AS *OSSI* Packet: 15 seeds $3.50, 1oz $10.00
Zeppelin Delicata (C. pepo) This great strain of delicata has been worked on and maintained by the fine folks of Wild Garden Seed. By far our most popular winter squash at the market, it has fabulously sweet and moist flesh, and is great roasted and for pies. At about a pound each it is the perfect size to share between two people. And though it is not a long keeper, you’ll eat them all up before you notice! Approx. 6-8 squash per plant. 90-100 days. WGS Packet: 25-30 seeds $3.50, 1oz $11.00
Zucca Mantovana *Heirloom* (C. Maxim a) The city of Montova, in the province of Lombardy in Northern Italy, is a picturesque center of culture and cuisine. The surrounding plains stretching across the Po river valley into Emelia Romagna form much of the northern bread basket of Italy, home to many of the famous Italian cured meats, cheeses like Grana Padano, Gorgonzola, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and large tracts of vegetable production. Also known locally as “Bishops Hat” and “Berrettina Piacentina” this beautiful slate blue turban-type squash features prominently in a typical dish from the city and its surroundings, Tortelli di zucca: ravioli stuffed with an interesting and delicious flavor mix of winter squash, mustard oil infused preserved quince, and ground up amaretto cookies. If you dare defy tradition however, the squash has a lovely rich flavor and thick texture also suitable for gnocchi, or roasting and adding to autumnal grain and chicory salads. The medium sized 5-8 pound fruits grow on vigorous, spreading vines. One of the most beautiful squashes we grow. 100 days. UO Packet: 15 seeds $3.50, 1oz $15.00
TOMATILLOS & GROUND CHERRIES (Physalis sp.)——–——————— Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry *Ark of Taste Heirloom* (aka husk cher r y, cape gooseberry) (P. pruinosa) About the closest we can come to real tropical fruit flavor from our northwest garden. Related to the tomatillo, ground cherries are low growing plants that produce an abundance of fruit about the size of a large marble enclosed in papery husks. The flavor can best be described as a combination of banana and pineapple with a hint of muskiness from its nightshade lineage. When ripe, the yellow fruit drops with the husk attached and can easily be gathered from around the base of the plant. Great for snacking out of hand and also makes a nice dried fruit, jam, or chutney. The small fruits will keep in their husks for weeks. 75 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50, 200 seeds $7.50
40 De Milpa Purple Tomatillo (P. philadelphica) The ubiquitous sight of the monocrop cornfield we have all grown accustomed to is truly a construct of modern industrial agriculture. The traditional cornfield, or milpa, consists of a loosely intentional and diverse mélange of plants growing in and amongst the maize. In this system the wild greens (“quelites”) and vegetables harvested from the cornfield are prized, and often nutritionally as valuable as the corn itself. Tomatillos are one such plant and this beautiful purple landrace variety comes from that tradition. Try planting this at the sunny edge of your corn patch, the tall and sprawling plants appreciate the corn stalks to lean on for a little support and structure. A delicious addition to tomato based salsa or on its own as salsa verde (o “morada”?). 80 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $7.50 250 seeds $12.00
TOMATOES (Solanum lycopersicum)———–—CHERRY
Black Cherry These are so outrageously good that I remember, during a summer harvest, debating whether or not we would damage our credibility as a seed company if I suggested Black Cherry to be superior in flavor to Sungold - an inflammatory statement if there ever was one! I wasn’t the only one to think so either… It certainly proved itself as a real winner in our mixed cherry pints for market. Very prolific and wildly vigorous plants produce sprays of medium size cherries with a really interesting speckly purple color. The fruits are very juicy and sweet with a terrific and almost fruity flavor. Give them good support. Indeterminate. 75 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds, $3.50, 100 seeds 6.00
Galina *Heirloom* We cleaned up a contaminated strain to bring back this cultivar we first discovered while living in VT. Potato leaf variety with very early, bright yellow cherry tomatoes approx 1” diameter. Taste is somewhat reminiscent of a yellow pear tomato grown in the heat of the Midwest. Fragrant with a nice burst of subtle sweetness and a thinner skin. Resists cracking at all costs! Let ripen to golden yellow for the richest taste. Very productive resisting light frosts. Crystine loves them and here’s what you should know: Leave them. Enjoy your other tomatoes in the heat of summer. Pick some occasionally to add a little yellow to your tomato salad. Dry, wet, it doesn’t matter. They won’t split. EVER. When the weather gets cool and rainy and the rest of your tomatoes have gone south, these magically get freakishly good. And not just “good” in comparison to the others’ badness. Like, really good...sweet and flavorful and all that. Its inexplicable. They’ll last for a month or two once picked too. We picked a tote full in fall and never got around to squeezing them for seed. Left ‘em out in the backyard for 5 weeks in the rains of Sept-Oct and once we gath-
Tomatillos/Tomatoes ered the courage to peek, we found most were still edible. This is one weird tomato and well worth trying. Consider it your last taste of summer. Crystine gets the last laugh. Again. Indeterminate. P.S. Crystine thinks they’re tops Any Old Time! But by all means, wait if you’d like. 65-75 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Gardener’s Sweetheart A contender for our “New Variety of the Year” a few years back, we’ve fallen hard for this cherry tomato. Mark our words, you will start to see this variety spread like wildfire across catalogs in the next couple of years. Bred in Maine by longtime seedsman extraordinaire Will Bonsall, Sweetheart is adorable: fire engine red, mini apple shaped cherry tomatoes with a firm texture and incredibly sweet flavor. And those trusses…! Some hang over 18” long, often splitting in two halfway down with perfectly alternating fruits, up to 20 or 25 per truss. High dry matter makes them very resistant to cracking and they hold excellently on the vine so you can wait for trusses to ripen nearly all the way to the tips and harvest for market “on the vine”. We thank our friends at Fruition Seeds for being among the first to sell it commercially. Indeterminate. 7075 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds, $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
Green Grape These deliciously rich and sweet tomatoes produce with abandon. One of the finest depths of flavor of any cherry we grow. About 1-1.5” with chartreuse-yellow (allow them to yellow slightly) skin when ripe, they hang in clusters on compact vines that reach about 3.5’ max. One of our most commented on tomatoes at market that we never grew enough of ( because we ate them all in the field, delicious!). Great for mixed cherry baskets. Despite the shorter vines they do require support as they tend to be very heavy plants. Perfect for containers. Indeterminate. 7585 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $7.00
Koralik -Back in 2018-
Red Fig *Ark of Taste Heirloom* So named because they were used as a substitute for dried figs in winters past (18th century), these vines are vigorous and heavy yielding with pear shaped fruits. We have been on the lookout for a good red pear tomato and these are the among the best. In the cool, wet growing seasons of 07, 08, 10 and 11 (!) they exhibited the best (almost complete) late blight resistance of any tomato we’ve ever grown. Like all pear type tomatoes irregular watering habits will cause cracking. Slightly later maturing then Yellow Pear. Indeterminate, 80-85 days. WF Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Tomatoes
41 Tomato Quick Reference:
Variety
Season
type
color
fruit size
growth
Black Cherry Galina Gardener's Sw. Green Grape Koralik Red Fig Snow White Sweet Orange II Yellow Pear
early mid early-mid early early early-mid early early early-mid
cherry-round cherry-round cherry cherry-grape cherry-round cherry-pear cherry-round cherry-round cherry-pear
red/brown yellow red green/yellow red red cream orange yellow
lg. cherry med. cherry med. cherry lg. cherry sm. cherry med. cherry med. cherry med. cherry med. cherry
indet. indet. indet. indet. det. indet. indet. indet. indet.
Afghan Black Prince Carbon Cuor di Bue Albenga Ceylon Czech's Excellent Fiaschetto di Man. Garden Peach Gold Medal Green Zebra Indigo Apple Italian Heirloom Jaune Flammee Latah Manyel Matina Moldovan Green Nepal Northern Ruby Ruth's Perfect Sheboygen Stupice Super Lakota
early early mid mid early early early mid mid mid mid early-mid early very early mid early mid mid early mid mid very early mid
slicer/saladette slicer slicer-beefsteak oxheart slicer/saladette slicer plum saladette slicer-beefsteak slicer/saladette slicer slicer slicer/saladette slicer/saladette slicer slicer slicer-beefsteak slicer paste slicer paste slicer/saladette slicer
orange red/brown red/brown red red yellow red yellow/peach yellow/red green, striped red/black red orange red yellow red green red red red red red red
3oz 4-6 oz 12-16+ oz 8-16oz 2-3 oz 4-6 oz 3 oz 2-3oz 12-16+oz 3-4 oz 4-6 oz 10-16+oz 4 oz 2-4 oz 6-8 oz 4-6 oz 10 oz 8-10 oz 4 oz 6-8 oz 4-6 oz 3-4 oz 6-8 oz
indet. indet. indet. indet. indet. indet. det. indet indet. indet. indet. indet. indet. det. indet. indet. indet. indet. det. indet. indet. indet. indet.
Snow White A farm favorite both for their full flavored sweetness and highly productive vines. Approx. 1” tomatoes that are not a true white but rather a creamy pale yellow when fully ripe. Very good acid/sweet balance for a yellow/white tomato and an excellent addition to mixed cherry pints. The vines are rampant and need good support and the yields are outstanding. Yet another tomato we grow every year and are so happy to have discovered. If you have wondered why you would ever grow a “white” tomato take our advice and just grow them! One of our longtime friends Rio, grew and loved them for the first time a few years back. She was turned off by the
idea of a white tomato but realized her folly as she was helping us harvest (eat). Sweet and bursting with rich flavor! Indeterminate.70-75 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Sweet Orange II We’ve been on the hunt for a good round orange cherry to replace ever-popular hybrid “Sungold” in our cherry color mix. Sweet orange II fit the bill with vigorous vines and tons of bright orange medium sized round fruit. Its flavor is very sweet, fruity and delicious. More of a garden variety to eat out of hand than a commercial
42 shipper, it has a tendency to start to desiccate just a couple days after harvest. With its fine eating, bountiful trusses, and long harvest period, we’re fine with that… just means we eat ‘em quick! Developed by Tim Peters. Indeterminate. 75 days. LK Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Yellow Pear Cherry *Heirloom* Similar to Red fig in shape and taste with extremely strong, productive vines and bright golden fleshy fruit, these tomatoes are a classic and colorful addition to your plate. One of those tomatoes we both remember from childhood and very easy to grow. Indeterminate, 7075 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Cherry Tomato Sampler A diversity of shapes and colors. 1 packet each Black Cherry, Yellow Pear, Gardeners Sweetheart, Snow White, Green Grape, Sweet Orange II, and Galina. 7 Packets: $21.00 EARLY RED SLICERS & SALADETTE
Ceylon *Heirloom* Oh-my-goodness-these-are-socute! Ceylon has all the look of a big ruffled beefsteak type tomato but in a miniature little package, only slightly larger than your average cherry tomato. From seed we originally got from Tom Stearns of High Mowing Seed over 15 years ago, this prolific and early tomato has become one of our favorites. While truly more of a saladette size, we used it as a real eye catcher in our cherry tomato mixed pints for years. Great sweet/tart flavor. Rare. Update: I don’t remember ever having a year like the one we had this year with Ceylon. The plants were straining under the weight of the trusses. And that taste? Gracious. Harvested the last load at the end of Sept. and they were perfectly sweet and delicious. Indeterminate. 65 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Latah Pronounced “Lay-tah”, this is hands down the earliest tomato we have ever grown (and we think it should be called “Earli-ah”). Although developed by the University of Idaho (and named after the Idaho county) it seems to have gained more of a following across the pond in the UK than here in the PNW. Most years, we plant out our tomatoes the third week of May. From Latah, we have harvested our first basket of tomatoes the last week of June: yes you read that correctly, 5 weeks from 4” pot to ripe fruit! And that is outside in the elements, no tricks other than a remay tunnel to keep the transplants warm at night for the first week or so. That is unheard of in this climate. Real tomato flavor too, bright and juicy. Low bushy determinate plants bear 2-3oz salad size fruits prolifically. Some tendency for green shoulders but, come on... Are you really going to nitpick a 5 week
Tomatoes tomato? Perfectly suited for containers as well. Determinate. 50-60 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
Matina We don’t want to make crazy, bold proclamations after just a couple years of getting to know a new variety (which, as you can tell from the intro, means we are going to anyway) but Matina might be our new best all-around slicing tomato. It’s nice to be a small family company where we can write something like that and not break down into staff fistfights. It just checks all the boxes for us and exceptionally so: sets very early but with sustained harvests through fall, strong vigorous growth, beautifully organized and prolific trussing, perfect blemish-free and very uniform fruit, and a great flavor balance of sweet and acid. I reckon we harvested about 400+lbs of fruit from 30 field grown plants in 2014. At 4-6 oz, the fruits are a little larger than Stupice, slightly flattened, and just the flawless ideal of a tomato in appearance. One of Amy Goldman’s “100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden” it hails from Germany, where our seed was originally sourced. This should be a nursery standard in the PNW. Indeterminate/ Potato Leaf. 65-70 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
Stupice *Heirloom* Ver y ear ly and ver y pr oductive Czech variety with a strong following amongst PNW gardeners. Bred in the mid 50’s at an ag station in the community of Stupice just east of Prague and introduced to the US by Abundant Life Seed Foundation in 1977. 2-3” deep red tomatoes with a nice balance of sweet/acid flavor. At this point Stupice (pronounced “stupeach”) is a reliable old friend. Regardless of weather it is one of the first red tomatoes out of the garden year after year. Potato leaf foliage on compact 4’ Indeterminate vines. We have never been let down by their full flavor, early and ongoing productivity, and quality. Harvested by the bushel from field grown plants which can be challenging in our climate. Mix with similarly sized Jaune Flammee and Czech’s Excellent Yellow for an eye-catching tricolor heirloom mix. Indeterminate. 55-70 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00 MID-SEASON RED SLICERS
Italian Heirloom *Heirloom* The vines will gr ow 6- 8’ tall. They will be covered in flowers and heavy with green fruit. Big, ½ - 1+lb fruit. You will taste the first one and there will be no going back. Suddenly you will notice more flowers, more vines, and more fruit. You will get desperate. Friends will begin avoiding you and your, “gifts”. You will can every night and avoid the plants during the day. When you can no longer stand it you will return to find…more fruit!. They will give you no rest. You will never settle for less. They are that good. Large pear-ish shaped, red toma-
Tomatoes toes ideal for both slicing and sauce as they are very meaty and contain few seeds. Incredible flavor! Early and productive for such a large variety. Long and rather gangly vines are normal for this one. Indeterminate. 70-80 days. WG Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
43 flavor and balanced acidity. I am often attracted to this size and class of tomato and think they make a lovely and diverse “saladette” size color and shape mix with the likes of Jaune Flamee, Ceylon, Czech’s Excellent Yellow, Indigo Apple, Matina…. Highly recommended and very early. Indeterminate. 70 days. LK Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Nepal *Heirloom* Nepal was a ver y pleasant sur prise for us producing the earliest and heaviest sets we’ve seen for a tomato of its class and quality. Nearly beefsteak sized 1/2lb fruits hung in abundance and delivered the seasons first glimpse of that ripe complexity of flavor we celebrate during the main-season tomato time. Hailing from the Northern Indian Himalayas, Nepal is a fantastic early-midseason slicer, with sturdy, strong vines, crack resistant fruit, and heavy set for its size. Also very good for ripening off the vine come fall. 75-80 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Ruth’s Perfect
Czech’s Excellent Yellow *Heirloom* Ever since wor king on a pr oduction tomato farm in VT, we’ve admired the market presentation of color mixes of similarly sized and shaped tomatoes. In this vein, Czech’s pairs perfectly with Jaune Flammee and Matina or Stupice for a yellow-orange-red round tricolor heirloom mix. Spherical 4-5oz fruits born on strong, tall vines often have a pink blush in the center when cut crosswise. The flavor is full, with lower acid as is typical of most yellow tomatoes. From the collection of famed heirloom tomato collector and seedsman Ben Quisenberry, likely of Czech origin as the name would suggest. Indeterminate. 75-80 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50
Originally bred by long-time biodynamic market farmer Ruth Zinniker of Wisconsin, Ruth’s Perfect is another strong, vigorous grower bearing simply gorgeous blemish-free half pound fruits. During one pretty mediocre summer for tomato-growing, we were very impressed with the yield and quality of this new-to-us variety. From field grown plants, we harvested tote after tote. Clear potential as a market variety for greenhouse or field production, it also ranked highly amongst tasters in our fall taste test. An appropriate name for this platonic ideal of a red slicer. 80 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
These walnut-sized fruits are covered in a fine peach fuzz that makes it hard to resist putting it up to your cheek to sample its softness. Glowing matte-yellow as if lit from within, and accented with pink blushing at the blossom end. A thicker skin gives the peach excellent shelf life and split resistance. Low acid, juicy and sweet, delicious. Indeterminate. 70-75 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds
Super Lakota
Gold Medal
*Heirloom* This has been our standar d r ed for summer slicer tomatoes for about as long as we’ve grown a garden. A reliable producer of 810oz mid sized fruit. Strong sturdy plants and blemish–free fruit with great balanced heirloom flavor keep us going with this variety as our old standby. These grew amazingly in our small high tunnel in the cold and wet summer of 08. We always knew they were reliable but we had no idea just how abundant and beautiful they would be when given a little extra TLC. Excellent productive variety with market potential. Indeterminate. 80-85 days. WG Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00 YELLOW/ORANGE
Afghan In 2015 this was one of our first tomatoes to ripen in the summer and one of the last we were still picking in the fall. Medium/small flattened, pleated fruits reminded us of an orange version of one of our longtime standards, Ceylon with its miniature ruffle-y beefsteak look. Afghan is a beauty, often slightly blushing red at the blossom end in a sunburst pattern as well as in the center when sliced crosswise . Yields are almost oppressive. We found them to have excellent
**New for 2017** Garden Peach
*Heirloom*. Recommended to us by many farmers we know, Gold Medal was an all around stunning tomato in our 2010 grow out. Tom and Maude Powell of Wolf Gulch Farm who grew the seed for us said: “We loved growing this tomato! The plants were abundant producers of very large, meaty, 1lb+ fruits. What really stands out is the color – a sunset orange with red marbling, amazing to look at when sliced. The flavor is also outstanding, somewhat fruity. Great for sandwiches, but we also dried and made sauce with them. It reminded us of Striped German, one of our all time favorites, but was more productive.” First introduced in 1921 as Ruby Gold in John Lewis Child’s (credited with founding one of, if not the first seed catalog business in the United States) catalog it was later renamed Gold Medal by Ben Quisenberry in his 1976 catalog. Mr. Quisenberry operated, Big Tomato Gardens and was passionate about saving heirloom tomato seeds from extinction. Indeterminate. This large tomato does benefit from the extra heat of being grown under cover in cooler areas. 90 days. WG Packet 30-35 Seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
44 Jaune Flammee *Heirloom* I was intr oduced to this var iety as a coveted secret ingredient to a fellow farmer’s “heirloom tomato mix” while living and farming in VT several years ago. Beautiful, perfectly round, small 4-5 oz fruit are bright orange on the outside and often have a reddish blush in the flesh. Fruits hang in cherry tomatolike trusses on medium sized very prolific plants with an open habit. Flavor is bright in acidity, and juicy. Our most reliable and productive noncherry field tomato. Looking back over our sales, I have noticed, that this is among our least popular varieties the past few years which means we are not doing it justice in our descriptions. It was second only to Carbon in a taste test a few years ago and is one of only perhaps 2 or 3 tomatoes we grow every year, no matter what. We LOVE this variety both as market growers and home gardeners. Indet. 70-80 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
Manyel *Heirloom* A new color in our mid-season slicer palate, Manyel delivers very attractive 810oz lemon yellow fruits borne on sturdy and compact vines. Low acid, typical of the yellows, and with excellent, mildly sweet flavor, the fruits seem to have a bit of stuffing tomato in their lineage as they occasionally have a bit of a hollow cavity. A very attractive mid-season tomato. Suggested by some sources to be a Native American heirloom, the name is said to mean “Many Moons”. Indet. 75-80 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50 GREEN
**New for 2017** Green Zebra We used to grow Green Zebra many years ago, but it took Rio’s nudging to put it back on our radar as it’s one of her favorites. Bred by PNW tomato guru Tom Wagner way back in 1983, green zebra was pretty radical when it was released and the 3-4oz fruits quickly became a staple of the specialty “heirloom tomato” market (in spite of its relatively recent introduction). Its combination of yellow/green skin with dark green stripes when ripe was totally unique back then, and its beauty has stood the test of time. Not just a visual novelty, it sports a bright tangysweet-fruity flavor and is the perfect size for a striking salad or salsa addition. The interior is practically a source of chartreuse light. Wait until the fruits blush yellow before picking. 80 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Moldovan Green It’s high time we added more green tomatoes to our mix! Moldovan Green is not just a terrific green tomato but a wonderful tomato all around. In fact, when it came to fresh slice-salt-and-eat, straight off the vine, tomato-ing this summer, just about everyone who visited us at the farm
Tomatoes Roasting Tomatoes We’re always surprised by how many people are surprised by our method for putting up a significant portion of our tomatoes for the year: Roasting! Let’s be honest. Crystine, while being a fantastic cook, can’t be troubled with fussy projects in the kitchen. Lattice pie crusts? (“What’s wrong with crumbles”). Three day marmalades? (“I’m sorry, did you say three day camping trip?”). Can? (“Freeze!”) Roasting tomatoes couldn’t be easier with very little active kitchen time, and the result is often better and more flavorful than the more laborious process of canning. Everybody wins! We usually start with higher dry matter tomatoes like Fiaschetto, or Couer di Bue Albenga, but any one will do. You’ll need: -Olive oil, About 1/4 cup per 2lbs of tomatoes -Several sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, oregano, marjoram, or thyme. -Garlic cloves to taste, sliced thinly -Salt and cracked pepper Set the over to 325F Spread about half the oil on a couple shallow non-reactive stainless or glass baking trays. Cut tomatoes in half (or quarters for larger fruits) and lay facedown on the trays in a single layer that’s not too crowded. Dot with garlic and either sprigs or coarse chopped herbs. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat. Roast in the oven for about 2-3 hours or until the tomatoes are softened, the skin wrinkled, and the juices slightly reduced. We often do this before bed, turn the oven off and leave them in to cool slowly while stewing overnight in their own herb and garlic infused juices. In the morning we pack in jars (leaving headspace for expansion) or bags and freeze. The resulting tomatoes have a very concentrated flavor and are fantastic simply tossed with pasta, for pizzas, crostini, or any number of uses. this summer agreed: Moldovan was this year’s cream of the crop (yes, that’s right-we just used “tomato” as a verb). The indeterminate sturdy vines are loaded with 8-12 oz beefsteak type
Tomatoes fruit that ripen perfectly in our climate, (remember our tomatoes are field grown) and are wonderful slicers. Moldovan has a lovely lime green/ golden blushed skin coloring and glowing green flesh with a taste that is very bright, mildly fruity, mild acid and very rich. As I write this in mid December, when I can only dream of crates upon crates of tomatoes, the only thing left to say is, Grow Them. You will be happy you did. Promise. 75-85 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50 BROWN/BLACK
Black Prince *Heirloom* Up Nor th the name of the game for field grown tomatoes is early, early, early. We’re very selective about what we put out there for tomatoes, and we’ve enjoyed Black Prince in hot summers and rain soaked, cold ones. First brought to our attention years ago in Maine, where the flavor knocked our socks off, and continues to do so. The indeterminate vines are vigorous and full with 3-5oz deep garnet/ dark brown blushed oblong tomatoes. A fruity richness that lingers on the tongue and satisfies that deep summer craving for warm peaceful days, lemonade, and juicy tomato sandwiches. Originally from Irkutsk, Siberia. These were so abundant in our cold, wet summer of 2011 that we stopped picking them. Actually, we stopped even looking at them! Indeterminate. 70-75 days. CF Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Carbon Our back to back 2013 & 2014 taste test winner, Carbon is one of the most successful beefsteak size tomatoes we’ve grown, uncovered, out in the field yet. We easily harvested a couple hundred pounds of fruit from about 50 row feet of plants. Flattened 1+ pound fruits have brownish shoulders and deep dark red flesh. The flavor is a revelation, deep, rich, complex. The best description I can give is immediate silence and then eyes, half closed and rolling back in bliss, at a tomato tasting two autumns ago. Content nods and “yep, that one” announced a near unanimous winner. It has a bit of heirloom tomato funk, concentric cracking and blossom end “catfacing” (though much better than some), but if your bottom line is flavor, this is the one. Indeterminate. 85 days. CV Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00
Indigo Apple Anyone who knows us well knows that we are cautious of trends when it comes to vegetable varieties, often preferring the classic varieties steeped in history and tradition to “the next big thing”. That’s not to say we aren’t fans of novel breeding, just that we aren’t really into novelty for novelty’s sake, and like to give things time before fully embracing them. Such is the case with the “Indigo” genetics in tomatoes that have burst onto the scene over the past several years, product of the first rate breeding program of Jim Meyers at OSU, which feature high concentra-
45 tions of anthocyanins in the skin making them blue/purple to almost black. The first release, Indigo Rose, caused quite a stir for its amazing and unusual appearance, but what we kept hearing from growers was that it came up short on taste. A couple years and many new varieties in the Indigo series later, we have Indigo Apple, a tomato with all the beauty of the indigo genetics as well as good summer-slicer flavor to match. Mid-season maturing, medium tall vines, set trusses of 5oz dusty deep red fruits with the characteristic purple to almost jet black shoulders (sometimes covering most of the fruit) and juicy red interiors. The indigos are here to stay and we are so happy the quality of taste has caught up with their gorgeous looks. 2016 update: Wow! Reminiscent of “Galina”, Indigo was the last to go this year, stayed firm and blemish free deep into the fall, showed good late blight resistance, and tasted amazingly sweet after the colder weather set in. Indeterminate. 80 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50 PASTE/ SAUCE/ ROASTING
Cuor di Bue Albenga We’ve looked at many new-to-us varieties of tomatoes over the past couple years, and few have left us as excited as this Cuor di Bue (“ox heart”) type canestrino tomato from Ligurian coast town of Albenga, just west of Genoa, in Northern Italy. When most people think of saucing or roasting tomatoes they think of the long slender Romas or San Marzanos from the bright sun and scorching heat of southern Italy. In the north, however they tend to take a different shape: big, 10-16 oz pleated teardrops with meaty centers and narrow seed cavities around the margins. In our experience these northern tomatoes are often better adapted to the PNW and develop superior flavor in our cool maritime growing season. Albenga was the tomato that we kept coming back to all season at the farm when it was time for a stew of white beans, kale, and roasted tomatoes, pasta e fagioli, or a just simple rustic pasta sauce. It featured heavily in many of our most memorable meals of the harvest. They are excellent sliced and eaten raw, but the variety really shines with roasting, as it brings out the savory richness of flavor. In the field the vines are stout and vigorous with a great uniform growing habit for two leader pruning. It showed better crack and blossom end rot resistance than the other oxheart we grew this summer, with a good fruit set and a fairly concentrated mid-late season harvest period. Indeterminate. 85 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
Fiascetto di Manduria Fiaschetto is a regional treasure of Puglia in Southeast Italy complete with its own designated Slow Food presidia. These small, 2-3 oz, plum shaped tomatoes with a slight nipple at the blossom end hang like grapes from the bushy determinate plants in such prolific quantities that we eventually had to just stop picking them because we couldn’t keep up with the pro-
46 cessing. In Puglia it is preferred even over the more famous San Marzano as the base of passata di pomodoro, an uncooked tomato sauce that emphasizes the freshness and fruitiness of the tomatoes. Here at the farm we put up several quarts of delicious sauce, but later found perhaps an even better use for it: drying. It is the perfect size for halving and dehydrating for enjoying in the winter months on your pastas and pizzas. The harvests are extremely early for a paste type and conveniently concentrated for processing purposes. The most productive plum/paste type we’ve grown and unlike many varieties of the hot Mediterranean south, well adapted to our climate. Determinate. 65-70 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00, 250 seeds $10.00, 1K $30.00
Northern Ruby Paste This variety was handed to us by Rowen White of Sierra Seed Cooperative at a seed swap a couple years back. Originally a Heintz variety, it has been maintained by a Montana seed steward with 20 years of selection for early maturity and a compact shape. In the field, it often seemed as though there was more tomato than plant to them. The very short (2-2.5’) bushy plants are nearly solid bricks of fruit starting to ripen very early and continuing for us until frost or blight does them in. In drier climates I would grow them without support, but with our maritime moisture and blight pressure, we’d recommend doing your best to keeping them as upright as possible. The fleshy fruit purees to a very creamy sauce with classic paste flavor. Very rare. Determinate. 70 days. UO Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50
Sheboygan *Ark of Taste Heirloom* We’ve been looking for a paste tomato that was not too mealy on the tongue, productive and early with a vibrant complex taste we wanted to eat fresh...Got it! Grown since the early part of the 20th century in Sheboygan, Wisconsin by Lithuanian immigrants, they have that lovely rich flavor imparted by so many heirloom tomatoes. Juicy and fresh yet excellent for sauce and paste. Very early and productive 4-6oz fruits with healthy indeterminate vines. 75-80 days. CF Packet: 30-35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
TURNIP (Brassica rapa)————————— **New for 2017** Tokyo Market Two years ago we set out on a quest to find a quality open pollinated alternative to the wildly popular hybrid ‘Hakurei’. Trialing through several cultivars of the pure white Japanese salad types, Tokyo Market stood tall above the rest. Usually harvested at radish size or a little larger, these pure white, round to slightly flattened roots are tender and sweet. A touch more mustard pungency than the purely sweet Hakureis, but we find that we like a little character in our salad turnips. Excellent appearance and uni-
Tomatoes/Turnips/Watermelon Salt Pickled Baby Turnips A delicious side dish to accompany Japanese inspired meals About 15 baby Tokyo Market turnips (radish size), washed and greens trimmed and set aside leaving a decorative stubble of stems still attached. 2 tbsp salt 1 lemon, zested 2 “Piccolo Rosso” (fresh or dried) or other small red chiles seeded and cut in thin rings or strips. Cut turnips lengthwise into thin discs, place in a bowl, and massage in 1 tbsp of the salt. When some of the liquid has been released, massage in half the lemon zest and 1 sliced chile. Cover and refrigerate. Cut greens into bite sized strips and gently massage in remaining salt, lemon zest, and chile until fully wilted. Cover and refrigerate. To serve: grab a handful of each, squeeze out any excess salt and moisture and serve side by side. Adapted from Nancy Singleton Hachisu’s excellent “Preserving the Japanese Way” formity with tender greens for sautéing and braising. 25-30 days. UO Packet: 1g $3.50
WATERMELON (Citrullus lanatus)———————–-Blacktail Mountain 2007, with its cool rainy non-summer and early fall will not go down in history as “The Year Of the Melon” in the PNW. While the idea of watermelon was not necessarily enticing on a 50 degree harvest day in the pouring rain, such conditions are the true test for what we can get away with, and even that year we were flush with sweet juicy red Blacktail melons. Our hot, dry 2009 season was chock full of these melons, over 200lbs from a 40’ row and 2014 and ‘15 were also winners! Icebox sized 4-8lb melons are very early and sweet with few seeds. Your best shot at a ripe red watermelon in our climate. Developed by Glenn Drowns, owner of the Sand Hill Preservation Center, in the late 70’s. Deliciously sweet and refreshing on many of those hot late-summer days. 70-75 days. CB very short supply, web only. Packet: 25 seeds $3.50
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Herbs
HERBS Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) This fragrant bushy 3-4’ plant is divine! Smelling sweetly of licorice and mint it greets the gardener/farmer, bee, butterfly, and hummingbird with long standing dense blooms of violet 3-8” flower spikes. The beneficial insects and pollinators it will introduce to your garden are reason enough to add it to your list. Both the leaves and flowers can be used fresh or dried in teas, and salads and are equally wonderful as a cut flower. Tea made from Anise Hyssop is a cooling drink on a hot summer day. Bees freak for this. Good luck getting any away from them! Perennial. 65 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
Basil “Italian Large Leaf” (Ocimum basilicum) This is one large, lovely, and lush Genovese-type basil. Growing to a height of 24” and producing large, tender, and sweetly fragrant leaves, it remains our basil of choice for making pesto and wherever basil is called for. Slow to bolt and quick to regrow after cuttings. Leaves up to 4” long. 70-80 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 1/8oz $5.00
Basil, “Sacred” -See “Tulsi”-
**New for 2017** Blue Fenugreek (Trigonella caerulea) Long a fan of fenugreek as a pizza topping, our friend Sarah Minnick of Portland pizza staple Lovely’s Fifty/Fifty had been sourcing the more common species (Trigonella foenum-graecum) from local farms around the city. Since that species requires a too long a season to reliably produce seed in the northwest, growers have been dependent on illadapted varieties, mostly from hot arid climates like Egypt, and India. During a visit to the north of Italy she met a baker who grew, in addition to his own grains, a species of fenugreek adapted to the shorter alpine growing season there, for use in the traditional Tyrolean bread Pustrer Breatln. Connecting us at Uprising Seeds with Italian friend Myrta, an exchange of seeds was facilitated and the great PNW blue fenugreek project was begun. In addition to bread the herb is also used to flavor alpine cheeses in neighboring Switzerland, and is used extensively in Georgian cuisine as an ingredient in the spice mix khmeli suneli. It has an amazing fragrance of maple syrup, and a complex, mildly bitter flavor. The first season of growing it in the PNW was a complete success both for fresh herb production as well as seed. Also known as Sweet Trefoil. 50-60 days. UO Packet 200 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $8.00, 1oz $22.00
47 **Back!** Borage (Borago officinalis) Besides being extremely easy to grow, very hardy, and edible, this flower, virtually glows in the garden and is adored by bees and beneficial insects. Reminiscent of a shooting star in shape and a mild cucumber in taste, borage will produce continuous flower clusters that we and the bees adore. The flowers, which are said to induce courage, open blue and slowly turn purple and then pink before they drop. Borage will survive light frosts and will self sow. 2’ bushy plants. 60-70 days. TR Please check website for availability
Cilantro “Pokey Joe” (Coriandrum sativum) Pokey Joe’s triumphant return to the seed trade! This variety was brought to our attention by Scott Chichester of Nash’s Farm in Sequim, WA. The quality of taste is too often neglected in the modern seed trade. Pokey has all the attractive field qualities of more well known “Santo” (AKA “Slowbolt”) but just plain tastes better. It beat it handily in a recent variety trial held by the Organic Seed Alliance. Why do such varieties disappear from the trade…? Who knows, but we are working to bring back the best of them. As far as we can find, we are now the exclusive source of this gem. Great insectary plant as well, if allowed to bloom. Aphid eating syrphid flies love this. Rare. 50 days. UO Packet: (150 Seeds) $3.50, 1oz $9.00,
Chervil “Vertissimo” (Anthriscus cerefolium) Originally native to the Caucuses and spread widely by the Romans, chervil is a lovely aromatic herb with a delicate, fern-like appearance and bright yet subtle anise seed flavor. Very popular in France, it is part of the herb mixture known as “fines herbes”, a mainstay of French cuisine. Often used to season egg, seafood, and vegetable based dishes, it is also more and more finding a home in specialty salad mixes, where it lends a wonderful flavor and texture. “Vertissimo” is selected for rapid regrowth after cutting making it well suited to commercial production in addition to home scale use. 60 days. UO Packet : 1g (~500 seeds) $3.50, 1/2oz $7.00, 1oz $12.00
Chamomile, German (Matricaria recutita) These little daisy-like flowers native to Europe, Asia, and Africa have been used as a calming, digestive tea for centuries. Cheery blooms sit atop low growing (18”-24”) lacy foliage and will happily reseed if allowed to mature. Wonderful fragrance both fresh and dried. 65-75 days. CF Packet: 200 seeds $3.50
Dill “Goldkrone” (Anethum graveolens) Goldkrone is a vigorous yet slow to bolt variety excellent for both fresh leaf and (later) seed head production. Fresh dill is indispensable in our summer and fall kraut making, while seed umbels find their way into our various pickling projects. A lovely architec-
48 tural plant in the garden, Goldkrone can grow quite tall so give it some space if allowing it to mature to umbel stage. Unique in flower arrangements too! 45days. CF Packet: 1/2g (~250 seeds) $3.50
Echinacea “Purple Coneflower” (Echinacea purpurea) Native to the North American plains, Echinacea has become a household name and the ambassador of herbal medicine for its use in stimulating the immune system. Purpurea is the easiest of the Echinacea family to grow, requiring no prior cold treatment for germination. A visually stunning perennial reaching a height of 3’, each plant produces several flower stalks topped with the characteristic cone shaped centers and drooping purple petals. Third year roots are most often used for medicinal purposes. Unless started very early, blooms second year and thereafter. Slugs LOVE the fresh new growth so keep an eye on these! Perennial. UO/SM Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) Lovely scented perennial Mediterranean herb in the mint family. 16-24” tall and around with long stems of deep blue-violet flowers. Forms neat mounds and is easily shaped for borders. Dried aerial parts medicinally used in cough syrups and teas for bronchitis and sore throats as well as for colds and flu. Leaves may be added to salads and soups. Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) If any of you are prone to long lasting coughs and sore throats in the winter months, you’ll want this perennial herb in your garden. Large white flowers with big soft leaves reaching a height of 6-8’ make this herb hard to miss or resist. Both the roots and leaves are gentle expectorants and soothing to the throat and urinary tract. Perennial. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Mentuccia Romana (Calamintha nepeta) Growing wild throughout much of central and southern Italy, mentuccia has a low sprawling appearance similar to oregano with brilliant green slightly fuzzy leaves. The flavor is often described as somewhat of a cross between oregano or marjoram and a pure mint, with unique herbal and savory undertones beneath the more forward menthol notes. Popular in Tuscany, it is often used with dishes featuring mushrooms or fatty meats. In southern Italy it is sometimes brewed for tea or used to flavor cheeses. In Rome it is used for Carciofi alla Romana: artichoked stuffed with bread crumbs, garlic mentuccia, and olive oil and braised in white wine. The plant likes well drained soil and sunshine, but generally needs little and is unfussy. A short lived perennial it will claim its spot in the garden by reseeding, but not in a quest-to-world-domination type way. Its delicate pink blooms are very popu-
Herbs LA PASTA DELL’ ARCHITETTO When our Italian friend Myrtha visited the farm last summer, she was excited to see we were growing mentuccia and insisted on cooking this delicious dish for all of us. We asked for the recipe and she shared the story behind it: “Here is the recipe. It is from Giusto Occhipinti from COS [winery] in Sicily. I consider him as my uncle and we cooked this together. He used to be an architect, so he named it "la pasta dell' architetto" - when he was studying architecture his fridge was always empty, except for parmigian and some eggplants sitting forever on the counter.... Mentuccia was always available since it grows wild in Sicily.” For 4 persons: Pasta type: maccheroncini or rigatoni 1 medium sized, firm eggplant ( I like the round ones that are partially white), cubed in 1/2 inch pieces A handful of salted capers, soaked to get rid of excess salt 2-3 handful of mentuccia leaves 1 cup of fresh extra virgin olive oil 1-2 hot peppers 1-2 garlic cloves 2 cups if grated parmigian Lightly chop mentuccia and capers, peppers, garlic ( leave them whole, only a little squeezed), mix with olive oil in a big bowl and let macerate. Bring pasta water to boil and salt well. Cook the pasta together with the eggplant cubes. Once the pasta is done, get it out and toss it in the big bowl with the other ingredients that where macerating. Make sure to take out the garlic cloves. Add parmigian and toss again. Ready to be served!
lar with the pollinator crowd and at its peak last year on the farm, it was a who’s who of bees, butterflies, and beneficials. A lovely addition to any kitchen herb garden. Hardy to zone 5. Perennial. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Mexican Tarragon (Tagetes lucida) Dating back to at least the 16th century, native to Guatemala and Mexico and known by many names such as Mexican Mint Marigold, Sweet Mace, Winter Tarragon and Cloud Plant. A tender perennial in warmer zones, with a flavor reminiscent of French tarragon but with a touch more anise/licorice taste and small, vibrant yellow, edible flowers to brighten up just about anything come late summer through frost. I know I know, do you really need another herb in your garden? Yes, yes you do. It’s not just me, the bees and beneficials concur. It has a long and storied history that we
Herbs encourage you to read up on when you have a moment (including being part of a ritual Aztec powdered medicine that was blown in the faces of human sacrifices!). Plants so often offer more than first meets the eye. Heat and drought tolerant. Hardy in zones 8-10 and can grow to 3’. 8090 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50, 250 seeds $10, 1000 seeds $28
Mustard, “Yellow Seed” (Sinapsis alba) So every year I get a little, ahem.., obsessive about certain food “projects”. I decided mustard from scratch would be a delicious side project during some so called, “down time”. Growing the mustard seed, making the cider vinegar, using other goodies and spices from the farm to further flavor. So, I have a tendency to go overboard and in doing so grew about a lifetimes supply of yellow mustard seed. Now yellow seed is usually just a portion of finer mustards, the balance being the more assertive and spicy black and brown seed. Recipes abound and its easier to make than you’d expect. Our chipotle mustard was a hit (with home smoked Hot Portugal peppers). I hope to make a truffled mustard. The possibilities are endless. You should try some, ‘cause otherwise I don’t know what we’re going to do with all these seeds. Our plot yielded about 20#/100’ bed. Easy to grow and thresh. UO Packet: 2g $3.50, 1oz $6.00, 1/4lb $12.00, 1lb $25.00
Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) Mullein is one those plants that we see all the time on the sides of roads and in overgrown urban lots, but we don’t even notice it until it is in the context of a flower or herb garden. I can’t tell you how many people have exclaimed “What is THAT?” pointing at the mandala-like wooly leaves and 7+’ tall golden flower spike of a mullein plant in the garden by our front door. Extremely cheerful and resilient the biennial plants throw their flowers in their second year. Great medicinal plant for the occasional ear infection as the flowers infused in olive oil are both soothing and antibacterial. Mullein has diuretic, analgesic, expectorant, and antiseptic properties. Another herb that is terrific for soothing the throat, bronchi and lungs. Internal and external uses. Biennial. UO Packet: 150 seeds $3.50
Nigella “Black Cumin” (Nigella sativa) Grown throughout the Middle East and also known as Blessed Seed, Herb from Heaven, Black Seed, Roman Coriander, Black Caraway, Black Onion Seed, Kalonji, Corek Otu, Ketzah, Chaveux de Venus, etc. and referenced in the Old Testament, ancient Islamic and Greek literature, found in Egyptian tombs... One of the most revered seeds in history and used today as condiment and medicine (parasites, fever, water retention…) with enough uses to fill a large book. I encourage you to take a look when you have ample time to devote to the subject! Growing to a height of 8-12”,
49 slightly bushy and delicate with white-whitish blue flowers complimented by slightly purple stamens and a lovely seed pod. Small And Mighty. Ethereally beautiful. Very aromatic seeds with a warming, exotic flavor that harkens to the cuisines of North Africa and the middle east. One of the seeds that got us started on our seed saving track, we have been growing this since before it could be found in practically any seed catalogue. Still rare. While this plant is drought tolerant it also appreciated some care when being transplanted and enough water to deal with the change. 60-70 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Parsley “Moss Curled” -Back in 2018-
Parsley “Italian Flatleaf” (Petroselenum crispum) At Wild Garden Seed this strain is known as, “Survivor” for its proven ability to make it through some of the harsher winters in the Willamette Valley. Selected upon since 1980 it is very hardy, deep green, and disease resistant with a sweet full flavor. The choice variety for culinary as opposed to garnishing purposes. 75 days. Biennial. WGS Packet: .5g (~175 seeds) $3.50
Sculpit (Silene inflata) We were seriously charmed by this culinary oddity when we first tried it in 2011. Guaranteed NOT to be the next big thing anytime soon, Sculpit (AKA “stridolo”, bladder campion, or maidenstears) is for the adventurous lover of the esoteric. An aromatic leaf-herb all but unknown outside its native Italy where it is revered, it is used to season egg dishes, risottos, and salads with a flavor likened to a combination of tarragon, arugula, and radicchio. Very ornamental it has small unusually stunning balloon like flowers fringed with white petals that pollinators go wild for. We loved watching the bees climb fully out of sight into the balloon part of the flower. Highly recommended, we loved this plant. Perennial UO Packet: ~300 seeds $3.50
Tulsi (Sacred Basil, Holy Basil) (Ocimum sanctum aka O. tenuiflorum) Considered India’s “Queen of Herbs” and cultivated for over 5,000 years for both religious and medicinal purposes. Used in Aryuvedic medicine for its classification as an adaptogenic herb (tonic herb) that supports ones natural immune system while simultaneously relieving stress and bringing balance. An important herb in the Hindu religion, Tulsi is considered a goddess in plant form and is often found growing in a prominent location in the gardens or homes in India. Interestingly as Tulsi traveled westward into Europe and found its way into the Christian religions it became known as the “King of Herbs” and eventually sacred or holy basil hence its Latin name. Medicinal use of Tulsi leaves are far reaching and include, fever, cough, stress, headaches, skin disorders… The smell is pun-
50 gent, spicy, and minty with a slight hint of sweet basil and cloves. Tulsi is a favorite forage plant for bees and we absolutely love watching it grow and flower profusely. Like any herb you’d like to see grow bigger and bushier, pinch off flower buds as they appear. 80-100 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 500 seeds $10.00, 1000 seeds $14.00
GRAINS Barley “Tibetan Purple Hulless” (Hordeum vulgare) An incredibly ornamental variety from the Himalayas, both in the field and the kitchen. Following a surge of interest in small scale grain growing in our area, Tibetan purple is one of our first experiments. Grain heads are purple with long decorative awns. At almost 3’ tall a patch of these in the breeze is something to behold. The deep purple hulless grain is relatively easy to thresh by hand and foot. Resists lodging. Great in soups or for barley risotto. A stunner. 90-110 days. UO Packet: 1/2oz $3.50
Flax, “Omega” (Linum usitatissimum) Multi-branching, slender 2-3’stems with small sky blue flowers. Quite cheery as they sway in the wind. Plant in blocks for a nice effect and for easy reseeding the next season. Golden colored, large flax seeds high in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, fiber, and lignans. Great for using either ground into meal or whole. Pleasing nutty taste. Drought tolerant. 60-70 days. UO Packet: 200 seeds $3.50, 1oz $6.00, 1/4lb $18.00
Oats (Hulless), “Terra” (Avena nuda) This variety was brought to our attention by Maine grower Will Bonsall who has worked extensively with small scale grain production. Probably the best of the hulless oats in terms of production, grain size, and resistance to lodging. Early and easy to thresh. Send through a roller for oatmeal, or coarsely through a grain grinder for steel cut oats. Ornamental airy filler for bouquets as well. 100 days. UO Packet: 1oz $3.50, 1/2lb $12.00
Grains/Flowers: Amaranth where it is in the field as it is virtually indistinguishable from its weedy cousin in the early vegetative stage. “Red Head” is a selection by Frank Morten out of some of the first wave of imported quinoa to withstand potentially wet and cool fall harvest times, something it doesn’t often face in the Andes. It has a more open head structure and resistance to premature seed sprouting in wet weather near harvest time. Rinsing grains through several changes of water before cooking (until water no longer appears soapy) will help remove bitter saponin coating. 90-110 days. UO OSSI Packet: ~300 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $5.00, 1oz 10.00
Wheat “Black Eagle” (Tritcum aestivum) This beautiful ornamental wheat was brought to our attention by ID grower and friend Beth Rasgorshek. At one point fairly common in the commercial trade, it has somewhat fallen off the map of late. Technically a six row spring wheat, and a fairly productive one at that, it is most commonly grown as an ornamental and filler on account of its black-tinted heads and graceful long awns. Holds its color especially well if not overwatered. Our thanks to ID seed saver, Thumbs Heath. 95 days. CB Packet: 1oz $3.50, 1/4lb $5.00, 1lb $10.00
Wheat “Ethiopian Blue Tinge” (Tritcum aestivum) Two decades ago Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds in BC brought back two seed heads of a variety of emmer wheat from an agricultural visit to Ethiopia and began multiplying it out and sending it to other growers. It is now grown on significant acreage from CA north to BC. An excellent yielding early variety, it has an interesting bluish hue to the berries and seedheads. The grain has very high protein content at up to 16% but does not generally develop much useable gluten to make it a good stand alone bread flour. It is wonderfully flavorful cooked as a whole grain and is even being used commercially by at least one company for pasta. Grows to about 4’ in height. 90-95 days. UO Packet: 1oz $3.50
FLOWERS
Quinoa “Red Head” (Chenopodium quinoa) Staple grain of the Andean Altiplano where it was domesticated 3-4000 years ago (and was second only to the potato in dietary importance), quinoa was fairly unknown in the US until the 1980’s. Quinoa is an amazing and delicious food. High in protein (12-18%) as well as being a complete protein (rare in the plant world), it boasts a low glycemic index rating (good for diabetics), is gluten free (for celiac sufferers), high in iron, magnesium and fiber, and even rescues kittens from tall trees. It is pretty unfussy and a visually beautiful plant in bloom. A close relative to the common weed, lambquarters, we actually recommend transplanting quinoa so you can know with certainty
**New for 2017** Amaranth “Coral Fountains” (Amaranthus caudatus) Amaranths have long been among our favorite ornamental and edible plants in the garden, their plumed earth-toned seed heads are the embodiment of the harvest season. Coral Fountains is a new addition to our collection and reminds us of an earthy, coral pink -colored version of our longtime favorite “Love Lies Bleeding”. Impressively sturdy, branching 4’ plants feature long trailing central seed heads that are dramatic in floral centerpieces with smaller, secondary and tertiary branches that make lovely additions to bouquets. Like all amaranths, both the fresh young leaves and mature
Flowers: Amaranth-Bee’s Friend seeds are nutritional powerhouses. 60-70 days. UO Packet: 150 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $10.00, 1oz $28.00, 1/4 lb $75.00, 1lb $150.00
Amaranth “Hot Biscuits” (Amaranthus cruentus) You will be surprised by this gorgeous and graceful amaranth. Its warm, golden orange branching plumes stand upright and approximately 4’ tall. Branching stems allow for multiple cuttings from one plant. Also known for its edible seed, Amaranth has been grown for over 8,000 years and was a staple food of the Aztecs. Very high in many nutrients. Buff colored seed. 80 days. UO Packet: 150 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $10.00, 1oz $28.00, 1/4 lb $75.00, 1lb $150.00
51 deep dark garnet blooms held high amidst silvery green foliage. Bushy branching plants make wonderful long stemmed cut flowers and the edible petals are lovely for fancying up a salad or desert. One of the coolest looking seeds around, to boot. Similar (or possibly even the same) as the cultivar “Garnet Gem”. 60 days. UO Packet: 75 seeds $3.50
Bachelor’s Button “Florist Blue Boy”
O, how the birds will love you! Grow all four, let them dry on the plant and watch the feasting begin! Packets are a mix of the above four varieties. Packet: 150 seeds $3.50
(Centaurea cyanus) It’s probably not the norm for most people to delve into the nomenclature of their flowers but we think it’s pretty darn cool. Because guess what? Those Latin names, they all mean something! But first things first... reaching a height of 2-3’ these brilliant icy blue double flowered beauties brought to America in the 17th cent from England were once a common field weed (hence another of their names “cornflower”) but are now quite hard to find in the wild. Edible petals retain their color after drying and can be used as a compress for your tired, swollen eyes and as an ingredient for a facial steam. Fresh or dried they are lovely added to salads, tea mixes, cake decorations and anywhere a touch of blue would be welcomed including your watercolor paintings. They are a drought tolerant self sowing annual and will happily naturalize. An attractor of bees and butterflies and, as you may gather from the Latin name, many a fine story. According to Greek legend, Cyanus was a youth smitten with Chloris (Flora), the goddess of flowers. Such was his devotion that the lad spent every moment gathering blue flowers for her alter, neglecting his own health and alas, perished in a field of millet. In a show of love she then turned him into the flower itself which just so happens to grow wonderfully among grains. (hence it’s persistence in romantic lore to this day.) As for Centaurea, this derives from the great Centaur Chiron who was gravely wounded by an arrow dipped in the toxic blood of the Hydra. He cured his festering wound by making a compress of bachelor button petals. There’s so much more! I will leave it to you to gather (or not) more stories as you gaze upon these lovely and long lasting beauties. 60 days. UO Packet: 75 seeds $3.50
Anise Hyssop
Bee’s Friend (Bienen-Freund)
(Agastache foeniculum) This fragrant bushy 3-4’ plant is divine! Smelling sweetly of licorice and mint it greets the gardener/farmer, bee, butterfly, and hummingbird with long standing dense blooms of violet 3-8” flower spikes. The beneficial insects and pollinators it will introduce to your garden are reason enough to add it to your list. Both the leaves and flowers can be used fresh or dried in teas and salads and are equally wonderful as a cut flower. Tea made from Anise Hyssop is a cooling drink on a hot summer day. Bees freak for this. Good luck getting any away from them! Perennial. 65 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
(Phacelia tanacetifolia ) Ok. Yeah, yeah I know. Your Anise Hyssop attracts a lot of bees, and your Borage too. But honestly, you ain’t seen nothing until you plant a swath of this in your garden. Put in a clump of it and if there is a bee within 2 miles of your garden it will come, and if there are lots of bees living nearby….you will HEA R the patch 50’ before you get there. It’s ridiculous really. When we first started growing it, we actually started to worry at the farm that the other crops wouldn’t get pollinated because the bees were spending all their time in the Phacelia. It’s a lovely plant to boot, with lacey fern like leaves and a fiddle head of buds that unfurl with a succession of delicate lavender blooms. Attracts aphidhungry syrphid flys in droves and fuctions well as aphid control when co-planted in alternating beds
Amaranth “Love Lies Bleeding” *Heirloom* (A. caudatus) A lovely and unique plant both in the garden and vase standing 4-5’ tall with cascading cherry red blooms. Flowers last until frost and are also beautiful dried. Also known as Inca Wheat and dating back to before the 16th century. A dramatic name for a very dramatic plant. Edible red seed. 60-70 days. UO Packet: 150 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $10.00, 1oz $28.00, 1/4lb $75.00
Amaranth Opopeo *Heirloom* (A. hybridus) An amazing backdrop to your flower or vegetable garden, Opopeo continues growing taller and taller (5-6’) with an abundance of deep burgundy flower spikes. An incredible and generous cut flower with one or more larger main heads and many side shoots. The dark green/burgundy leaves are edible when young. Edible cream colored edible seeds 60-65 days. UO Packet: 150 seeds $3.50, 1/4oz $10.00
Amaranth Mix
Bachelor’s Button “Black Ball” (Centaurea cyanus) Black ball is a stunning selection of this classic cottage garden flower with
52 with blocks of brassicas. High quality pollen and nectar. Flowers over a long period of time. Excellent fallow cover and green manure. Delightful. Wonderful. Love it. 75-85 days. UO Packet: 250 seeds $3.50, 1oz $8.00
Borage (Borago officinalis) Besides being extremely easy to grow, very hardy, and edible, this flower, virtually glows in the garden and is adored by bees and beneficial insects. Reminiscent of a shooting star in shape and a mild cucumber in taste, borage will produce continuous flower clusters that we and the bees adore. The flowers, which are said to induce courage, open blue and slowly turn purple and then pink before they drop. Borage will survive light frosts and will self sow. 2’ bushy plants. 60-70 days. TR -Please check website for availability-
Calendula Mix (Calendula officinalis) It’s difficult to be grumpy in a patch of calendula. These plants are like old friends you can always come back to for good cheer and an unabashedly sunny outlook on life. Our mix spans oranges, yellows, whites, and flashback types (with red backs to the petals) all crossing freely to create this diverse gene pool. Easy to grow and happily reseeds to claim its corner in the garden year after year. Often used as a medicinal herb in hand salves for its healing qualities for abrasions and cracked skin. 55 days. WF, WGS Packet: 50 seeds $3.50, 1oz $18.00
Calendula “Zeolights” (C. officinalis) We love our cheery mix of yellow, orange and pale petal calendula varieties (above) but if we had to pick our favorite single strain this would be it. Selected out of the “flashback” line of calendulas that have streaks of red on the undersides of the petals, Zeolights has huge fully doubled pale colored blooms. The pointed petals have a unique layered quality giving them a finely cut mandala like appearance. Very elegant and slightly later blooming than most of the mix. 60 days. WGS Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
Cerinthe “Pride of Gibraltar” (Cerinthe major) I spy on my neighbor. So as not to overwhelm her with all my questions and inundate her with my child's pleading eyes and loud whisperings of, “Just one flower mama, I will just ask for one”, I spy. Under cover of bicycle, raincoat, and sunglasses I bike by, veering only at the last moment, as if on a whim, to catch a glimpse of what she has created. It is always a pleasure and I always leave too soon. These come from one such encounter. Purple tipped green leaves, cascading bracts of dark and then light purple flowers, waxy and almost succulent stems...humans, bees and hummingbirds were all smitten. 24-30” tall reseeding annual. Perfect planted among succulents, in a border, a flowerbox, a bouquet… blooms from midsummer on to medium frosts. One of our favorite flower discoveries, this native of the Greek
Flowers: Borage-Coreopsis Islands is somewhat rare and absolutely unique. 50-60 days. UO Packet: 25 seeds $3.50
Ruby Parfait, Wheat Celosia (Celosia argentea spicata) Goodness gracious how I love names. Now we all know what a parfait is, or do we…?! I for instance was unaware until this very moment that a parfait in the UK can also refer to a meat paste made from duck or chicken livers and flavored with liqueurs. Mmmmmmmm. This is most decidedly not what the creator of this name was going for. Moving on… These are lovely (once you leave the worrisome name behind) flowers and quite easy to grow although we beseech you to sow these ever so tiny seeds in some sort of vessel you can lovingly keep track of as they work their magic underground. 2-3” arrow shaped spikes of deep pink flowers poke up in a profuse mass atop the 2-3’ plants. Wonderful for cutting with a long vase life of or if you’d rather leave them be, lovely in a garden and perfect in a flower pot as their spread is but 18” or so. Attractive to butterflies but not so much to deer who much rather prefer your carefully tended, crisp and delicious lettuce buffet. Also attractive to and nutritious for people! A member of the Amaranth family, Celosia argentea is grown as a leaf vegetable and cereal crop in West and Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. In southern Nigeria, it is the most important leaf vegetable and is known as sokoyokoto (Lagos spinach). So sow away. And by all means, rename. 90-95 days. CF Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
Cleome “Violet Queen” *Heirloom* (C. hasslerana) Yet another flower that will beckon both bees and hummingbirds to your garden but watch out for the thorny stems! Also known as Spider flower, a name most likely given due to the long stamens (46”!) that protrude from each whorl of purple flowers resembling spider legs. Grows 4-6’ high producing one huge main flower spike with many flower covered side branches. Very pungent and musky smell and very statuesque! 7080 days. UO Packet: 75 seeds $3.50
Coreopsis “Roulette” (Coreopsis tinctoria) A newer discovery for us, this carefree plant lends itself to natural wildflower gardenscapes and mass plantings. 3’ airy plants with sprays of mahogany red semidoubled blooms, partly rolled petals and contrasting yellow color. This 2009 Fleuroselect Gold medal winner is beautiful as a cut flower filler in bouquets. Drought tolerant, unattractive to deer, and freely reseeding. Yes. Yes. Yes. (Not totally stable-throws an occasional yellow flowering plant). 65-75 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Order Online at: www.uprisingorganics.com
Flowers: Cosmos-Diablo
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Cosmos “Diablo”
Flax “Omega”
*Heirloom* (Cosm os sulphureus) A differ ent species than the taller, more common cosmos, Diablo showcases bright scarlet/orange, semidouble blooms atop graceful 4-5’tall and 2-3’ wide plants. Easy to grow and will brighten any corner of your garden. Wonderful as a cut flower. Striking and vivid color. Native to Mexico and introduced to English horticulture in the 18th century. 75 days. UO Packet: 75 seeds $3.50
(Linum usitatissimum) Multi-branching, slender 2-3’stems with small sky blue flowers. Quite cheery as they sway in the wind. Plant in blocks for a nice effect and for easy reseeding the next season. Golden colored, large flax seeds high in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, fiber, and lignans. Great for using either ground into meal or whole. Pleasing nutty taste. Drought tolerant. 60-70 days. UO Packet: 200 seeds $3.50, 1oz $6.00, 1/4lb $18.00
**New for 2017** Cosmos “Snow Puff”
Foxglove “Wild Cascades”
(Cosmos bipinnatus) Spectacular 3-4’ tall and wide plants covered with a dense carpet of semi double to double white flowers. The more you cut them the more flowers they will make from spring through late fall! Cutting back the first few flower buds will lead to a lovely plant structure and more profuse and doubled blooms earlier on. Throws an occasional blushed pink and we will continue selecting for pure white. Very popular with farmer/florists. 75-90 days. UO Packet: 75 seeds $3.50, 250 seeds $8.50, 1000 seeds $25.00
(Digitalis purpurea) These beautiful flowers come to you from the wilds of Whatcom County! The white and pink foxgloves that dot the hills and roadsides and rush to fill in otherwise vacant and recently cleared land could be yours. Long lasting showy perennials and one of the first flowers to look forward to in early summer. If you do not already have hummingbirds visiting your garden, these beauties will lure them in to stay. Blooms second year. Please remember that All parts of this plant are a potent herb and poisonous if incorrectly ingested! Biennial. UO Packet: 150 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Didiscus “Lacy Blue”
Foxglove, “Giant Yellow Herold”
(Trachymene coerulea) Very similar in appearance to Queen Anne’s Lace with the distinction of having a sweet scented sky blue domed umbel 2-4” across. 18-36”tall plants are ideal for cutting, lasting at least a week in a vase and blooming June through Sept (October if it has not frosted yet) in the field. We grew these for market bouquets years ago, loved them then and are finally bringing the seed to you! 95 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
Echinacea “Purple Coneflower” (Echinacea purpurea) Native to the North American plains Echinacea has become a household name and the ambassador of herbal medicine for its use in stimulating the immune system. Purpurea is the easiest of the Echinacea family to grow, requiring no prior cold treatment for germination. A visually stunning perennial reaching a height of 3’, each plant produces several flower stalks topped with the characteristic cone shaped centers and drooping purple petals. Third year roots are most often used for medicinal purposes. Unless started very early, blooms second year and thereafter. Slugs LOVE the fresh green growth so keep your eye on these! Perennial. UO, SM Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Edible Flower Mix Nothing gussies up a dish presentation quite like a sprinkling of colorful edible flower petals. Our mix is roughly equal parts borage, calendula, batchelor’s buttons, and “Trailing Mix” and “Alaska” nasturtiums. All are fairly large seeded, easy to grow, and well suited to direct seeding. Thin to desired spacing (being sure to give the nasturtium plenty of space). Packet: 75-100 seeds $3.50
(Digitalis ferruginea) This lovely perennial foxglove, native to the Balkans has long found a cherished home in classic British Cottage gardens and for good reason. There is an understated and regal elegance to their stately spires of blooms. 5-6’ spikes emerge from a lily-like whorl of smooth lanceate leaves (quite different than the native PNW foxgloves) and open to soft mustard yellow blooms with finely detailed burgundy veining. Very much admired by the bees as well, this is among the loveliest new flower to grace our home garden. Pure class. Biennial, blooms second year. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Hollyhock “Black” (Alcea rosea var. nigra) For whatever reason I always think of Hollyhocks as an old fashioned flower growing happily alongside the outdoor “composting” toilet. I do not think that when I think of these! Of course there is not a thing wrong with the above image but these ones simply feel different. Nearly black flowers hold a certain allure, a certain unique and otherworldly mystery that sets them apart and demands our attention. As well, you must be patient and possess a certain amount of planning to manifest any short lived perennial. These will be worth your extra attention to detail. Deep purple/black velvety single blooms, second year, on 6-8’ stems. Provide staking and provide good air circulation to keep rust at bay. Cut off any infected leaves and try not to worry. For fun, look up how to make a hollyhock doll. Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about hollyhocks…Perennial. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
54 Larkspur “Blue Cloud” (C. regalis) One of our longtime favorites that we’ve had the pleasure of growing for over 13 years now You too will be immediately taken by the cloudlike drama of this plant. While it has a somewhat bushy habit, the foliage is so delicate, the flowers so profuse and richly purple/blue, that it remains graceful and open. Flowers form in sprays instead of one central stem. Wonderful as a cut flower and will continually re-bloom on the same stem as the spent pods. Pairs beautifully with Nicotiana. 24' tall/wide. This seed germinates best when given a 2wk cold treatment. Simply put packet in a plastic bag or glass jar and refrigerate. 75 days. TR Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Larkspur “Earl Grey” (Delphinium consolida) There is a hushed sort of perfection about stepping into a greenhouse on a rather dismal rainy day and being astonished by the haunting beauty that is Earl Grey. A dusty and silvery slate purple in color this is one that would do even better if you had a chance to stake them for the stalks are as tall as they are prolific. With almost 4’ spikes of flowers and with the continually giving nature of larkspurs, your summer bouquets will shine. A favorite cut flower both fresh and dried and very much suitable for greenhouse or field growing 90 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50, 250 seeds $7.50 1,000 seeds $15.00
Mallow “Pink Lavatera” (L. trimestris) Growing to a height of 3’ and spreading to about 2’ in all directions, Lavatera is covered in funnel shaped, rose pink, hibiscuslike blossoms and long buds in the midst of unfurling. These wonderful cut flowers have a habit of lasting long after the others have sadly withered. A very easy to grow member of the mallow family. 80-90 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 250 seeds $5.00
Marigold “French Brocade”
*Heirloom* (Tagetes patula) A very showy low growing (12-18”) marigold covered with beautiful red doubled blooms accented with oranges and gold's. Very elegant looking in a Baroque sort of way. Blooms fade to a lovely burnt orange. Very beneficial in the garden, marigolds have strong nemitodicidal properties. 60-70 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Marigold “Gems” (Tagetes tenuifolia) A very tidy and ridiculously cheerful (10-12”) mounding plant with a never ending display of petite marigold flowers ranging in colors from your classic deep reddish orange, dusty tangerine and lemon yellow. With their strong and slight citrusy smell (especially
Flowers: Larkspur-Nasturtium the yellows), brilliant colors and lacy foliage it’s no wonder they attract so many beneficials and predatory insects to the garden! Blooming until frost they are a lovely and long lasting addition to salads, pizzas, very small vases… and anywhere you want to brighten up your day straight through the first hard frost. Also known as Signet or Mexican marigolds and dating back to the late 1700’s in the Americas. Small, edible flowers and leaves. Drought tolerant. 60-70 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
Marigold “Pinwheel” *Heirloom* (T agetes patula) Dating back to the 17th century, this marigold continues to find a place in our garden each year. Each plant produces a profusion of cheerful blooms with red and yellow bicolor petals amidst fernlike leaves reaching a height of 3-4’! Stunning. 80-90 days. TR Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
Morning Glory “Grandpa Ott’s” *Heirloom* (I. purpurea) Now famous as the variety that set the Whealy’s on their path to eventually found the Seed Savers Exchange, Grandpa Ott’s is a real beauty. Of Bavarian origins, its purple trumpets have glowing magenta centers and a dark five pointed star pattern. Climbs over 10’ in a season with trellising and is covered with blooms until frost. May self sow but not in a “hell-bent on world domination” way, like some of its weedy relatives. 70 days .UO Packet: 40 seeds $3.50
Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) Mullein is one those plants that we see all the time on the sides of roads and in overgrown urban lots, but we don’t even notice it until it is in the context of a flower or herb garden. I can’t tell you how many people have exclaimed “What is THAT?” pointing at the mandala-like wooly leaves and 7+’ tall golden flower spike of a mullein plant in the garden by our front door. Extremely cheerful and resilient the biennial plants throw their flowers in their second year. Birds love the seeds as well which guarantees they will spread very little. Great medicinal plant for the occasional ear infection as the flowers infused in olive oil are both soothing and antibacterial. Mullein has diuretic, analgesic, expectorant, and antiseptic properties. Another herb that is terrific for soothing the throat, bronchi and lungs. Internal and external uses. Biennial. UO
**New for 2017** Nasturtium “Alaska” (Tropaeolum minus) When we used to grow production salad mix, we always had a special mix for restaurants that was a little more work to produce, but was just so beautiful with its diversity of shapes, colors, textures, and flavors. One of the cornerstones of the mix were the leaves of this variety. The shape alone of nasturtium foliage adds so much unique texture both in the
Flowers: Nasturtium-Poppy garden and a salad bowl, but the swirling, speckled galaxy of variegation found on each leaf of ‘Alaska’ is truly something special: an overlay of 3 or more shades ranging from creamy white through deep green , each one with a unique distribution of patterning. Like all nasturtiums it brings a peppery cress-like flavor to salad as well as a spectacular visual presentation to a plate. The flowers (also, of course, edible) range through yellows, oranges, salmon, and deep red. Alaska has a tidier, mounding, bushy habit than the trailing types. Popular with chefs and highly recommended! 60 days. UO Packet: 25-30 seeds $3.50, 1oz $7.50
55 exotic flavor that harkens to the cuisines of North Africa and the middle east. One of the seeds that got us started on our seed saving track, we have been growing this since before it could be found in practically any seed catalogue. Still rare. While this plant is drought tolerant it appreciated care while being transplanted and enough water to deal with the change. 60-70 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Nigella, “Delft Blue”
(Trapaeolum majus) Cheerful, easy to grow, edible, and long lasting nasturtiums have remained at the top of our list for as long as we’ve grown a garden. More of a place in the garden than a plant, these beauties can trail to over 8’ across and adorn their lush leafiness with a profusion of flowers in hues of red, orange, yellow, and salmon. Edible leaves and flowers add a sweet spiciness akin to watercress which when added to a sandwich or salad add a delightful bite and brightness. Immature seeds can be pickled and made into wonderfully tasty “poor man’s capers”. Plants and flowers will continually grow from early summer to late fall, can withstand a light to medium frost, and re-seed easily. Originally from South America, nasturtiums were brought to Spain in the 1500’s. 60-65 days. UO Packet: 25-30 seeds $3.50,
(Nigella papillosa) In our fast growing collection of nigella flowers, Delft Blue is the only one that is a mix of colors instead of any one distinct color. Very similar in habit and look to Exotica and with the same very decorative, magenta stamens, but with pure white, streaked blue, streaked purple, streaked grey and pure purple colored flowers. Named for the Dutch Delft Blue pottery and absolutely as stunning from the time they make their fine foliage straight through to the ornamental pods. What’s lovely about nigellas is their versatility. They excel as cut flowers being both long lasting in a bouquet (7-10 days) and in your garden. When their blooms are spent, the seed pods are equally as breathtaking. Like the rest of our nigellas they are fantastic at attracting pollinators and can be used as an edible flower (the seeds are also known to be used but are not quite the same in intensity as Nigella sativa). Keep the flowers cut and they will bloom and bloom from early spring straight through fall. Approx. 24” tall. 65-85 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 500 seeds $8.00
Nicotiana “Lime Green”
Nigella “Exotica”
Nasturtium “Trailing mix”
*Heirloom* (Nicotiana alata) Velvety green tobacco leaves give rise to flower spikes of nodding chartreuse trumpet flowers that glow in the any light. Add to that the absolutely intoxicating fragrance released into the evening air at dusk and continuing into the morning hours… *sigh* Each plant continually branches reaching a height of 3-4’ and produces masses of flowers. We suggest you plant a hedge…you will not be disappointed! A versatile cut flowers for arrangements. 75 days. UO Packet: ~150 seeds $3.50
(Nigella hispanica) Exotica is our favorite of the Nigella (Love In a Mist) family. The beautiful purple passionflower-like blooms make an outstanding and long lasting cut flower filler. Very delicate and abundant sprays with flowers that contrast from deep purple flower petals to dark purple centers to magenta stamens. Once the flowers are spent, the seed pods swell up into unusual and ornamental balloons. How can you resist? Based on all our nigellas we obviously cannot! 18-24” tall. 75-85 days. TR Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Nigella “Black Cumin”
Poppy, Breadseed “Danish Flag”
(Nigella sativa) Grown throughout the Middle East and also known as Blessed Seed, Herb from Heaven, Black Seed, Roman Coriander, Black Caraway, Black Onion Seed, Kalonji, Corek Otu, Ketzah, Chaveux de Venus, etc. and referenced in the Old Testament, ancient Islamic and Greek literature, found in Egyptian tombs... One of the most revered seeds in history and used today as condiment and medicine (parasites, fever, water retention…) with enough uses to fill a large book. I encourage you to take a look when you have ample time to devote to the subject! Growing to a height of 8-12”, slightly bushy and delicate with white-whitish blue flowers complimented by slightly purple stamens and a lovely seed pod. Small And Mighty. Ethereally beautiful. Very aromatic seeds with a warming,
*Heirloom* (Papaver somniferum) Why, Hellooo my brilliant red, white, and lacey friend! Not one to shy away from direct attention or compliments and sure to distract and titillate… perfect for the bedside table. Ahem. I mean the bees. Need I say more? Oh yes, a copious amount of seeds if you desire the addition to your sweets, your savories, your…Distinct white cross pattern over lipstick red, deeply cut petals. 3’ tall. 80-90 days. UO Packet: 300 seeds $3.50
Poppy, Breadseed “Ziar Breadseed” *Heirloom* (Papaver som niferum ) A culinar y poppy from the village of Ziar, Slovakia known for large seed heads filled with unusually sweet
56 grayish blue seeds. Seed heads have been bred to have closed vents on the sides preventing seeds from spilling onto the ground instead of making it into your bread. Approx. 4’ multiple stemmed, long lived plants producing pretty single petaled pale lavender/pink flowers with darker centers. 90 days. UO Packet: 300 seeds $3.50, 1g $5.00
Flowers: Poppy-Salvia poppies and have been wanting the simplicity of pure white, this is it. Stunning ghostly white orbs of finely toothed petals hover over grey/ green foliage. You may decide you need a hedge. You may decide a few will do. Either way, you will have made a good decision. Approximately 3’ tall Shared with us by the good folks at Stellar Seeds in BC. 80-90 days. UO Packet: 300 seeds $3.50
Poppy, California “California Mix” (Eschscholzia californica) Long lasting colors ranging from pastel to richly hued shades of cream, orange, rose, mustard and violet. Our mix throws some truly beautiful, unique color combinations, and some striking pleated chiffon textures. Keeps on setting new blooms throughout the summer and way into fall. Low growing at approx. 12-15”. One of our absolute favorite field flowers. 55-60 days. UO Packet: 300 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Poppy, Iceland “Pastel Meadows” (Papaver nudicaule) After a few years of flower selection we are thrilled to offer this diverse color population created from the popular commercial cultivar “Meadow Pastels”. There is nothing quite like Iceland poppies. Long stems, flowers like translucent stained glass, and more blooms then you will ever keep up with. The flower texture appears like crushed silk and the simple hypnotic sight of a patch in the slightest breeze will make you happy you planted them. Colors range is from white, cream, yellow, orange, salmon, and rose. We always sow indoors in April, transplant out a few weeks later, and have blooms through July. A wonderful cut flower selected for long sturdy stems that last upwards of a week if cut in cracked bud stage and dipped in boiling water or seared. 16-20” stems. A bit of confusion as to their biennial/perennial classification but we’ve always grown them here as annuals with great luck! 60- 75 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Poppy, Peony “Black Swan” (Papaver somniferum var. laciniatum) Stunning. Deep purple verging on black poppies with finely cut, frilly petals. 4’ tall and a necessity in your garden. 80-90 days. UO Packet: 300 seeds $3.50, 1g $7.00
Poppy, Peony “Flemish Antique” *Heirloom* (Papaver som niferum var. paeoniflorum) A show stopper. Even flower farming veterans were astonished by these beauties when touring our home farm in past years. Impossibly huge peony-like pastel blooms from white to rose to deep purple. Not pastel like easter kitsch, but pastel like classy Victorian. The gene pool spans singles and doubles, many with frilly deeply serrated petals. Very top heavy, 3-4’ plants benefit from staking or dense cluster-planting for support. Old and rare variety. 80 days. UO Packet: 300 seeds $3.50, 1g $5.00
Poppy, Peony “Frilled White” (Papaver somniferum var. laciniatum) If you love
Poppy, Shirley “Cornfield” (Papaver rhoeas) We are told that these grow wild as common field weeds in the south of France. Charming. We get lettuce thistle and the French get pretty little red poppies. So. Not. Fair. A sprinkle of seeds here, a sprinkle there. Wait. Smile and feel joy. Long blooming, lower growing to 1-1.5’. 55-65 days. UO Packet: 300 seeds $3.50, 1g $5.50
**New for 2017** Poppy, Shirley “Mother of Pearl” (Papaver rhoeas) AKA “Cedric Morris,” named after the late accomplished painter, plant breeder and gardening enthusiast. Like many of his sumptuous paintings, these beauties were selected by him for their muted, smokey tones, their distinction being their subtlety. Pearly whites, roses, lavenders and speckled petals, many with picoteed edges, and the most incredible colors of pollen we have ever seen. UO Packet: 300 seeds $3.50, 1g $5.50
**New for 2017** Rudbeckia “Prairie Sun” (Rudbeckia hirta) Brian has long been an adoring fan of this variety for its joyously sunny disposition. Blooming until frost (which came so late this year), they were a source of sunshine amidst the grey skies and die-down of the fall fields. Sturdy rosettes of fuzzy grey-green, lanceolate leaves stretch upwards with many branching stems of 4-6” yellow, daisy-like flowers with sage green centers. Most plants feature two toned petal coloring which yields a concentric patterning to the flowers from green centers to darker and then lighter yellow petals. Easy-togrow plants grow to about waist height and require little maintenance. Unabashedly cheerful in bouquets they bring the feeling of sunflowers in a smaller, more manageable package. An AAS and Fleuroselect winner, Prairie Sun has been a specialty cut-flower mainstay for years. 95 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50, 500 seeds $14.00
Salvia “Marble Arch” (Salvia viridis) The beautiful purple and pink flags on these plants are not the flowers, but very showy bracts. These sages are a delightful burst of color in the garden. The mix of purple and pink make great cut stems for unusual and striking bouquet filler. Small white flowers are not the plant’s centerpiece but cheerfully peek up from below the bracts. Long lasting stems. More purple than pink. 70 days. TR
Flowers: Salvia-Sunflower Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
Salvia “Texas Hummingbird Sage” (Salvia coccinea) This open, airy sage produces 2 -3’ tall spikes of scarlet red flowers that open over a period of several weeks. Attractive to their namesake hummingbirds, these are also excellent insectary and nectary plants. Drought tolerant. 75 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
**Back!** Scabiosa “Black Knight” (Scabiosa atropupurea) After years of trial and error we’re thrilled to add these back into our catalog. Among the most dramatic, long lasting and early blooming flowers we grow and ones with such a profusion of intense deep and very dark maroon/black blooms with speckles of whitish pink on their long stamens. They have a mildly sweet smell and keep on blooming from late spring through early fall provided you cut spent flowers. Tall and graceful at 3-4’, they have long, strong stems perfect for bouquets. The bees are thrilled to have this one back in the mix! One of our very favorite cut flowers. 90 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50
Sculpit (Silene inflata) We were seriously charmed by this culinary oddity when we first tried it in 2011. Guaranteed NOT to be the next big thing anytime soon, Sculpit (AKA “stridolo”) is for the adventurous lover of the esoteric. An aromatic leafherb all but unknown outside its native Italy where it is revered, it is used to season egg dishes, risottos, and salads with a flavor likened to a combination of tarragon, arugula, and radicchio. Very ornamental and a wonderful early filler flower, it has small unusually stunning balloon like flowers fringed with white petals that pollinators go wild for. We love watching the bees climb fully out of sight into the balloon part of the flower. Highly recommended, we love this plant. Perennial. 60 days herb/ 90 days flower UO Packet: ~300 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Snapdragon “Alpenglow Mix” (Antirrhinum majus) This elegant color mix of butterfly-type snaps represents the early stages of one of our first cut-flower breeding projects. If you are unfamiliar with the butterfly-types, they feature a more flared out open petal shape, rather than the more common dragon faces of common snaps. The population, created from a single color of the popular hybrid Chantilly series, spans whites, yellows, salmons, oranges, and pinks. The majority of the Alpenglow colors also exhibit perhaps our favorite quality of its parent variety, the color changes as the flowers age thereby creating a gradient of color down each stem, from newly opened flowers at the top to the older ones down the stem. One of the longest blooming flowers we grow, our snaps were a riot of color from June through frost this year. We hope eventually to tease out some of our favorite colors
57 from the mix to be available as single color open pollinated strains. Excellent for cut-flower bouquets and a wonderful sweet fragrance. 100 days. UO Packet: 100 seeds $3.50
Strawflower “Monstrosum Fireball” (Bracteantha bracteata) Beautiful scarlet red blooms to set your garden on fire. Bright red outer petals fade to orange and yellow centers on multi-branched upright 3-4’ plants. The blooms have a dried papery texture even while fresh on the plant. Great for cut flowers, fresh and dried and beautiful in dried flower wreaths, garlands, and garlic braids. Strawflowers are such cool and versatile flowers! We’ll be bringing in some more colors soon. Promise. 75-85 days. UO Packet: 150 seeds $3.50, 500 seeds $8.00
Sunflower, Mexican “Torch” (Tithonia diversifolia) Look at you planting flowers for the Butterflies. And Bees. And Hummingbirds. You even remembered that the wee birds of fall need something to eat. You go. Your reward for such altruism? Flaming orange flowers on fuzzy branching stems that swing and sway to 5'-7’. That's what you get. Not that you expected anything in return. Oh no, beauty and kindness are their own reward. Blooms until frost. 90-100 days. TR Packet: 50 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds 8.00, 500 seeds $20.00
Sunflower “Garden Anarchy Mix” (Helianthus anuus) What do you get when you let a whole slew of different sunflowers go unchaperoned in the garden all summer? Every year at Uprising Organics we grow 15-20 varieties of sunflowers…gorgeous burgundies, cheery yellows, whites, bi-colors, single headed, poly headed, Russian edible-seeded, teddy bear type… We let all that diverse genetic material cross pollinate freely to bring you this mix. Expect to be surprised by an unpredictable array of various combinations. We predict the results will be stunning. UO Packet: 35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $6.00
**New for 2017** Sunflower “Reds” A few years in and we’re selecting who stays and who goes in this mix. Selected mainly from the lovely “Moulin Rouge”, these display deep reds all around as well as slightly lighter reds with yellow shining from underneath the petals. They all appear to be sticking to a height of approx. 5-6’ and are multi branching with many displaying the best characteristics of cutting sunflowers. Do expect some that simply don’t toe the line. Select what you love and save your own seed for next year or simply share the fall bounty with all the little creatures that call your garden home. UO Packet: 25 seeds $3.50
Order online at: www.uprisingorganics.com
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Flowers: Sunflower-Sweet Pea
Sunflower “Giant Sungold”
Sweet Pea “April in Paris”
(H.anuus) Giant Sungold is everything you’ve been dreaming of, if, like us, you dream of sunflowers. 5-7’ tall and multibranching with fully double, dense 7-10” heads. Absolutely wonderful and almost identical to dwarf, single headed “Teddy Bear” only much taller and with many flower heads. A terrific cut sunflower that is incredibly long lasting. In N.WA we’ve found these to bloom a few weeks later then other sunflowers but never too late to enjoy them to their fullest. 90-110 days. CB Packet: 35 seeds, 100 seeds $8.00
(Lathyrus odorata) Ella said it best “I never knew the charm of spring, / Never met it face to face. / I never knew my heart could sing, / Never missed a warm embrace / Till April in Paris.” When it comes to sweet peas I prize subtlety and elegance over the boisterous and what I often find to be somewhat gaudy. April in Paris is pure class: tall 5-6’ plants with large gently frilled, creamy white blooms, the petals just blushing to a purple fringe at the edges. While much of sweet pea breeding has been focusing on flashy looks, this represents New Zealand breeder Dr Keith Hammett’s attempt to marry the old fashioned scent to the modern sweet pea looks. The fragrance is an epiphany and will reduce you to mumbling gibberish as your body trips the fuse to your brain to focus more clearly on the olfactory bliss happening in the nose. By far the most arresting scene on the farm in 2011 was the row of April in Paris flanked by two beds of “Bee’s Friend”, all against a backdrop of 5’ tall swaying golden “Terra” oats. This is why we grow things. Rare. 85 days. UO Packet: 15 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $15.00
Sunflower “Tarahumara” *Heirloom* (H. anuus) We’ve been quite taken by this sunflower since we discovered it over a decade ago. The tall 7-8’ plants produce a single stunning flower head, with an unusual fuzzy lime green center that eventually fleshes out with seeds as it matures. Huge heads droop downward at maturity offering some protection from birds, but its best to cover them with netting if saving for seed. Delicious white seeds. 90 days. UO Packet: 35 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $9.00
**New for 2017** Sunflower “Transylvanian Giant” Jere Lajos is a Romanian seed grower who sells his seeds at markets in various towns around Transylvania. Seeds are displayed in trays, and are measured out for purchase with a walnut shell, the same one that his father used. Eric and Erica visited Jere and his wife at their home, and after a couple hours drinking homemade wine and brandy, exchanged seed. This massive sunflower comes from that evening. Growing ~15’ tall, with bright yellow flowers up to 18” across, this sunflower will stand guard over your garden and provide much discussion and laughter. They are just comically large. 100 days. UO -Please check website for availability-
Sweet Pea Species “Azureus” (Lathyrus sativus) This is actually not a true sweet pea but a close relative, sometimes known as chickling vetch or a “grass pea”. The short, drought tolerant 2-2.5’ vines produce delicate nodding pea flowers of the most exquisite sky blue color. This plant is often grown as a cover crop for its’ ability to effectively fix nitrogen in a very short amount of time. Trellising, while not necessary, keeps it a bit tidier in tight spaces. Drought tolerant in the extreme. It is an ancient cultivated plant and is an important food in Ethiopia and Bangladesh, as well as having culinary traditions in Spain and Italy where it is known as cicerchia. Slow Food Italy has even gotten involved in preserving it as a traditional food of Umbria. Considered toxic if consumed in significant amounts over extended periods. Also grown for animal grazing in China and India, 60 -75 days. UO Packet: 50 seeds $3.50, 1/4lb 10.00
**New for 2017** Sweet Pea “Bristol” (Lathyrus odoratus) It seems to me that the Latin name for sweet peas could easily be a spell one might utter... The way it rolls off my tongue reminds me of thousands of sweet smelling blooms, and in the case of “Bristol”, the meandering watercolor blues of an early summer sky. Abundant long stems and lingering sweet smell make this award winning Spencer type a musthave in your cut flower garden. Released in 1993. 80 days. UO Packet: 15 seeds $3.50
**New for 2017** Sweet Pea “Flora Norton” (Lathyrus odoratus) While most of the attention on sweet peas these days lies with the big exhibition cut-flower Spencers, we do still love the old fashioned cultivars with their amazing fragrance and delicate flowers amidst a graceful tangles of vines. Introduced in 1905, Flora Norton features lovely sky blue blooms, similar in color to the larger ‘Bristol’, but with the elegance and subtlety of the grandifloras. Our love of sweet peas is endless. In the height of the season we did try to take at least 15 minutes/day to simply sit. Alone. Luckily there were many, many, many sweet pea rows to dream in... Packet: 15 seeds $3.50
Sweet Pea “Miss Wilmott” I have an uncertain relationship with the color pink. Sometimes it works in a classy and bold way and sometimes it falls flat in a cloud of cotton candy and My-Little-Pony tackiness. Miss Willmott resides decidedly in the former
Flowers: Sweet Peas-Zinnias/Mushroom Kits camp, a mesmerizing, almost bicolor, pink blushed orange with dark veining that fades to an elegant salmon rose. Released by perhaps the most famous sweet pea breeder of all time, Scottish horticulturist Henry Eckford, in 1900, Miss Willmott was at one time the most exhibited cultivar in England. Unlike the modern exhibition Spencer types which have, to some extent, sacrificed scent for bloom size and showiness, Miss Willmott harkens from an era when scent was central to sweet pea charms. Very productive for us in 2015. 75 days. UO Packet: 15 seeds $3.50, 100 seeds $15.00
Sweet Pea “Nimbus” There’s a sweet pea renaissance happening in the cut flower market and among the most sought after by florists and flower farmers alike is the dramatic Nimbus. A spencer type with big and prolific flowers on long stems, Nimbus wears its stormy dark-blue violet highlights sprayed against a cream background. Previously difficult to source domestically, we hope to up our supply in the next growing season. Possibly the first time available as organic seed. Rare. 80 days. UO Packet: 15 seeds $3.50
**Back!** Zinnia “Beanrys Giant Mix (Zinnia elegans) This big doubled zinnia mix has all the subtlety of a drag queen in a sequined mini-dress and is just as *fabulous*. Your eyes will be riveted to their gorgeousness as their vortex leaves you breathless. At 3-4’ tall, 2-3’ wide and with a plethora of 3-6” blooms on each plant, there really is no escaping them. Keep them cut and they will continue to stun you until heavy frost. The original ‘Benary’s” mix is a blend of separately maintained individual color types. Ours (similar to our “Garden Anarchy” sunflower) is a hybridized population of all the different colors allowed to cross freely, so there will be some lovely surprises! 75-85 days. WO Packet: 75 seeds $3.50, 200 seeds $8.00 1000 seeds $24
**Back!** Zinnia “Salmon Rose” (Zinnia elegans) Not a year has passed when zinnias have not loudly graced at least one of our fields. “Salmon Rose” has long been our favorite but seemingly least abundant color in the mixes so we finally sought it out as a single variety. Definitely one of the more elegant and subdued of the raucously gaudy zinnia palate, it makes for an excellent cutting flower and all around cheerful beckoning of summer. 75-80 days. WF Packet: 75 seeds $3.50
For variety pictures, up to date availability, and more growing resources visit us at: www.uprisingorganics.com
59 “Flowerworks”
When our son Rowan was younger, spending long days with us at the farm while we ran around like crazy people meant finding creative ways to entertain himself. There was the always fun “Leaking driptape reservoir and dam building Corps of Engineers”, but perhaps our favorite was his invention of “flowerworks”: Take a large leaf (sunflowers work especially well) and lay it flat. Pluck a pile of colorful petals from over-bloomed zinnias and pile them in the leaf. Wrap up the leaf into a pouch and loosely twist off the open end. Throw as high as you can and watch the exploding fun! Rowan would always even add a little dirt for the “smoke”. Make color themed ones! Get together with friends for a “Grand Finale”! Find a dense spot like the corn patch where the launchers are hidden! Endless fun awaits! We can’t wait for him to share it with his little sister this summer.
MUSHROOM KITS Grow Your Own Edible Mushroom Kits from our friend Alex of Cascadia Mushrooms, a certified Organic mushroom farm from Bellingham, WA. A fun addition to any home food production ambition. Full instructions provided with each kit.
Winecap Spawn (aka Garden Giant, King Stropharia) Portobello sized burgundy capped mushrooms. Spawn mixed with woodchips in spring to produce flushes of mushrooms from early summer on. Very easy to grow. Meaty texture and rich flavor. $24.
Shitake Plugs Enough plugs to inoculate five 3’ logs up to 10”d. Mushrooms begin fruiting the second spring and summer and up to 10 years thereafter. Fresh cut hardwood logs required and some drilling necessary. After years of the rubberized supermarket variety, fresh cut shitakes are a revelation. 100-150 plugs. $16.00.
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COLLECTIONS A Garden Gift. Gratis. Every year we happily donate seeds and decided to take it one step further after a few conversations with customers who were not able to afford all or any of the seeds they wanted. You want a garden and we want you to have one without cost being a barrier. It’s really as simple as that. Accept it as our gift to you or send along the info to someone you know could use it. We know you’ll share your good fortune whether it’s remembering the good we all have to offer one another or sharing a bag of home grown food with someone you know could use a hand. It takes many hands and we’d like to fill yours with vegies. “A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in - what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” Victor Hugo, Les Miserables 10 packets: Choose what you believe will benefit you most (including flowers) and please be open to substitutions if our stock is running low.
Rowan’s Awesome Kids’ Garden Collection x 2! Sure to please selection the kids will be excited to plant, happy to tend, and thrilled to eat. Kids + Gardens = Magic! Enjoy one packet of each of Rowan’s favorites & a fun information sheet. Collection #1: Gar den Anar chy Sunflower Mix, Benary’s Giant Zinnia, Dragon Carrot, Sora Radish, Dragon Langerie Bush Bean, Long Pie Pumpkin, and Sugar Snap Pea 7 Packets: $21.00
Seed Collections/Books and Media Ark of Taste Heirloom Sampler Our sampler consists of 12 varieties that have been listed by RAFT (Restoring American Food Traditions) as American Ark foods. Sampler consists of one packet each of Hutterite Bush Dry Bean, Jacobs Cattle Bush Dry Bean, Lina Cisco's Bird Egg Bush Dry Bean, Rockwell Bush Dry Bean, Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry, Roy’s Calais Flint Corn, Tennis Ball Lettuce, Grandpa Admire’s Lettuce, Speckled Butterhead Lettuce, Red Fig Tomato, Sheboygan Paste Tomato, and Jimmy Nardello Sweet Frying Pepper. 12 Packets: $37.00
BOOKS & MEDIA 2017 Stella Natura Calendar The annual Biodynamic planting guide and calendar put out by Kimberton Hills Camphill Village in PA. Full of interesting articles, beautiful art, and most importantly a month by month guide to growing. The calendar indicates days best suited to various types of work and cycles of growth on the farm according to Biodynamic observations and is meant to be used in concert with your own common sense and an eye toward the weather.. We use this every year. Great as a year to year reference to record sowing/planting times, weather, and notes. $14.95
Beautiful Corn
See “Cherry Tomatoes” section, p.35
by Anthony Boutard We’ve admired Anthony and Carol Boutard’s vegetable & grain operation at Ayers Creek Farm in Gaston, OR for years and are thrilled to have them in our producer network as of this year. In his recent book Anthony plays equal parts thoughtful farm observer, botanist/ naturalist, and food historian to tell the story of the Americas most influential food contribution to the world. As corn is an important market crops at Ayers Creek, there’s plenty of practical growing and culinary information to be found here as well. One of our favorite reads last year. Softcover, 209p. $19.95
Insectary and Soil Builder Mix
Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties
Collection #2: Giant Sungold Sunflower , Calendula mix, Rainbow Carrots, French Breakfast Radish, Sugar Ann Snap Pea, Scarlet Emperor Pole Snap Bean, and Sanditia mini Cukes. 7 Packets: $21.00
Cherry Tomato Sampler
Born out of the Wild Garden insectary mix we used to sell, we’ve re-envisioned this as a complete fallow year “tonic” for part of your gardening ground. A combination of leguminous plants to replenish nitrogen, and insectary plants to provide long flowering habitat and forage for bees, pollinators, and beneficial insects. Seed heads provide winter scratch for birds. This is the next level. Grad school. Systems thinking. Permaculture. Mix contains Chickling Vetch (“Azureus”), Mustards, Phacelia (“Bee’s Friend”), Calendula, Sunflowers, Clover, Anise hyssop, Flax, Hummingbird sage and Cress. Can either be tilled in at the end of the year or left to perennialize. Some varieties will change based on stock. UO Packet: 1/4oz $3.50
by Carol Deppe “All gardeners and farmers should be plant breeders”, says author Carol Deppe. “Developing new vegetable varieties doesn't require a specialized education, a lot of land, or even a lot of time. It can be done on any scale. It's enjoyable. It's deeply rewarding. You can get useful new varieties much faster than you might suppose. And you can eat your mistakes. A great introduction to vegetable breeding and improvement. Scientific enough to be meaningful, down to earth enough to be understandable. Softcover, 367p. $29.95
Order online at: www.uprisingorganics.com
Books/Tools/Seed Garlic The Organic Seed Grower by John Navazio The Organic Seed Grower is a comprehensive manual, written by our friend and mentor John Navazio, for the serious vegetable grower who is interested in growing high-quality seeds using organic farming practices. It is written for both serious home seed savers and diversified smallscale farmers who want to learn the necessary steps involved in successfully producing a commercial seed crop organically. It details profiles for each of the major vegetables and provides users with practical, in-depth knowledge about growing, harvesting, and processing seed for a wide range of common and specialty vegetable crops, from Asian greens to zucchini. This is an important book that helps to bridge the gap between seed saving hobbyist and commercial seed producer. Hardcover, 388p. $49.95
The Resilient Gardener by Carol Deppe Both a conceptual and a hands-on gardening book, and is suitable for gardeners at all levels of experience. Resilience here is broadly conceived and encompasses a full range of problems, from personal hard times such as injuries, family crises, financial problems, health problems, and special dietary needs (gluten intolerance, food allergies, carbohydrate sensitivity, and a need for weight control) to serious regional and global disasters and climate change. It is a supremely optimistic as well as realistic book about how resilient gardeners and their gardens can flourish even in challenging times and help their communities to survive and thrive through everything that comes their way. Softcover, 232p. $29.95
Seed to Seed by Suzanne Asheworth Probably the best and most comprehensive guide to start learning about saving seed. Ashworth goes species by species for all major vegetable families with detailed notes for over 160 vegetables. A valuable addition to your garden reference shelf. Second edition. Softcover, 228p. $24.95
Vegetable by Vegetable: A Guide for Gardening Near the Salish Sea by Marko Colby & Hanako Myers A terrific reference guide to growing vegetables in the unique climate of the Puget Sound/ Straight of Georgia area. Marko and Hanako bring their experience, as market growers in the Port Townsend area, to this very accessible primer geared towards newer gardeners. Includes chapters on winter gardening, pest control, and a resource guide. Softcover, 82p. $12.99
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TOOLS Opinel Folding Knives In France, Opinel is synonymous with pocket knives. They have been manufacturing their iconic numbered line of folding knives in the Savoie region since 1897. Our all-around utility/ harvest knives of choice at Uprising, rarely a day goes by that a #8, #10, or pruning knife isn’t in our back pocket for the days of work putting together drip systems, setting up trellis line, harvesting greens, or pruning tomatoes and flowers. Comfortable in the hand with beech handles and a collar that swivels to lock the blade open or folded (pruning knife only locks in the open position). An attractive durable tool at a very reasonable price. Made in Chambery, France. #8 Garden (3 1/4” blade, Stainless) $14.00 #8 Carbon (3 1/4” blade) $12.00 #10 Stainless (3 15/16” blade) $18.00 #10 Carbon (3 15/16” blade) $17.50 #10 Pruning (3 1/4” hooked blade, Stainless) $21.50
Piteba Oil Press We have dreamed about being able to press our own oil from the hulless Styrian pumpkin seeds we have been growing for the past decade, to use much like they do in Austria. We finally have found a means to do so. Designed and manufactured in a small facility in Holland, The Piteba oil press with its powder coated steel construction, hand crank drive, and oil lamp heat element, is a surprisingly small tool, very much suitable for home kitchen, countertop use. Our intended use when we bought ours was pumpkin seeds, but it can also be used for sunflower seeds (in the shell), flax, hazelnuts, walnuts and several other high-oil content seeds and nuts. Yields of up to 25% oil by volume can be achieved. We are thrilled to have a tool that allows us to add another dimension to the foods we can produce from our home grown harvest: flavorful, unfiltered, fresh oils. Worth noting: The press requires some trial and error to achieve the best results but Piteba has a good informative website with lots of trouble shooting advice for different crops you may use. We are importing them directly so the weak Euro is your friend. $135.00
SEED GARLIC/SHALLOTS Check our website in August, for updates and availability for Seed Garlic. Each year we offer high quality certified organic bulbs of several varieties, both softneck and hardneck, for planting stock. Varieties usually include: Music, Chesnok Red, Inchellium Red, Nootka Rose, Basque Turban, and French Grey Shallots.
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Ordering Instructions
Ordering Instructions: There are several Ways to purchase our seeds… Web: Check out our new website at www.uprisingorganics.com. Look for easy navigation, more pictures, and growing information. As before, it is the best source for full color variety pictures, customer reviews, current inventory, and bulk availability. Ordering is easy and checkout options are available for both credit card and pay by check/mail. By creating an account, you can track order history, create wishlists, and save orders for later checkout.
……………………………………………………………………………………………. Mail: Even if you would like to pay by check, we would encourage you, if you have access to our website, to place your order on line and choose the “print order form” option at checkout. This helps to avoid calculation mistakes and allows us to better track orders. If you do not like to do your shopping online, please feel free to use the order form on the following page and return it to us with check or postal money order to: Uprising Seeds 2208 Iron St Bellingham, WA 98225
……………………………………………………………………………………………. Seed Racks: Our seeds can be found on retail racks at many locations in Washington and Oregon. Check our website, www.uprisingorganics.com for up to date store info. Seed racks usually hit the stores in January and February at most locations.
……………………………………………………………………………………………. Fullfillment & Shipping: We process orders in the order received. We will never substitute another product for an out-of-stock item without your consent. Unless special arrangements are made we generally ship via USPS regular or priority mail depending on the size and weight of your package. Our goal is to ship within 2-4 days of receiving your order, but at peak season (Jan - mid Mar) longer turnarounds may occur. We do not begin shipping until late January for all orders placed after the first of the year. International Orders: Our policy is that we guar antee to ship inter national or der s, but it is up to the customers to know what the importation and custom laws allow in their country. At our scale we are unable to provide phytosanitary certification, therefore the burden of risk lies with the buyer. We will not issue refunds for packages held or destroyed in customs. Package tracking is unavailable for international orders. That being said we have successfully shipped to many countries with very few issues.
……………………………………………………………………………………………. Guarantee: Uprising Seeds is dedicated to providing an excellent source for certified organic, open-pollinated and heirloom seeds and all our seeds are guaranteed to exceed Federal germination standards. Any lots that do not germ to our satisfaction or are removed from our catalogue for that year. All corn seed is further submitted to third party GMO testing and must meet a 0% contamination standard to be sold. We believe you will be happy with your order. If for any reason you are dissatisfied, please contact us and we will happily send a replacement or refund. Uprising Seeds liability is limited solely to the purchase price or replacement of your order. Growing a crop from seed is a complex endeavor and involves many factors beyond our control. We are committed to providing excellent seeds. The rest is up to you!
……………………………………………………………………………………………. Please Note: At this time we do not accept orders over the phone or by fax. Our physical address is not a retail location, and order pick-up is not available from our office.
……………………………………………………………………………………………. Contact Us: Email: uprisingseeds@riseup.net By far, the best way to reach us. Phone: (360)778-3749 We do not keep r egular office hour s, but if you would like to talk to someone in person, the best times to call are between 9 and 3, M-F January through May. We’ll do our best to get back to you asap if you leave a message. Facebook: Pictur es, updates and customer questions and comments ar e often posted her e. Instagram: Our most active social media platfor m last year , follow us at upr ising.seeds for a glimpse into our work and lives.
Order Form
63 Check availability and order seeds at uprisingorganics.com !
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Planting Guide for the Maritime Northwest
Prairie Sun Rudbeckia p. 56
Blanching cardoons for gobbo.
Arugula harvest with Crystine, Rowan, Eric, & Erica
100% Cer.fied Organic • Open Pollinated • PNW Grown
“The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolu.on.” ~Paul Cézanne
2208 Iron St Bellingham, WA 98225 (360)778.3749 www.uprisingorganics.com
UPRISING SEEDS