Self Reliance Binder
3. Food Storage - Gardening
One important part of Food Storage is the ability to supplement dry or canned stored foods. If you can garden, you can bring fresh foods to the table to enjoy and replace foods that have been eaten from your permanent food storage as well as add more to it.
In 1 Ne. 8: 1, the people of Lehi gathered seeds: “And it came to pass that we had gathered together all manner of seeds of every kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind”. They needed to do this because they had no guaranteed food source in the days ahead. The pioneers brought their seeds with them into the Salt Lake Valley for the same reasons and were planting crops within the first few days after they arrived on July 24, 1847. Our grandparents and great grandparents also saved seeds from the plants they grew- to plant for the next year’s garden. For all of these examples, there was not a corner Wal-Mart or a Burpee seed catalog that they could use. It is only within the last few generations have seeds been available from stores or catalogs. If that source become unreliable, how will you plant a garden? What if any source of food becomes unavailable, and your garden is your survival?
How did these ancestors plant seeds? They planted seeds that they had saved from plants that they had grown successfully before. Are all saved seeds the same? NO! Seeds that will produce the same variety of seeds as the prior generations are called Heirloom seeds or open pollinated seeds. Most of these varieties are at least 50 years old, many over 200 years old. That means that they have been producing the exact same plant that long. Unless you look for this type of seed specifically, you will probably get a hybrid seed. Hybrid seeds are crossed from 2 different parent plants to get a new variety. But when you save those seeds, the plant grown will either be sterile, (not produce fruit*) or not produce the type of fruit of the parent. Within a few generations, the plants will often die out or produce unsatisfactory fruit. This is important when you are looking at being able to have a productive garden for more than a year or two from the seeds you save.
How do you find Heirloom Seeds? Many seed companies including Burpee have a line of these seeds specifically labeled as Heirloom. Many other companies, especially in the our local Garden Centers like O’Tooles or Echters have a wide variety of Heirloom seeds available in a separate display.
There are also many companies offering a specific product called “Survival Seeds”. Please note the links below for many different examples of the Survival Seeds Options. There are some companies that specialize in products that can be saved as a food storage item itself as the seeds are canned in nitrogen for long term storage. Most of these can last in storage for 5-10 years. There are other companies that can send you enough seed to plant an acre, but if you just use a small amount for your current garden size, you can keep using the seeds for 5 years to come, if they are kept carefully.
After you have planted the Heirloom seeds, there are specific precautions to follow to make sure that they don’t cross pollinate and make a hybrid fruit themselves. These are mostly not that complicated, but it is advisable to learn what those precautions are for each type of plant. Any web search can bring up much information. I would advise that when you find the information that you feel is the best for you, print it and put it in your Self Reliance binder…links only work when the Internet is working.
After I have planted and grown the fruit, how do I harvest and store the seeds? When choosing which seeds to save, decide on which specific plant grew the best in your location. Did one specific tomato plant ripen before the others? That may mean that that specific plant was the best suited for where you live. The following instructions are very basic. Please look at the links below for more information. Remember it is important that you let the fruit ripen. For lettuce and spinach etc, you have to let the plant bolt or go to seed. There are 3 Steps to Wet Processing Seeds :
1. Removal of Seeds: Large fruits are cut open and the seeds are scraped out. Small fruits are usually crushed or mashed. The seeds, pulp and juice from the fruits may need to go through a fermentation process. During the fermentation process, microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast destroy many of the seed-borne diseases that can affect the next generation of plants. Here is one item you should research on your own.
2. Washing Seeds: The process for washing seeds to remove them from the surrounding pulp or to separate them from the fermenting mixture is basically the same. The seeds and pulp are usually placed in a large bowl or bucket. Add at least twice as much water as the volume of seeds and pulp, and stir the mixture vigorously. Viable seeds tend to be more dense and sink to the bottom, but poor quality seeds tend to float. Add more water and repeat the process until only clean seeds remain. The seeds are then poured into a strainer and washed under running water.
3. Drying Seeds: Dump the cleaned seeds onto a glass or ceramic dish, cookie sheet, window screen, or a piece of plywood. Do not attempt to dry the seeds on paper, cloth or non-rigid plastic, because it can be extremely difficult to later remove the seeds from such surfaces. Wax paper works well. Spread the seeds as thinly as possible on the drying surface and stir the seeds several times during the day. Always remember that damage begins to occur whenever the temperature of the seeds rises above 95F. For that reason never dry seeds in the oven. Even at the lowest settings, the temperatures in an oven can vary enough to damage the seeds. Never dry seeds in the direct sun if there is any chance that the temperature of the seeds will exceed 95F. Always remember that the air temperature is often not the same as the temperature of the seeds. Even at air temperatures around 85F, dark colored seeds can sometimes become hot enough to sustain damage.
To store seeds, one suggestion is to place them in envelopes inside a canning jar with lid in the fridge with some kind of drying agent. Often those small desiccant packages found in recently purchased items will work, or a small amount of dry powdered milk tied in a piece of cloth with keep the moisture level low. Be sure to note the name of the seed and dates etc so that you can keep track of your successes and understand what happened if they don’t work. A notebook tracking results is a good idea. The main thing in storing is cool and dry, and no sunlight.
Just like growing a garden, it takes practice to save and grow Heirloom seeds. There will be some bumps along the way, but start this season so that you can count on knowing how to use them for so you can count on fresh foods in your food storage in the years to come.
Heirloom Seeds Sources and Information
http://www.burpee.com/category/vegetables/heirloom+vegetables.do
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_FG%20S200_A_name_E_Garden%20Seeds
http://www.non-hybrid-seeds.com/survivalseedvault.html?gclid=CJ-svdaf_ZkCFQwxawodxkvxEQ
http://www.survivalistseeds.com/index.html
http://www.nitro-pak.com/product_info.php?products_id=1340
Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth ( considered best book on subject)
http://www.seedsavers.org/Content/instructions.htm (advised to print first 5 pages)
http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1240198606/ref=a9_sc_1?ie=UTF8&search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=heirloom%20seeds
please be aware, I am not promoting any of the above. They are listed only as possible sources, please do your own homework on which source most closely offers what you are looking for. Also, this is just a starting place, there are books and websites to expand your knowledge.
Thought on the Last Days:
April Conference 1974 President Spencer W. Kimball “ I remember when the sisters used to say “Well, but we could buy it at the store a lot cheaper than we can put it up”. But that isn’t quite the answer is it?.....Because there will come a time when there isn’t a store.”
April Conference 1975 by Marion G Romney: “We will see the day when we will live on what we produce.”
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