Shoulder-Season Vegetables & Winter Storage Crops
In addition to the greens, squash, and leeks below, we recommend a variety of cabbage family crops to get you through the cold season. We are currently unable to produce seed of those crops ourselves (because of cross-pollination with a neighboring seed grower) but you can find them through other regional seed companies.
Greens - Dutch Broadleaf Cress
Lepidium sativum. 20 days. Garden cress is an easy-to-grow cool-season green and this variety is our favorite of several we’ve tried. Very large, broad leaves for a garden cress, with nice wavy edges. Fairly slow to bolt & good peppery flavor with not too much spice. Gives a fantastic boost to salads and sandwiches. Reintroduced in 2009 by Adaptive Seeds, this old variety from the Netherlands had been commercially unavailable for a decade. Grown organically, but harvested a month before official certification came through.
$
3.50
Greens - Endive - Frisee de Meaux
Chichorium endivia 60-80 days.
A very productive, easy-to-grow leafy endive, we love this shoulder-season green, especially in addition to sautees and stir-fries. Large, dense rosettes of narrow, dark green, fringed leaves with tender white centers. Cut the head for sale or harvest the outer leaves for an extended harvest in your home garden. Tolerates more frost than lettuce and slow to bolt in summer. Grown organically, just harvested a month before official certification came through.
$
3.50
Greens - Mizspoona (Certified Organic)
Brassica rapa 20 days baby; 40 days full size.
Our new favorite
all-purpose spring mustard green, this carefully re-selected cross of Mizuna
and Tatsoi deserves a space in your shoulder season garden. Dark to emerald
green leaves, round to flattened petioles, pinnately dissected leaves with
pointed teeth or rounded lobes. Our best “any season” Asian green, for spring
or autumn sowing. Bred by the good folks at Wild Garden Seed, this is an
OSSI-pledged variety.
$
3.50
Leek - Belgian Breeder's Winter Leek (F8) (Certified Organic)
Allium ampeloprasum
The diverse F7 population over-wintered beautifully for us and we wanted to keep it available for others to select from. A wondrous blend of leek colors, leaf widths, shaft lengths and diameters. This is a real gift to the organic community at a time when OP leeks are disappearing and their quality is in decline. Breeding populations like this can help organic farmers quickly select new varieties suited to their needs and location. From Frank Morton, who received the F6 population from a fellow breeder. Packets are ½ gram and contain a minimum of 150 seeds.
The diverse F7 population over-wintered beautifully for us and we wanted to keep it available for others to select from. A wondrous blend of leek colors, leaf widths, shaft lengths and diameters. This is a real gift to the organic community at a time when OP leeks are disappearing and their quality is in decline. Breeding populations like this can help organic farmers quickly select new varieties suited to their needs and location. From Frank Morton, who received the F6 population from a fellow breeder. Packets are ½ gram and contain a minimum of 150 seeds.
$
3.25
Winter Squash - Lofthouse Landrace (Certified Organic)
Cucurbita moschata
A very early, vigorous landrace moschata resulting from a grand crossing and reselection from numerous varieties, in search of the genes that would produce in Joseph Lofthouse’s cool mountain climate. Round pumpkins and butternuts of all shapes range from about 4 to 25 lbs. Most are good culinary quality, and just slightly sweet, so great for salads, soups, stews, and stir-fries. Huge vines. Very productive. Matures even in cold summers in the maritime Northwest. Keeps well. Cure one month before eating. Continue to select from this diverse genepool to generate a variety that is best adapted to your region and conditions. (Note: With butternut shaped squash, you can cut off what you need of the neck, let the neck veins bleed for a few minutes, then spread the sap around the cut surface with your clean finger, which seals it so that the cut squash will keep weeks at room temperature. You don't need to use the whole squash at once. This means you can afford to grow the big squash that are most efficient to handle, store, and prepare.) An OSSI-pledged variety, bred by Joseph Lofthouse. Second photo shows an example of Joseph's selection.
A very early, vigorous landrace moschata resulting from a grand crossing and reselection from numerous varieties, in search of the genes that would produce in Joseph Lofthouse’s cool mountain climate. Round pumpkins and butternuts of all shapes range from about 4 to 25 lbs. Most are good culinary quality, and just slightly sweet, so great for salads, soups, stews, and stir-fries. Huge vines. Very productive. Matures even in cold summers in the maritime Northwest. Keeps well. Cure one month before eating. Continue to select from this diverse genepool to generate a variety that is best adapted to your region and conditions. (Note: With butternut shaped squash, you can cut off what you need of the neck, let the neck veins bleed for a few minutes, then spread the sap around the cut surface with your clean finger, which seals it so that the cut squash will keep weeks at room temperature. You don't need to use the whole squash at once. This means you can afford to grow the big squash that are most efficient to handle, store, and prepare.) An OSSI-pledged variety, bred by Joseph Lofthouse. Second photo shows an example of Joseph's selection.
$
3.50
Winter Squash - Potimarron (Certified Organic)
Cucurbita maxima
Small, teardrop-shaped 2-4 lb squash with a deep red-orange color and a trailing growth habit. A famous French heirloom, also known as Red Kuri in Japan. Excellent baked or roastd, Potimarron has a creamy but flakey texture with a hint of chestnut flavor. Medium sized vines and early maturity. Perfect small squash for one to two people. Good storage. 80-90 days.
Small, teardrop-shaped 2-4 lb squash with a deep red-orange color and a trailing growth habit. A famous French heirloom, also known as Red Kuri in Japan. Excellent baked or roastd, Potimarron has a creamy but flakey texture with a hint of chestnut flavor. Medium sized vines and early maturity. Perfect small squash for one to two people. Good storage. 80-90 days.
$
3.25