Carol Deppe seed order problem

I have one of Carol's books and I find her to be a fascinating person, but if she continues to cash people's checks, taking their hard-earned money and sending nothing, it appears that she is defrauding people.  I think most people are pretty understanding if you just communicate what is going on, but to continue to take orders and cash checks without any word at all is just wrong in my opinion.  I hope she can somehow make things right with the people that have outstanding orders.  I just placed an order for some of the seeds she developed.  I purchased them from Adaptive Seeds.  It would be nice to see Carol figure a way out of her current situation and continue to create new varieties of vegetables.

I too, have been sorely disappointed by Carol Deppe.  Last year she just never cashed my check and never sent the order.  This year upon seeing good news on the internet that she would be open for business and some reporting they had received their orders, I sent another order and check and small donation.  Carol cashed the check, then failed to send my order.  She also has failed to reply to my many emails to her.  I do not recommend anyone ordering from her until she returns the money she has taken.  I am personally not ordering from her and will do all that I can to get my money back.  That order was to grow the food my children would eat.  Too bad, she has wonderful seed and wonderful books.

Try Adaptive Seeds. That's where I get Deppe seeds from now.

Is anyone expecting to harvest "Bigger Better Butternut" this fall? I would very much like to buy some seeds.

Preferably 100 seeds or more, but I'll take whatever amount I can get.

Adaptive seeds often has her stock available. It's where I buy the sweet meat seeds I use. I didn't see that variety at a glance but they may have it. If not, their other varieties have been great for me:


https://www.adaptiveseeds.com/seeds/vegetables/squash/winter-squash/

I have 10 Bigger Better Butternut winter squash seeds left 2018 that I purchased from Carol Deppe at the Lane County home show. I also have 150 seeds that I saved from my grow out of that year. I am a new seed saver so these seeds were just scraped from the ripe squash and dried. I also have one squash still in storage.  That said, I am working on my PEP commerce sand badge and need to earn $20.00 from something I grew. So decide what the seeds are worth to you and which ones you want and we can solve both of our needs at one time.

FWIW, re: my previous post about hoping for Goldini Zucchini from Carole -- I didn't get seeds.  But, from her books, which I have purchased over the years and really enjoy, she'd recommended 'costata' zucchini for being best to 'dry', and I assume the Goldini was her optimized breed.  BUT I did read Judy Rogers, a highly regarded cook, say that her favorite zucchini, for a sweeter flavor, were the Italian 'costata's'.  I subsequently found a couple at Baker Seeds -Cocazella de Napoli and Costata Romanesco, which I figured might fill the bill.  

BTW, they grew well but I had to abandon the garden this summer due to a family crisis.  The zucc's are now very large, overgrown, yellow squashes, and I may now have the time to experiment with them.  or not :)  Fyi, my goal was/is to use them as wheat pasta substitutes.... drying, grated, or otherwise... in attempting low gluten, lowish carb diet.  

nancy sutton wrote: The zucc's are now very large, overgrown, yellow squashes, and I may now have the time to experiment with them.  or not :)  Fyi, my goal was/is to use them as wheat pasta substitutes.... drying, grated, or otherwise... in attempting low gluten, lowish carb diet.  

Nancy: I had seriously overgrown zucchini etc due to similar problems. I chopped, dried, and ground them up into powder that I add to my bread dough mixes, for extra nutrients. So they can still be turned to flour. They dry REALLY slow, I ended up getting best results by running them through a food processor into mush, and spreading that really thin to dry. After drying I ground them to flour. Worth a try if you have overgrown zucchini!!
:D

Thanks a bunch, Ms Sutton : )  I'll save this info.  I have food processor - grated it, ala the cauliflower pizza crust recipes, and squeezed maximum juice out in a dish towel ... intending to make pizza crust also (I can be gluten free if I can have pizza!).  But, for noodles, etc, I might be able to thin slice (w/ vegetable peeler or mandoline), and dry on low in the oven (convection mode might help).   (You might try grating in processor, squeezing, spreading and then drying ... don't know how much nutrient is in the juice... but I never thought it had much in the flesh either... research time! : )

Thanks to david Tyler, I did grow out the bigger better butternut this year.   It was late, but we have cool fall nights but no frost until late.  I have not harvested yet, I think one is ready, I am waiting for optimum ripeness so they will store.

I grew waltham butternut in the past and could store it in the garage until about may the next year.

I will try and get photos when done harvesting, a few are very large.  A few of the original seeds did not germinate, but I transplanted about 8 plants and have I think about 2 very large squash per plant.  I think if it was not planted so late, there would have been more as there were a few more buds that started to grow into squash and then succumbed to the cold.  So, my challenge will be to EAT about 2 sqush per month....

If someone tells me how, I can save seeds as I eat them and post in the spring how much there is --- I was gone alot so had an overall small garden this year, no other squashes were grown, so this seed should be good, except not as much genetic diversity since so few plants, but still should be good.

Also, on her recomendation I usually grow Costats Romanesca summer squash, but not this year.  

It realy is a tasty summer squash both fresh, and dried.  I have dried it in the past and used it during the winter to go in minestrone soups.  Last time I grew it it seemed that there was a low yield of fruits, could be my summer heat.  But, Even so, I think you will find it yields less than a traditional zuchinni, there is never enough of them to have too many. The plants get very large for a zuchinni, although that can be my garden.

Sue Reeves wrote:If someone tells me how, I can save seeds as I eat them and post in the spring how much there is --- I was gone alot so had an overall small garden this year, no other squashes were grown, so this seed should be good, except not as much genetic diversity since so few plants, but still should be good.

It should just be a matter of collecting the seeds as you eat them.  If they're kind of dry just let them finish drying in a dark dry place on a paper towel or window screen.  If the seed cavity is kind of goopy (like a melon), put the goopy seeds in a bit of water in a bowl and let them sit in the dark for 4 days to slightly ferment and get the goop to break down.  Then rinse them, pour off the floating seeds and chunks of goop and then let them dry on a window screen.  Once they're dry enough that they crack when you try to bend them, store them.

Curious if there are any updates on Carol?
Her websites appear to be hacked and I'm wondering if there's any news?

Sally Munoz wrote:Curious if there are any updates on Carol?
Her websites appear to be hacked and I'm wondering if there's any news?

I am always reluctant to share any personal information, but I don't think that I am overstepping to say that Carol is getting up there in age, isn't in the greatest of health, and is not able to do much growing on her own anymore.  Her web site has been hacked for more than a year and she is aware of it.  I know that she is troubled by the problems that she had filling orders and is trying to sort that out.  She is still actively involved in many things, including the OSSI.

I think that, if you are in a financial position to do so, it would be a wonderful gesture to decide that any unfilled orders were a donation and to write and tell her so.  That's not to suggest that I don't think that she is going to continue to work to make those orders right, but it would be very kind to relieve her of that burden.  She has made incredible contributions to the community and being an independent plant breeder does not offer much of a retirement program.

Thank you William,
It is a delicate situation.  
I purchased her first book many years ago, purchased every one since, had the pleasure of seeing her teach and meeting her after class, and have grown many wonderful meals from her seeds.
I never had an order go unfilled but would totally write it off if I had.
Bless her heart, I was hoping she was okay and couldn't find anything online.
Thanks for your answer.

Quail Seeds in California carries several of Carol's varieties. Most are available in both small packets and larger bulk sizes for homestead and market growers. They will also be premiering her new Goldini squash in 2022. www.quailseeds.com

Thanks for that Jamie - that's the first place I've seen Bigger Better Butternut, and hope they have it for next spring.

A friend found a place in Canada that had Goldini (https://www.seedtoseed.ca/), and I was finally able to get some growing this year, and will try to save seed. I started my own replica of Carol's Goldini work because I couldn't find Goldini, but I'm only one year in, and not sure if I'll continue now that I have access to the original. I saved Candystick Dessert Delicata seed last year, and Beefy Resilient Grex bean last year, and am increasing my stock of them. Both show improvements this season in my garden, since I took seed from the few that survived a very harsh season here last year. Oregon Homestead Sweet Meat was a disappointment for me in that season, producing very few fruit, and I missed the opportunity to isolate it, despite watching closely.

A note about Magic Manna Flour Corn in my region (Southwestern Ontario, in North Eastern North America) : I can't wait to try this corn for its culinary purposes, but it is very vulnerable to raccoons. My two other corns this season (Harmony Grain Corn and Jewel Popcorn) have so far been untouched, but the Magic Manna, with it's lower cobs and less stiff stems, is slowly being devoured. Not sure if it's also just the one the raccoons found first (inside a fenced garden with no sign how it's getting in, no less). This is not the first year I've had this problem with it, and I thought that active trapping earlier in the season and fencing would prevent it this year, but no luck.

Good luck all in continuing Carol's legacy!

Carol has been working on a taller, stronger-stalked corn. It appears on her OSSI page, but is not commercially available. I'll be trying to get some and if I do I will post here.