Paul Steer

I tried your rolling-pin suggestion, Jenny.  It worked, allowing the small black Leek seeds to be released without damaging most of them!  I now have more than enough Leek seeds from this one blossom to sow what I (think) I need this Spring!

greg mosser wrote:i can’t quite picture what you mean. can you take pics? is just rubbing it between your hands an option?

After I harvested the seed head, (a picture of a typical one is shown in a post in this thread by Debbie Ann), I put the whole seeded into a freezer bag and rubbed them by hand from the outside.  This persuaded only a few seed clusters to open up and release their dark, black seeds.  I've tried kindly persuasion, but that doesn't work; I've rubbed them together by hand, but that doesn't work either.

Debbie Ann has suggested I get tough and roll the seed clusters under a rolling pin.  I'm going to try that next!

Debbie Ann wrote:Hi Paul,
This should work pretty well for you. The seed heads get pretty big, about the size of a softball or grapefruit. Picture # 1. Put on heavy gloves and break them apart into many small pieces. Then I place them in a heavy plastic bag; I usually reuse an old 1 gallon freezer bag. I crush up the bits with a rolling pin. You can put some muscle into it.  The seeds are pretty tough and this won't damage them. And they stay viable for many years.

I let a few go to seed about every third year just because they are so darned pretty! But I'm still using the seeds (from picture # 1) that I saved in 2015. I just took picture # 2 about 10 minutes ago. The leeks have really enjoyed hanging out all winter and are still growing. In fact I getting ready to harvest a few tomorrow and make vichyssoise.

Happy gardening everyone.

Yes!  I think I'll try your suggested method, Debbie Ann; you've given me permission to be a bit rough with the seeds.  I have a rolling pin and a large freezer bag to put the seeds in while I roll them.

Other suggested ideas such as rolling them between my hands haven't worked.  The seed cluster things simply don't want to let go of their precious seeds!

Thanks for the tip!

The Leek seeded that I picked last Fall and left drying in my poly tunnel for most of the Winter doesn't want to give up its seeds!
I've removed the seed clusters fairly well and removed most of the 'straw' of the seed head itself, but comparatively few of the tiny, black seeds are mixed in with the chaff.  I need to find a way to persuade the cluster to release its grip on the seeds they contain without damaging the seeds themselves.  Any tips?  I've thought of using a coffee mill to break things up, but I've balked at this, it might be too extreme.  Advice?

Today, my favourite method of food preservation is freezing. Here’s why: 1) The harvest continues because I’m working alone, so it’s taking longer. 2) I’m running out of time. 3) blanching greens is easy. Boil a pot of water, add greens for 2 1/2 or 3 minutes, drain, and pack the greens for the freezer.
   For example, with only 9 hours of daylight right now, I have to get outside and get my healthy exercise, (2 hrs.), plus do whatever I can in the garden. Yesterday, I snipped a BIG basket of Jonathan Spero’s Siber Frill Kale variety.  I set it over night on my front step.  This morning I washed it, sorted it, stripped it and blanched in in less than 1 hour. Once it cools a bit I’ll bag and freeze it, which should only take a few minutes.
  Easy, cheap, and satisfying, and it sure beats paying $$ for store bought.

This year, I've had success growing a wheelbarrow full of a light grey-skinned squash variety named Crown Prince.
Last Sunday, in anticipation of a frost which didn't arrive, I picked the lot of them and roasted one in the oven after first removing its seeds.
I quickly rinsed and patted dry the seeds and left them to dry for a couple of days in a wire mesh strainer.  This morning, after re-stoking the dehydrator with 1/4" tomato slices, I decided to roast the seeds.  It was slam-dunk easy.

First, I pre-heated the oven to 275 degrees and prepped a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Next, I measured the seeds.  I had about 1 3/4 cups.  
I then added about 1/2 a tablespoon of Sesame Seed oil instead of the 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil mentioned in the recipe.
I also cut out the salt the recipe asked for and instead added about 1 Tbsp. of Club House "Tex-Mex" spice blend.

I roasted the seeds for the 20 minutes called for in the recipe, but ended up roasting them in the oven about twice that amount of time because the seeds were so fresh and damp. I figured, correctly, as it turned out, that the seeds would appreciate having the extra roasting time in the oven.

They turned out well, but I'm sure others have better recipes than the one I improvised this morning.  

What have been your most successful seed-roasting recipes?  I'd sure like to know.

I also moving toward the approach practiced by Charles Dowding in the U.K. where he lays cardboard right on top of the weedy ground, tops it off with a layer of compost, and sows transplants directly into that.  Apparently the worms and other decomposers like to eat cardboard!

I strip the cellophane tape off of the cardboard before I pass it through my wife's paper shredder.  It yields little rectangles about 1/4" x 3/4" of an inch, which is a good size for adding to my compost bins.  I don't overload the bins with too much at one time, and I make sure the greens are in more prevalence than the browns.  It works well.  Usually by the time I turn the bin, all evidence of the cardboard is gone.

The best results I ever saw with pervasive, unwanted grass was when I was about 7 years' old.  Our neighbour, who worked as a millwright, brought home a couple of long pieces of old conveyor belt.  It was about 1/4 inch thick, heavy, and opaque.  Mr. Gray just unrolled two large rolls of it, enough to cover his entire garden plot, right over the tall stand of Twitch Grass that had had completely taken over and grown to aye height of about 3 feet, situated as it was over the remains of an old manure pile.  He left it for a year.  I was fortunate to see the results. The next Spring, Mr. Gray rolled that conveyor belt back up to reveal a completely bare, black soil, ready to cultivate.  I do not know whether the twitch grass survived or not, (it probably did), but the complete blockage of the sun provided by the conveyor belt combined with the accompanying buildup of heat beneath it, sure gave them underground rhizomes something to think about. Trouble is: conveyor belt in the desired thickness and area is so damned heavy, you'd need a tractor or forklift just to move it!  Good luck, and don't be shy of asking others for help.  In my experience, most people are very happy to be able to lend a hand.