#experimentalfarmnetwork

[seedkeeping]

Seed people! It was another good year working with Hudson Valley Seed Company at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Here I am with Doug, Ken, and Erin of @hudsonvalleyseedco; Nate of @experimentalfarmnetwork; Tusha of @foundwild; and Drew who took the baton and is now in my former role managing the Roughwood Seed Collection with William Woys Weaver. Grateful to collaborate with all these folks on various seedy projects over the last few years. #philadelphiaflowershow #hudsonvalleyseedcompany #roughwoodseedcollection #experimentalfarmnetwork #foundwild #seedkeeping (at The Philadelphia Flower Show)

[seedkeeping]

I love it when Nathan Kleinman (@experimentalfarmnetwork) shows up with a truck full of weird and wonderful fruits and seeds. Here's a bunch of the extremely variable Nanticoke Squash (Cucurbita maxima), some squash and watermelons from Homs, Syria, and he is holding a Gagon Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), originally from Bhutan. I highly recommend connecting with the Experimental Farm Network as a grower or an experiment designer - help transform agriculture in an ever-changing world! #gagoncucumber #nanticokesquash #cucumissativus #cucurbitamaxima #homswatermelon #syrianwatermelon #experimentalfarmnetwork (at Devon, Pennsylvania)

[seedkeeping]

A sea of Oca (aka Oxalis tuberosa) growing in an unused backyard greenhouse in West Philly. I planted 33 varieties as part of a trial for Cultivariables (based on the coast of Washington state) as a participant in the Experimental Farm Network. I'll say that somehow over half of my varieties didn't make it, but even these results are useful for Cultivariable to know which survive and thrive in this climate. We also grow about a half dozen varieties year after year at Roughwood Seed Collection. Developed in the Andes, this tuberous crop tastes like a softer potato with a little sour taste to it (like sour cream) when cooked, or like a less sweet apple when raw. Above ground it looks a lot like its near cousin, Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta), which seems to like to grow entwined in my Oca plants - making me second guess which is which sometimes. I'll try to keep these Oca going strong until January for a larger harvest. #Oca #oxalis #oxalistuberosa #cultivariable #experimentalfarmnetwork #westphilly #tuber #andeantubers