#irishheirloom

[seedkeeping]

Parsnip mistakes and strategies: I’m wearing long sleeves, pants, and gloves, which I immediately took off and put in the wash. A few years back, I learned the hard way that parsnip oils mixed with sunlight can cause painful blisters and burns - some of my scars lasted six months. That’s why I waited for a cloudy day this time to make harvesting seed stalks less hazardous. I hadn’t planned to have the parsnips go to seed in a sprawling three sisters patch, but it’s hard to plan for biennials in my small space. Next year, I’ll have the parsnips that I plant this fall go to flower and seed in a single well-spaced row so I can keep the plants at arms length. #whitegemparsnip #parsnipburn #parsnip #parsnipseeds #seedsaving #irishheirloom

[seedkeeping]

Daniel O’Rourke Pea is considered an Irish heirloom from the 1800s by Irish Seed Savers Association. They found this long lost variety preserved since 1921 at the Vavilov Institute for Plant Industry in Russia, and brought it back into cultivation and circulation in Ireland. It was named after a winning British thoroughbred racehorse, perhaps because it was known as the earliest pea cultivar at the time. The horse was named after a character in an Irish folktale who was carried to the moon by an eagle. Some report that this is the same pea as horticulturalist, breeder, and seedsman John Sangster’s “Sangster’s No. 1 Pea”, a very popular variety in the mid- and late-1800s on both sides of the Atlantic. It is used as a fresh shelling pea, and also as a dry pea for soups. This was the last green pod in our row as we finished the dry seed harvest - the perfect round green peas were delicious. Thanks to Irish Seed Savers for this seed, and to artist Christine Mackey for her research on this pea’s history. #danielorourkepeas #irishheirloom #irishseedsavers

[seedkeeping]

A Ladybug finds an Aphid on the Delaway Cabbage seedlings. #irishheirloom #irishseedsavers #ladybug #aphid #naturalpestcontrol #delawaycabbage (at Newtown Square, Pennsylvania)

[seedkeeping]

Here are the beautiful leaves of Delaway Cabbage, an Irish Heirloom cut and come again variety that according to Seed Savers Exchange was given to Owen Hughes of County Mayo, Ireland by a neighbor who had brought it from America before the 1930s. I ordered my seed from Irish Seed Savers - a terrific organization with a great catalog: @irish.seed.savers #delawaycabbage #delawaykale #brassicaoleracea #cutandcomeagain #cabbage #kale #seedsaving #seedkeeping #irishheirloom