Family: Asteraceae (The Sunflower family)

Genus: Acmella

SPILANTHUS (Toothache Plant, Eyeball Plant, Szechwan Buttons)

Interesting composite plant produces leaves and flowers that will surprise you with their tingling effect on your tongue perhaps like holding a battery to your tongue; some describe as a sort of effervescence like pop rocks. Add to salads. A north fork LI Dutch business is marketing the blossoms of spilanthus as "Szechwan Buttons" to trendy restaurants who dip the rim of their glasses into the shredded blossoms when serving drinks and even adding the minced blossoms to ice cream.

CV- Spilantes Seed

Sow indoors and transplant to containers later or to the garden after frost and when the ground becomes warm.  Requires rich soil and ample moisture for the best growth. Flanders Bay Farm seed crop. Pkt. (40 seeds+)

Genus: Chrysanthemum

Edible Chrysanthemum (C. coronata)

CV- Garland Mum-

Easy to grow flavorful salad green at young stage, later lightly stir-fry or add to soups just before serving.  Nice aroma and flavor. Pkt. (40 seeds)

Genus: Lactuca

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Half Hardy Annual. Sow in the spring, tolerates light frost, transplants well. Bolts first year, produces an easy seed crop. I don''t find a lot of crossing but I'm sure it can.

LETTUCE

Leaf Lettuce

BLEND: Leaf Lettuce Mixture- a mixture of at least a dozen kinds in shades of green and red.  These are easiest to maintain as “cut and come” types that should last a long time as long as you don’t damage the apical bud at the center of the plant.  When they bolt; great, save the seed for a fall crop. Pkt. (100 seeds)

BLEND- Oriental Lettuce Mix

This is a mix that contains Yu Mai which is known as sword lettuce.  It produces a bouquet of long narrow leaves ( and a crispy center stalk that should be harvested in the cooler days of late spring.  Wider leaved types (Asparagus or Celtuce) are included and can be used as it bolts since it will produce a thicker center stalk which can be eaten raw or steamed like asparagus. Chinese lettuce, both leaves and young stalks are most often lightly steamed or stir-fried in a bit of oil with salt and hot pepper. Nice. We found several variations of this kind of lettuce and have selected from a mix over the years. This is also an easy variety to get a good seed crop of in case you're interested in seed self reliance.  Rich organic soils and ample moisture is a requirement.  Try it for both a spring crop and a fall crop. Pkt. (100 seeds)

Stem Lettuce

CV- Celtuce (Asparagus or Stem Lettuce)

This lettuce is used for the tender stems. Ample water, rich soil and cool weather help to produce the most tender stems; peel the outer skin for a crisp, sweet treat.  A few stems on a plate makes a memorable salad. Pkt. (50 seeds)

Cos (Romaine) and Wrapper Lettuces

Blend- Wrap Lettuces

A mixture of Maer lettuces; red and green, Green Perilla Lettuce and others that are less known, related to Romaine types but used especially where large leaves are used for holding and wrapping food. Might be good for low carb diets. Think outside the bun.  Pkt.(100 seeds)

Blend- Romaine (Cos) Lettuce Mixture

Romaine lettuces are leafy and crunchy; esteemed by salad lovers and gardeners who enjoy these cylindric, vase like heads.  We include green and red romaine kinds and some interesting intermediates.

Pkt. (100 seeds)

LETTUCE

Heading and Butterhead

CV- “Vanguard 75”

Developed by USDA-Salinas, we received our start from NOFA-NY who distributed it as a variety to evaluate for organic systems as part of the Organic Seed Partnership.  The seed project has now grown two different strains which are both very similar.  Over the past three years we've raised enough seed to make it available to others. It easily forms big leafy bright green heads but needs irrigation on our sandy soils for the best performance. A good Iceberg for organic gardeners which has not shown disease or insect damage in the field.  Pkt. (100 seeds)

BLEND:  Heading (Crisphead) Lettuce Mixture

The US have plenty of “iceberg” kinds of lettuce; but the Europeans have us beat.  British seed companies; especially, maintain quite a diversity of crisphead lettuces.  We try to include at least a dozen kinds.  Harvest as mature heads.

Pkt. (100 seeds)

HEIRLOOM CV-  “Tom Thumb”

We enjoy these fit in your palm-sized single serving size instant salads. Soft heads known for their buttery goodness and a crispy heart are desirable traits as well as the ease of producing a good crop. Kids love to make their own salads from the tiny heads. Although seed is readily available, we produce our own quality seed since it's so easy to do.  A nice sustainable variety for us.  Pkt. (200 seeds)

CV-  Green Mignonette aka Manoa

A selection from the University of Hawaii of a popular lettuce raised in Hawaii in the 1940's and 1950's which produces buttery green leaves. Soft heads weigh up to a pound. Heat tolerant, slow bolting. One of our best "summer" lettuce which is also nice stir-fried like escarole and chinese lettuces. Pkt. (150 seeds)

BLEND: Butterhead (and Bibb kinds) Lettuce Mixture

These are leafy lettuces with creamy, buttery semi-crisp tight internal leaves.  Harvested as heads.

Pkt. (100 seeds)

web sources on the culture of lettuce

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/NewCrops/intro.html#vegetables

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/ec/ec1268/

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/rhodcv/hort410/lettuc/lettuc.htm

http://www.hort.cornell.edu/gardening/homegardening/scene9aa6.html

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

Genus: Chichorium

(Cichorium endivia and Cichorium intybus)

Endive aka frisee, escarole, salad endive (Cichorium endiva)

Hardy/half hardy annual/biennial. Sow early. Biennial plants survive winter, mulching may be necessary depending on winter severity. Blue flowers are insect pollinated.

BLEND-Endive and Chicory Blend

This is a diverse blend of some rather beautiful frizzy endives and broader leaved escaroles which tend to self blanche and some rather wild looking kinds.  All fine salad types.  The leaf chicories we include in this mix will extend the harvest into cooler weather. Pkt. (200 seeds).

web sources on endive and leaf chicory

http://www.hort.cornell.edu/gardening/homegardening/scene98cf.html

http://nwrec.hort.oregonstate.edu/endive.html

BLEND- Chicory- Heading Kinds (Cichorium intybus)

This is an interesting blend of chicory sometimes known as Belgium Endive or Radicchio depending on rounded or elongate heads.  Not all of these will make compact heads depending on your climate.  They tend to do well as the cooler weather comes in fall and may be dug in winter and forced for winter greens and will produce a seed crop in the following year.  Varied colors. Pkt. (200 seeds)

web source on “heading” chicory:

http://nwrec.hort.oregonstate.edu/radicch.html

Genus: Tagetes (Marigold)

CV:  Fragrant Marigold (Tagetes minuta)

These tall marigolds (4-6 feet) are day sensitive and will flower in September in zone 7 but may not produce a seed crop before frost.  Flowers are barely noticeable; foliage is very aromatic and has been used as a medicinal and culinary herb.  Locally, it has been planted as a deer repellant and also as a cover crop, tilled under to reduce soil nematodes. Pkt. (20 seeds)

web source on information about Tagetes minuta:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/V2-649.html

Updated: 2-10

Seeds of:

Spilanthus, Edible Mum, Lettuce, Chicory, Endive, Tagetes minuta