Seed Saver…

June 12, 2014

In my post entitled “Good Food” (January 17, 2014), I showed a picture of a Napa cabbage that we over-wintered in our garden.  We let that particular cabbage continue to grow so that we could save seed from it.  The cabbage produced blooms and was absolutely covered with seed pods.  Since obtaining Napa cabbage plants at local stores and nurseries in the spring and fall is hit or miss, it’s great to be able to count on growing our own from seed.

We eat stir-frys quite frequently and Napa cabbage is the absolute best cabbage for stir-frys.  It keeps that nice green color and retains a nice crunchy texture when cooked.  We throw in a few onions, the Napa cabbage, and a few snow peas (which are growing like gangbusters in my garden right now and will be frozen for use later) and you’ve got a great, healthy meal.  Napa cabbage also stores really well.  We’ve left it in the garden under a cold frame and ate it in January…any place cool or refrigerator-like will keep it stored for as long as a few months. 

After the seed pods had matured and turned brown, I cut the stalks off at the base and placed them in a clean, dry wheel barrow to finish drying.  I left the wheel barrow in a hot, dry area until the seeds started opening.  Yesterday I sat down and removed the seed pods from the stalk.  I did this by holding the stalk upside down over an up-turned trashcan lid and running my hand down the length of the stalk.  The seed pods readily fell into the trashcan lid.  I then simply crunched the seed pods lightly in my hand.  This worked well and almost all of the seeds fell out of the seed pods.  It was then easy to just separate the seed pods from the seeds.  I put the spent seed pods into my cabbage bed where they will compost on their own.  The seeds were then taken to the kitchen and dropped into a colander (the type you use to drain spaghetti) and that took out almost all of the bits of chaff that were left over from the seed pods.  I then put the seeds on a plate and put it in a safe, dry place where it will not be disturbed for several weeks (on the top shelf of a metal plant rack in Charming’s office where pets can’t get to the plate).  After that, I will package the seeds in envelopes that are clearly labeled and dated.  Seeds can be stored in the freezer.

In July, I will plant some of the seeds and we should have Napa cabbage for stir-fry meals during the winter.  If you’ve never saved seeds from your favorite vegetables, you really should give it a try.  It’s easily done, saves you a little money, and you get to see the entire life cycle of the plant.  It’s an absolutely amazing experience.

Napa cabbage seed pods.  One plant will produce
hundreds...maybe even thousands...of seed pods.

Separating the seed pods from the seeds.  (You can simply
shake them, run your hand down the length of the plant
stalk, or hitting the stalk against the inside of a container
such as a bucket or trashcan.)

Separating the seeds from the seed pods.  Tilt the trashcan lid
and the seeds (because they're heavier than the seed pods) will
roll toward the bottom of the lid, making separation of the pods
easy.  Empty pods can be composted or thrown into your
designated cabbage bed. 

Seeds can be dropped through a colander to further separate
them from bits of plant matter.  After drying the seeds for
several weeks on a plate or tray, they are ready to be
packaged, labeled, and dated.  Seeds can be stored in the freezer.