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In my part of the country Thomas brand English muffins have long been popular at grocery stores. I always liked them at breakfast or for a snack. I usually toasted them whole and then sliced them just before adding butter, jelly or peanut butter and let the topping melt in. They are not sweet tasting, but a type of bread with a wonderful crust and lots of air bubbles inside. In stores English muffins are also available with raisins or made from whole wheat. Fast food restaurants offering breakfast usually... Read more →

Millet is seldom grown for food in North America, but it is widely grown to eat in the rest of the world. This healthy food crop is easy to grow and prepare for the table at home. Once your soil has warmed up well this grain will grow quickly and be ready in 60 to 90 days. While growing it does not look like a food crop at all. That makes it ideal to plant not only at home but also near a camp or cabin retreat. The... Read more →

Be sure to check out our video on Harvesting Flint Indian Corn. According to Suzanne Ashworth*, in her excellent book "Seed to Seed" Flint corn seed keeps "for 5-10 years ". I continue to highly recommend her detailed seed saving book. This figure is for seed storage in a cool dry room, not sealed in aluminized poly bags with a desiccant, which is the way we pack our collections. Flint corn seeds not only keep better than Sweet corn, once fully mature it also is a... Read more →

All our seeds are open pollinated varieties. You can save seeds from your garden and they will grow to be the same crops. None of our seeds are Genetically Modified. None of our seeds are Hybrid. Each kind of seed I sell has been carefully chosen to be hardy, reliable and easy to grow. I do not offer seeds which will cross pollinate in our collections such as including both Beets and Swiss Chard, or more than one kind of tomato. The most popular product I sell is Our... Read more →

When storing seeds for many years keep them dry and cool. Suzanne Ashworth's book confirms what we have been doing for many years. "The two greatest enemies of stored seeds are high temperature and high moisture."1 and "Home-saved seeds will retain maximum vigor when thoroughly dried and stored in a moisture-proof container."1 Moisture can pass through plastic, as well as paper. The pouches that I use to store our collections and grains are food bags that are metalized 2.2 poly which provides two layers of protection from moisture and light.... Read more →

I keep getting this question emailed to me over and over again, asked in slightly different ways. For the longest keeping seeds, five to ten years or more, I offer seeds sealed in foil pouches. This includes Our Garden Security Collection, Our Garden Bean Collection, and two small grains. Hulless Oats and Winter Rye. These have been carefully dried and a desiccant packet has been added. They are properly prepared for even longer storage in your refrigerator. In your freezer they will last much longer, like Grampa Neffs... Read more →

My seed collections come sealed in aluminum coated vapor barrier bags. Inside the pouches are a desiccant packet to absorb excess moisture. Our seed collections and grains should keep for 5 to 10 years because I seal and protect them. My collections may be safely stored in your refrigerator or freezer for even longer storage. If you choose to refrigerate or freeze the seed collections, be sure to take them out and let the seeds return to room temperature for a day before planting. To store other seeds like... Read more →

I offer the finest open pollinated garden and grain seeds. None of my seeds are genetically modified. They are time tested varieties with proven reliability. I have many years of experience saving seeds. I have selected the most important varieties to choose from. How did I determine which foods are the most important? The first criterion is to select varieties which are reliable every year, and can be grown in both colder and warmer areas of the USA. There may be global warming or cooling in our future; either way,... Read more →

Beans, corn, squash and pumpkins all require a location which is sunny all day long. The ground should be loosened well below, and fertilizer or rich compost mixed in. For a new garden, dig or loosen all the soil which will be directly under the mature bean or corn plants. With squash and pumpkins, work up an area 30 inches across. Cut and remove any roots you find in that soil. In an established garden, 1/2 those widths will be enough. Beans are usually planted an inch deep in rows,... Read more →