{"title":"Slow Food Ark of Taste","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"butterfly-pea","title":"Butterfly Pea","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat a cool plant! Here's what we learned after finally getting a hold of very hard to find seeds and grew some in our gardens in 2021. They really like heat, humidity, and regular summer rains. Don't bother starting seeds till our weather is like that, cool and dry! We tried early, setting out little transplants because we were super excited, but they literally did nothing except for survive, until it got really warm and the summer rains began and then they were off!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey want to climb, and will grow 10' tall or more! Low to no maintenance they do well in moderate soil with no irrigation other than what Mother Nature provides during the summer. They last a long time with continuous blossoms and a generous seed offering. The delicate blue flowers are very attractive to pollinators.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDry them or use fresh to make any drink blue or make your own inks and paints from this lovely pigment. Reacts to acid, so if you drop lemon juice into your drink it will turn purple! Does not have much of a taste, just a fun natural dye!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a rare \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.fondazioneslowfood.com\/en\/ark-of-taste-slow-food\/ternate-butterfly-pea\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eSlow Food Ark of Taste\u003c\/a\u003e crop! \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Working Food Seed \u0026 Merch Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304242434237,"sku":null,"price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1734\/5725\/files\/Butterfly_Pea_5.jpg?v=1776459153"},{"product_id":"conch-cowpea-bush","title":"Conch Cowpea (bush)","description":"\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003eVery rare! Make us happy and save some seeds from your crop and keep this amazing heirloom going!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe beloved heirloom most prized in Florida, of the bush form so the plants are more compact and upright, not requiring trellising. The peas are small round and white, encased in a short pod. Plants were very abundant, and like all cowpeas- so easy to grow during our warmer months as a cover crop and food crop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorrowed from The Utopian Seed Project's page:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery part of the South has its favorite field peas. Virginia has its whippoorwill, Louisiana its Rouge et Noir, Mississippi its Silver Hull, Georgia its Brown Crowder, Tennessee its Pink Eye Purple Hull, Texas its Cream Pea, South Carolina its Sea Island Red and Rice Peas. A message from Italy has informed us that Slow Food has boarded Florida’s signature pea, the Conch Pea, on the global Ark of Taste, the register of the most historically resonant, flavorful and endangered foods in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLovers of traditional Floridian food know the conch pea well. It appears at a very few road side produce stands in July and August, sometimes into September. Fresh shelled they are sold in plastic freezer bags to devotees who sometimes travel thirty miles to a source.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about this great pea at \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/theutopianseedproject.org\/conch-pea-added-to-slow-foods-global-ark-of-taste\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eThe Utopian Seed Project!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Working Food Seed \u0026 Merch Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304243089597,"sku":null,"price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1734\/5725\/files\/conch1.jpg?v=1777210219"},{"product_id":"conch-cowpea-pole","title":"Conch Cowpea (pole)","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorrowed from The Utopian Seed Project's page:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery part of the South has its favorite field peas. Virginia has its whippoorwill, Louisiana its Rouge et Noir, Mississippi its Silver Hull, Georgia its Brown Crowder, Tennessee its Pink Eye Purple Hull, Texas its Cream Pea, South Carolina its Sea Island Red and Rice Peas. A message from Italy has informed us that Slow Food has boarded Florida‚Äôs signature pea, the Conch Pea, on the global Ark of Taste, the register of the most historically resonant, flavorful and endangered foods in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLovers of traditional Floridian food know the conch pea well. It appears at a very few road side produce stands in July and August, sometimes into September. Fresh shelled they are sold in plastic freezer bags to devotees who sometimes travel thirty miles to a source.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe got a little sample (see the photo of the vial, that much!) a few years ago from Dr. David Sheilds and grew it out in order to have enough to share. Don't be a fool and eat all the pods and not save seeds. This special variety needs your stewardship. Grow, eat, save seeds, share seeds!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about this great pea at \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theutopianseedproject.org\/conch-pea-added-to-slow-foods-global-ark-of-taste\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eThe Utopian Seed Project! \u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Slow Food Ark of Taste variety! Read more here: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehttps:\/\/www.fondazioneslowfood.com\/en\/ark-of-taste-slow-food\/conch-pea\/\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Working Food Seed \u0026 Merch Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304243286205,"sku":null,"price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"feaster-family-heirloom-mustard","title":"Feaster Family Heirloom Mustard","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn old family heirloom grown by the Feaster family in Shiloh, Florida for over a hundred years (and maybe more)! We are so grateful to have acquired this seed for you to enjoy! Broad, pale green, smooth, enormous leaves have a nice spicy bite. They self-sow, and are known to show up all over the garden and in side-walk cracks and other unexpected places. A must grow mustard for our area!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThanks to Jerome Feaster and his stewardship of this family heirloom that we can now all enjoy. The past couple of years, Bricky from Morningside Nature Center, and Charley Lybrand the Union Street Farmers Market Manager, grew out quantities of seed to share with us. Fun fact, we had many self-sow in our summer garden and they did well. This mustard just loves growing here. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFeaster Family Heirloom Mustard is part of the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.fondazioneslowfood.com\/en\/ark-of-taste-slow-food\/feaster-family-heirloom-mustard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eSlow Food Ark of Taste \u003c\/a\u003eand has become a southern staple for our friend Farmer \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bradfordfarmsc.com\/products\/feaster-mustard-greens-10lb-case\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eNat Bradford in Sumter, South Carolina\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XrZT3mMJDWQ\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCheck out our little video\u003c\/a\u003e about the Feaster Family and their mustards!\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Working Food Seed \u0026 Merch Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304245547197,"sku":null,"price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1734\/5725\/files\/feastercenter.jpg?v=1776972971"},{"product_id":"molokhiya-egyptian-spinach-saluyot-jews-mallow","title":"Molokhiya (Egyptian Spinach, Saluyot, Jew's Mallow)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf you want easy, no fuss greens and have room for a small annual shrub, grow this! Mokokhiya is a Middle Eastern super-green, also known as Jew's mallow or Egyptian spinach. Leaves are rich in beta carotene, iron, vitamin C and antioxidants. This \"food of kings\" dates back to the time of the pharaohs, when an Egyptian king drank it in soup to recover from an illness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, it's one of the most widely eaten vegetables in Egypt. In the Philippines, it is called \"saluyot\" and is widely grown for the leaves. We use this similar to how we would use spinach, as spinach is harder to grow here and this productive and easy plant will provide loads of fresh greens all summer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMichael Adler from the Edible Plant Project was stewarding this for many years and we got this seed back in 2014 and have been keeping it ever since. It's very easy to grow and provides nutrient dense leaves that are easy to incorporate into your day to day meal prep.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe leaves do exude a silky, gooey substance similar to okra, which lends itself great for cooking into dishes that can use some thickening. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Working Food Seed \u0026 Merch Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304249643197,"sku":null,"price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1734\/5725\/files\/Molokhiya_4.jpg?v=1776457407"},{"product_id":"sacaton-brown-tepary-bean","title":"Sacaton Brown Tepary Bean","description":"\u003cp\u003eDifferent than the beans you're used to, these desert Southwest adapted beans have been traditionally grown by Native Americans in the hot and dry desert climate. Native Seeds\/SEARCH say this was a Gila River Indian Community variety known as \u003cem\u003eS'oam bawi\u003c\/em\u003e. Drought and heat tolerant this is a survival food to be worthy of keeping around in the garden. Although they are much smaller, they have more protein and higher fiber than common beans.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe've had luck growing it even during our soggy summer months, sowing in May and harvesting seeds in August, but probably best to be a fall sown bean when the weather is drier and pods and seeds can mature into the drier months.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe originally got our seed stock from a seed swap at Earthskills Gathering and spent a couple years multiplying it in order to share. So curious what you think! Please give us feedback!\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Working Food Seed \u0026 Merch Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304250921149,"sku":null,"price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"sea-island-red-pea","title":"Sea Island Red Pea","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Sea Island Red Pea is a treasured heirloom cowpea from the Gullah Geechee communities of the coastal Southeastern US, traditionally grown in the Sea Islands and Lowcountry. Deeply rooted in Gullah cuisine, these peas are key ingredients in dishes like Hoppin' John and Reezy Peezy, often paired with Carolina Gold Rice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA nitrogen-fixing plant, it's also a valuable companion crop between crop rotations, and when you need to rest your hot summer garden with a cover crop. \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThey grow exceptionally easy as most cowpeas do in our subtropical climate. This flavorful, prolific southern pea \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003ehas some short runners and enjoys climbing a trellis, but they also work well as a bushy ground cover with no trellising. The pods are short to medium sized and typically held above the foliage for easy picking. Pods are slender and filled with small red peas. They are also very tasty as a fresh young green pod, if you're looking for a green bean in the middle of summer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur offering is a special mix of two strains shared with us by Social Roots and Comfort Farms, both in Georgia and then saved together here in our gardens in North Florida.  From seed to seed the time was very short- about a month and a half! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qDajqEQ78vY\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHere is a great short documentary \u003c\/a\u003eabout the pea and it's Geechee heritage.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Working Food Seed \u0026 Merch Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304250953917,"sku":null,"price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1734\/5725\/files\/Sea_Island_Red_Cowpea.png?v=1787080777"},{"product_id":"seminole-pumpkin","title":"Seminole Pumpkin","description":"\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003eHands-down, one of the best squash to grow in our climate! These vigorous plants stand up to our insects and diseases better than many other varieties. Their vining habit is one of the reasons they can be especially resilient to squash vine borers, a notorious pest that can quickly decimate vulnerable squash plants. Seminole Pumpkin vines creep across the ground and establish roots along the way, giving the plant multiple points of support and helping it weather damage from these pests. They aren’t completely immune to squash vine borers, but they are much more resilient than many other squash varieties.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003eThe plants produce sweet, delicious pumpkins with an impressively long storage life. We’ve had some last for up to a year after harvest, though we recommend enjoying them within about 6 months for the best flavor and quality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003eThe flavor is incredible and can vary from fruit to fruit—that’s part of the fun! Seminole Pumpkin is a landrace variety, meaning it has developed over generations in a particular place and retains lots of natural variation. Fruits can differ widely in size, shape, color, and flavor, making every harvest a little bit of a surprise. The flesh is versatile and delicious in both sweet and savory dishes, from pies and other desserts to soups, stews, and roasted squash.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003eThis true Florida heirloom has been grown by Native Americans for centuries, with evidence that this pumpkin pre-dates Spanish contact. The Miccosukee Tribe referred to it as \u003cem\u003eChassa howitska\u003c\/em\u003e, meaning “hanging pumpkin,” describing the habit this plant has for climbing trees, fences or other plants, resulting in hanging pumpkins! Gardeners who have saved and shared these seeds over many years have helped preserve the many different forms of this remarkable squash.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur “variety” is intentionally diverse, reflecting the local growing conditions and the many gardeners who have stewarded these seeds over generations. We typically grow out a blend of seeds from various growers to help keep the gene pool broad and resilient. From those plants, we taste the fruits and inspect their flesh color and quality, selecting and carrying forward the tastiest pumpkins with the deepest-colored flesh.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Working Food Seed \u0026 Merch Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304251019453,"sku":null,"price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1734\/5725\/files\/Seminole_Pumpkin_4.jpg?v=1776462367"},{"product_id":"whipporwill-cowpea-bush","title":"Whipporwill Cowpea (bush)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhippoorwill peas were once the standard for southern peas, but are now a rare variety. It grows as a bush, only a few feet high, but will send out runners about 5 feet long given enough nutrients and moisture. Like all cowpeas, it is highly tolerant of heat, drought, and poor soil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is quite productive, with vines producing many 7-9\" green pods filled with small light brown and speckled seeds, over an extended period of time. Very young green pods can be enjoyed like a green bean. Or the dried pods can be saved to eat the dry bean inside.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis unique pea is boarded to the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.fondazioneslowfood.com\/en\/ark-of-taste-slow-food\/whippoorwill-cowpea\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSlow Food Ark of Taste\u003c\/a\u003e. Be sure to save your own seeds of this treasure, and share them widely!\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Working Food Seed \u0026 Merch Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304252166333,"sku":null,"price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1734\/5725\/files\/whipporwill3.jpg?v=1777556541"}],"url":"https:\/\/workingfoodseeds.org\/collections\/slow-food-ark-of-taste.oembed","provider":"Working Food ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}