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__We are currently entering our third year of drought. For the past two consecutive Summers all our crops - both food and seed - have been a complete write-off. As a result our seed stocks are very low, and we are not able to supply much of anything. You're still welcome to write to us and enquire, but don't hold your breath.__
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!!!Seed for Sale or Swap

''All our seed is grown by the most stringent of organic methods. We do not grow genetically modified seed varieties, nor do we supply hybrids (except occasionally when we're supplying breeding-stock -- and then you'd know about what you're getting.) We are totally committed to growing only open-pollinated varieties and to the preservation of heirloom vegetables in the fight to preserve gastronomic and nutritional biodiversity. We are committed to the [Safe Seed Pledge|SafeSeedPledge].''

Prices highly neg. Please [email us|mailto:mikro2nd@gmail.com] to order. 

!! Beans

! Dragon's Lingerie

Classic speckled bean with a distinctive golden colour, and equally golden flavour.  These are our staple self-sufficiency bean for drying.  Plant in Spring for harvest in mid_summer.  The beans thresh easily and store well.

! Hopi Black

Small black bean for drying with an exquisite, smoky flavour.  Cooks faster than most beans, so an energy-saver.  Hummus made from these beans comes out a weird (but wonderful) purple colour.  Anybody up to try making a dye from them?

! Rattlesnake

Very prolific pole bean, the pods are speckled; unfortunately the colouring does not survive cooking.  A great dual-purpose bean -- excellent flavour, no-string green bean, also good as a dried bean.

!! Cabbage Tribe

!Cape Spitz Cabbage

Medium-sized conical-head cabbage. Excellent flavour and reliable for us year-round.

!Pak Choi %%(color:red) ''Out of Stock''%%

Loose-leaf member of the Cabbage family from the Far East.  Young leaves are popular for salads, with a mildly mustardy flavour.  Much used in stir-fries when older, the prominent mid-rib provides a nice texture-break, and the mustardy flavour gets moderated by cooking.  Also good for soups!

!! Carrots

! Chantenay Karoo

Yellow-orange carrots, very sweet and tasty.  A common SA heirloom.  These are more productive for us in Winter than any other Carrots.

! Nantes

Cylindrical orange Carrot, classic sweet "Carroty" flavour.  An old and reliable heirloom.  Seems to us that the Big Seed suppliers would love to see this one die out; we have found it increasingly difficult to find on the shelves of local garden and agri stores over the last few years.

!! Echinacaea (Cone Flower)

Make your own Echinacaea immune-booster by growing Echinacaea through two seasons before digging the roots up to infuse in alcohol.  The flowers are pretty enough to spread around the garden.  Germination can be a bit difficult; the trick is to ''avoid'' any bottom heat, and germinate the seeds in damp, cool (almost cold!) conditions.  And be very patient -- don't give up on them too soon!  We've had seed-trays sitting for months before any plants show up.

!! Fennel

! Florence Fennel

Not a named variety -- just one that we have selectively saved seed for over a decade, resulting in a particularly plump, round strain.  Best harvested young -- don't let them get to tennis-ball size.  Excellent with fish and poultry, and in soups and (shredded fine) in salads.

''__Update__: The last batch of seed seems to have been struck by some sort of reversion -- we're getting very mixed results from our Florence Fennel -- some plants producing beautiful, plump bulbs, but others coming out all thin and stalky like conventional leaf-Fennel. So we're not willing to guarantee result any more on this one. However, if you're willing to take the chance, that's OK. Just so you know what you're getting into!''

!! Leek

! Carentan

Favourite year-round crop in our climate, Carentan does not make hugely large Leeks, but they are ''always'' tender and stringless, with a mild, sweet flavour.  Essential for Winter soups!

!! Lettuce

! Salad Mix

A mixed selection of 8 to 12 different varieties of Cos, Butterhead and loose-leaf lettuces in an array of colours from golden-yellow-green through deep bronze to the most stunning reds and maroons.  If you've only ever experienced those horrible supermarket iceberg Lettuces, you've never really tasted Lettuce.

Brilliant for harvesting as cut-and-come-again baby lettuce leaves.

!! Parsley

! Flat-Leaf German

Flat leaf parsley with excellent flavour -- much better (we think) than the curly-leaf Parsley.  Also better for medicinal purposes!

!! Radicchio

! Verona

Red-leaf heirloom Radicchio.

!! Squashes and Pumpkins

! Black Futsu

Prolific and quite pest resistant Japanese heirloom Winter squash; produces 1- to 2-kg squashes with a hard, dark-green skin, and deep orange flesh.  Squashes will last months in storage if harvested as late as possible; the skin turns a deep amber in storage.  Flavour is outstanding -- sort of "nutty", and similar to Butternut, but a bit dryer-fleshed.  Excellent for roasting, soups, baking.

!! Swiss Chard

! Lucullus

Very tasty, with soft light-green leaves.  Very long-standing, Lucullus is our Winter green-veg standby that keeps us going for greens through the Hungry Gap.

!! Tomatillo

! Green Tomatillo

Much used in Mexican salsas, Tomatillos are related to the Cape Gooseberry.  Many recipes claim that you can substitute Tomatoes for Tomatillos if you can't lay hands on the real thing, but its a long, ''long'' stretch of the imagination.  Realistically there's ''no'' substitute.  Tomatillos are dead easy to grow, ''very' prolific, and don't seem susceptible to much in the way of pests or disease.  The only problems we've ever experienced are Snails and Slugs.  Allow 1m each way between the very sprawly plants, or be prepared to provide some support for them.

!! Tomatoes

! Brandywine

No introduction needed for Heirloom Tomato afficionadi; these Beefsteak Tomatoes have been carried down from mother to daughter for hundreds of years.  Many people (me included) will argue that Brandywines are the tastiest Tomatoes in the world!  Big enough that a single slice covers a sandwich slice; tasty enough that you need to pair them with ''strong'' cheese,...  Brandywine is ''the'' winner!

! Cherokee Purple

Large beefsteak Tomato; deep purpley-red colour with greenish shoulders.  The strong, salty-Tomato flavour will have you hooked the moment you taste it!  Excellent for sandwiches, sauces and salads.  We guess that it would be a treat dried, too, and can't wait to try.

! Gold Nugget

Bite-sized, yellow and a stunning taste for salads.  The bushes tend to be quite large -- allow 1m between the plants, and they will need plenty of support. ''Very'' prolific!

! Ida Gold

Two-bite-sized orange tomatoes, ideal for salads.  Bushes are smallish, needing good support.  2/3-m spacing should be plenty.

! Red Kahki

Common medium-sized variety in SA.  Not the greatest on taste, buu reliable, prolific, and disease-resistant.  This strain has been selectively bred by us for over 15 years.

! Taxi

Large-medium, named for the famous New York taxicab's colour, Taxi is a great cooking Tomato. Bushes are medium-sized, and need about 700mm between each plant.

! Tigerella

Well-known English heirloom dating back to (at least) the 1800's.  Medium-sized, deep-red with dark brownish-red stripes, and a classic Tomatoey flavour.  A definite winner for salads, sandwiches and market.