Understanding GOING Seed Saving GREEN by Michael lauher NAPA VALLEY BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Connolly Ranch Education Center by the Napa County Green Business ProgramEducation Director Spollinated by insects, wind or self-pollination, and The hess collectioneed saving starts with healthy, open-pollinatedheirloom plants. These are plants that have been are passed down through family generations for at least fifty years. Hybrid plants are often sterile, or do not reproduce true to the parent plants. Besides the plant’s genetic history, its family species is important as well. Plants in the same family, such as cucumber, melon, squash and pumpkin, cannot grow together in the same garden if you plan to save the seed. They will cross-pollinate with each other, and the seed you get will be a mix of these varieties and will be no good to eat. So look for plants that self-pollinate for your first seed saving adventure. Many gardeners are successful in saving beans, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, asters, cosmos and sunflowers. There are two different methods of saving, depending on the fruit or seed head. Beans, peas, and most flowers are prepared using a dry method. Let the seeds first mature and ripen The history of The Hess Collection commitment to sus- on the plant, then tainability dates to the day that Donald Hess decided complete the drying to establish vineyards on Mount Veeder in 1978, and by spreading seed through the years that commitment has been clear and pods on a screen in unwavering. Hess was among the first wineries and vine- a single layer in a yards to be certified by the Napa Green program, and by well-ventilated, dry the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. But the location. Remove real impetus for this sustainable view of the world dates all of the shells or to an encounter in 1967 with artist Rolf Iseli, at the time any chaff from the quite literally a starving artist who caught the eye of art seed. For small or collector Donald Hess. lightweight seed, Quite simply, Iseli refused to sell his art to Hess, believ- dry seed heads in a ing him to represent a business world that was not fo- paper bag and check cused on sustainability. Confronted with this unexpected daily for moisture development, Hess decided that in every aspect of his problems or mold. business life, he would make certain that sustainability Fleshy fruits like was an integral part of every conversation. And so it has cucumber and been with The Hess Collection. tomato will use a wet method. Scoop Tour the vineyards high atop Mount Veeder and you’re the seeds out with the juice into a small bucket or jar. Let this sit for two to four days likely to see the winery’s goats busily helping to natu- until it starts to bubble and ferment. The fermentation kills viruses and separates the rally suppress vegetation. Cover crops planted be- good seed from the bad. The good seeds will sink to the bottom, while the pulp and tween vineyard rows provide both “green manure” and bad seeds will float to the top. Spread the good seeds out to dry on a paper towel or a home for beneficial insects, which help control vine newspaper. Again, check daily that they are drying and not getting moldy. pests. Raptors soar high on the ridgetops, swooping Store thoroughly dry seeds in jars labeled with the variety and date so you can keep into the vineyard as part of a natural cycle to control un- track of freshness. Make sure seeds are kept out of the light and away from rodents. wanted rodents. Water conservation, compost crafted Seed saving of local varieties is necessary for plant survival, genetic diversity and to from grape must, and dozens of other techniques all perpetuate our ability to grow our own food. help Hess practice all things green as a duty, not a vir- tue.to learn more about the Hess Collection go to www.hesscollection.com. For more information on the Napa County Green Connolly Ranch • 3141 Browns Valley Road, Napa Business Program visit www.greenbusinessca.org or 707-224-1984 • www.connollyranch.org contact Danielle Schmitz at dschmitz@nctpa.net. S E P T E m B E R / o c T o B E R 2 0 1 2 53
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