Most of our cultivated vegetables have been carefully selected over many generations of plants for the required qualities. This is why they have the appearance texture and flavour that they do,and is the reason why we need to carefully select the best vegetables of there type if we want to grow them on to save there seeds for the next year. However there are exceptions.Salsify and Scortzoa as they are grown on the vegetable plot are very similar to their wild brothers or sisters.There are at this point in time no real varieties , just species,which makes it very easy to save seeds from them from year to year or even just collect them from the hedge rows and field edges where they continue to grow.here is a picture of them growing to seed in my allotment. they are the fluffy , blow away seeds in the foreground the seeds further back are spinage . collecting the seeds couldn't be easier. on a dry day simply grasp the seed head with your hand . If they are ripe they will pull away quite easily .then just put them in your back pocket until you get home to store them properly. by the time you get home they will have separated from the fluff quite effectively.They can be quite abundant June and July.so it is easy to collect your seeds for planting early autumn or next spring. salsify is reputed to be very rich in assimilable iron and mineral . the green leaves can be added to salads through the summer and autumn the long roots can be harvested through the autumn and winter. Is there a use for the
seeds I don't personally know of one .If you do please enlighten us all Eddie
