Green Mantis
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Californian Poppy Seeds? How to keep, use?

Hi,
Had the chance to go pick every last seed head I could find, in an old garden, that is to be demo'd this fall.
Did that the 1st of Sept. this year.

Today that since I am re-couping from a summer cold :(
I decided to see how many seeds had fallen out in the Brown paper bags.

I had purchased 4 -500ml jars ( not sure the "real" size, not into ml. :oops:

Anyway got 3/4 of a jar full of them, just sitting here at the table, shaking brown paper bags.

I want to use a bunch to plant next year? Or can I plant this fall?

Do I store them in the jar with the lid on? Also What else can I do with them?

I know I am going to get almost twice that many in the end. So how do I store? In the jar or in a bag or?

Plus what else can I do with them?

Thanks in advance. :D

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rainbowgardener
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They are not native to cold winter areas, so don't sow in fall. Plant your seeds early in spring once the ground is unfrozen and danger of frost is past.

I don't like storing seeds in glass or plastic because of condensation issues. I just keep them in paper bags.

I grew up in Southern California and I grow California poppies to remind me of home. I think they are so beautiful.

California poppies are not true poppies, but the seeds are edible.

Food: The california poppy seed is also used in some dishes such as: noodles, fish, cakes, studels, fruit and vegetables salads as a dressing in some international cuisines: Indian, Moghlai, German, Jewish and Slavic. Its seeds are also used for cooking because it has edible oil. These are more than enough reasons to keep California poppy seeds in your kitchen.
https://www.ethnosupply.com/articles/california_poppy_seed.html

Since I'm usually buying the seed in little packets, I've never tried it.

Green Mantis
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rainbow gardener, thank you. I really wondered about keeping them in a

glass jar, just for the reason you mentioned. Guess I will be looking for

some more paper bags. Staple top and bottom. The seeds were falling out

of the bags, into a big plastic grocery bag, I had them in. I got 4 small bags

full of seed heads from that garden. :D

They seem to fall and just re-seed themselves, in that garden. That's why

I wondered when I could put seeds out. :?:

They really are pretty plants, these ones are orange and some various red

coloured ones. I really hated to see them all get bulldozed. :(

I didn't realize you could use the seeds in so many ways. Very interesting.

Should I store them in a cool dark place? Once I put them back in bags?

Thanks so much for your response. :D

DoubleDogFarm
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I need a little clarification. Are we talking about

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20Orchard%20Flowers/Garden2008019.jpg[/img]

or

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20Orchard%20Flowers/Garden2008005.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20Orchard%20Flowers/Poppies002.jpg[/img]

Papaver somniferum, are a better food value.

Eric

Green Mantis
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Defiately the Bottom poppies. I didn't know they came in purple too. :shock:

So very pretty. Also didn't realize there were two kinds of california poppies :oops:

Thanks so much for showing me the difference. Will have to write the name on the bag. :D

DoubleDogFarm
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Poppies belong to genera of Papaveraceae, which includes:

Papaver and corn poppy, Opium poppy, Oriental poppy, Iceland poppy, and about 120 other species
Eschscholzia and California poppy and relatives
Meconopsis and Welsh poppy, Nepal poppy, and relatives
Stylophorum and Celandine poppy or wood poppy
Argemone and Prickly poppy
Romneya and Matilija poppy and relatives
Canbya and Pygmy poppy
Stylomecon and Wind poppy
Arctomecon and Desert bearpaw poppy
Hunnemannia and Tulip poppy
Dendromecon and Tree poppy

Poppy Seeds. Papaver Somniferum. Breadseed poppies come in many colors.

Eric

Green Mantis
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So these can be used on bread, or cupcakes? :D

DoubleDogFarm
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Yep, You may want to taste them first. :)

Bagels, Lemon poppy seed muffins, Poppy seed dressing is my favorite.

https://allrecipes.com/recipe/poppyseed-dressing/

Eric

Green Mantis
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Wow, those poppy seed rolls look good. :D

Can't wait until we get moved into our house, in october. I will be trying these, plus a few other things there.

Yep will taste first though. :wink:

When I plant some of these seeds, can I just broadcast them in the beds?

That stuffing recipe sounds interesting. Thanks for all the info.

DoubleDogFarm
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Here in almost Canada, San Juan island Washington, they self seed readily. I have volunteers all through the garden. Most are pulled as weeds.

Broadcast some now and also save some for Spring sowing. You could scratch them in some or not.

Eric

DoubleDogFarm
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Here is my quick way of harvesting seed.

Collect the seed heads in a clean food grade bucket. Then crush them. I used a half brick. It was close and handy. :wink:
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20Orchard%20Flowers/PoppyseedharvestSept8th2012001.jpg[/img]
Then just run everything through a sifter. Back and forth inside the bucket.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20Orchard%20Flowers/PoppyseedharvestSept8th2012004.jpg[/img]
Then pour them into a jar and show them off. :lol:
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20Orchard%20Flowers/PoppyseedharvestSept8th2012005.jpg[/img]

These are clean enough for storing and sowing. I would clean them more for baking.

Eric

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rainbowgardener
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The bottom, purple ones are true poppies, Papavers. If that's what you are growing Green Mantis, they aren't California poppies. The top, orange ones are California poppies Eschultzii californicus, which are not true poppies.

The seeds of both are edible. True poppy seeds are where opium comes from (note the scientific name Papaver Somniferum, where somniferum translates roughly as sleep-inducing). Rumor has it that if you eat too much poppy seed you can fail a drug test, though that may be an urban legend, I don't know. I do know that opium is highly processed and concentrated, so I'm thinking the amount of opium in a poppyseed muffin or whatever would be less than microscopic.

cynthia_h
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rainbowgardener wrote: True poppy seeds are where opium comes from (note the scientific name Papaver Somniferum, where somniferum translates roughly as sleep-inducing). Rumor has it that if you eat too much poppy seed you can fail a drug test, though that may be an urban legend, I don't know. I do know that opium is highly processed and concentrated, so I'm thinking the amount of opium in a poppyseed muffin or whatever would be less than microscopic.
Not an urban legend; see [url=https://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/poppyseed.asp]snopes here[/url]. The trace amounts of opium in the innocent poppy-seed bagels or rolls can be detected up to 48 hours after ingestion.

And, although the California poppies would never miss the seeds--profligate self-seeders that they are--I just can't make myself look at them as edible.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

Green Mantis
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WOW... :shock: I didn't know that you could fail a drug test from a cupcake with poppy seeds on it. :oops:

Maybe I had better not get tooooooo carried away with usuing them in cooking. :roll:

One thing at least, they are pretty in the garden :wink:

Thanks for all the info Doubledogfarm, rainbowgardener, and cynthia_h :D

Now I know to be "very" careful with the seeds. Plus that I can broadcast a few this fall, in the garden.

Too bad I don't have any purples, they sure are pretty too. :D

DDF...Those seeds look just like mine. :)



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