Turkeysong Origami Seed Pockets Video Goes Live!

THIS BLOG IS RETIRED, I’VE MOVED TO SKILLCULT.COM   

ALL THE OLD TURKEYSONG POSTS ARE THERE AND MORE, CHECK IT OUT!

At some point a year or two ago, I had to come up with a folded packet/envelope design so I could give away the seeds that I save at farmer’s markets, scion exchanges and places like that.  I like giving away seeds.  I often give away too many and end up kicking myself, but it is so compelling for some reason!  The first thing that came to mind was those little paper packets called bindles that cocaine used to come in back in the 80’s.  Learning to fold bindles was about the only real good I ever got out the stuff.  Cocaine was around a lot back then, but I had little use for it.  I think I was more interested in the bindles than the coke. I did so little of it that I couldn’t remember how to make those little folded paper bindles almost 30 years later.  So, anyway, no bindles.  I had to improvise.  I’m not sure why I didn’t just look for instructions on the internet, but I’m glad I didn’t.

I had recently come up with an origami container for roasted baynuts that was pretty nifty, so I was emboldened to the task and began folding away fearlessly.  I already knew I wanted it to be a quarter sheet or smaller.  The result after a few minor adjustments is this origami dubbed “seed pocket” for obvious reasons.  It came out with some neat unexpected features.  The back tabs lock together in a really neat way to keep the packet closed.  If stuffed super full it may open at the back (though it’s still unlikely to spill seeds) but then you can just make a larger one out of a full sheet instead of a quarter sheet.  I prefer to tear the paper after creasing, because the torn edges appear under the title, which looks cool and more handcrafted-like.  there are also a lot of squares and half square triangles formed, so the proportions are pleasing to an OCDish person fixated on symmetry, like me.  These are very seed tight and unlikely to leak even small seeds like poppy.  In fact, I just packed up some tiny shirlie poppy seeds last night.  I’m not so sure about super teeny weeny tiny seeds like tobacco and lobelia, but otherwise, they’re pretty dang tight!

I’ve got one laid out in adobe illustrator for each of the seed varieties that I save regularly, with names, short descriptions and a nudge in the direction of my blog to pick up web traffic.  They serve a little like business cards and are very popular.  It’s a lot of folding, but I actually like folding them while watching a movie or just thinking about stuff.  It’s sort of addictive.  I’ve probably folded thousands by now.

I’m making the Adobe Illustrator template available as a downloadable file, so if you have access to adobe illustrator, you can leave the layout (which took a helluva long time to get right, so be careful messing with it!) and just change the text and fonts to suit your own farm name, variety names, descriptions and such.  You may need to download the fonts I used if you want to keep them (Copperplate gothic light, Century old style standard, Cambria and Chalkduster).  Putting some text on the inside of the packet is a possibility too, and I may add seed saving instructions for each vegetable eventually if I can get my stupid printer to stop eating so much paper.  I kept it pretty simple, but one could add all kinds of things- colors, pictures, gardening quotes, fold lines…

This template is for four small seed pockets per 8.5 x 11 inch sheet.  I haven’t made a full sheet template, but I do use the same origami design for making an occasional large seed packet.  If you use the template, I’d appreciate the small favor of leaving the blip on the underside of the flap so people can find the template and this post and my blog.  Thanks!

So, save some seeds this year!  If you haven’t saved seed before, tomatoes are an easy place to start.  They rarely cross with each other.  Just take a non-hybrid tomato that you like, squish the seeds into a bowl, let it ferment for a day or two to dissolve the pulp, wash and drain several times to clean the seeds, and dry on a piece of paper in the shade until thoroughly dry.

This is the first video of what I hope will be many.  Big thanks to blog reader lars for hooking me up with a video camera!  Thanks dude!

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioub3uAsfSU<

And don’t miss my one other youtube video ever, the epic guinea pig munch off!

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGqF63c6LZw<

Turkeysong Seed and Vegetable Varieties

THIS BLOG IS RETIRED, I’VE MOVED TO SKILLCULT.COM   

ALL THE OLD TURKEYSONG POSTS ARE THERE AND MORE, CHECK IT OUT!

This is sort of a vegetable review area, as well as a repository of information that people who get seeds from me can access as needed.  I will be editing it and adding pictures and varieties over time.

I give away a lot of seeds, and will be giving a whole lot away in the next couple of months at the Ukiah farmer’s market and the Boonville scion exchange.  If you save seed, you’ll find that you almost always have way more than you can use.  That’s awesome, because then you can give away seeds too.  If more of us save seeds in our communities, then each of us has to spend less time trying to save seeds of everything ourselves.  Saving seed in a community can also lead to maintaining a larger genetic pool, because can we trade for seed of varieties that we already save at home just to get some new genes or traits in the mix.  Also, I’m fairly convinced (intuitively more than anything else) that gifting is part of any sustainable economy.  When I say economy, dollar signs probably start flashing in your head, but I mean economy more in the old school sense of the totality of activities, interactions and resources that make up a person or family’s living, and of course the overlap that has with other people and families in a broader community.

Below are all varieties that I grow personally here, and which have found a place in the the garden by way of various virtues.  I’ve grown weary, and wary, of trialing large numbers of vegetables and now only do it one vegetable at a time, on the rare year that I do it at all.  Mostly I find that it ends up being a waste of money and bed space.  I think it’s very important to find good varieties and that a lot of folks should expend more effort on the pursuit, but is can get expensive and complicated.  It’s easy to run up a good sized bill if I allow myself to be seduced by every seed catalogue and rosy description.  That rose of a beet is rarely any better than Detroit Dark Red since it has already snuffed out a half dozen or more varieties before it.  It is nice to have varieties that are consistent and reliable and then every once in a while I can seek to improve something I’m not happy with, or try a variety that a friend recommends.  I’ve gone through a lot of trouble to find these guys and, while your mileage may vary, they are a good place to start if just starting out, or might be worth trying in a small plot against whatever it is that you normally grow.  Let me know what has worked for you in the comments.

More about saving seeds and these super cool turkeysong original origami seed pockets soon!