Rodger, I've got to make it down there one of these years! Both to swap seed, and to see in person some of the people I've met on GW. It should make for pleasant conversation - as in the _spoken_ word! My source for the Hopi Pole said to continuously select for the darker seeds, or it would eventually revert to the orange. I'm assuming orange with red speckles is the dominant form. The flavor is quite good, but rather hard to describe. They cook up tender, and keep much of their dark coloration. The flavor is not especially sweet, but very rich, with an elusive flavor I can't quite pin down (kind of like they were cooked in green-bean water). Smooth-textured, and very pleasant. Rodger, you have so much more "latitude" (pun intended) in your lima selection. While I have had real success with only Sieva & some bush baby limas direct-seeded, all is not lost... started in pots, many smaller limas will mature for me, at least enough to save seed. I actually threw a 30-foot tarp over "Hopi" twice as frost threatened... with good results.

I got a note from the admin people informing me that there is an events forum, or something like that, where such announcements are supposed to go. Apparently, we are not supposed to make announcements anywhere else. Which I didn't know. Anyway, for info about AHSC or the conference, contact me at KentuckySeeds@hotmail.com. Let me know you saw the reference at GW.

Periodically in the winter, I'll soak very small amounts of 3 or 4 varieties of dry beans overnight. I'll note how long each variety takes to swell, and whether a variety swells all at the same time (important for winter sprouts). Then I'll note how long it takes to cook the seeds until they're comfortable to chew, and whether they fall apart, e.g good for soup or refried.. I note their texture and, of course, their flavor. It's interesting to me that some, e.g, Rattlesnake, speak loudly of Mexican cuisine, and others, e.g. Kenearly Yellow Eye, speak very loudly of New England cuisine. On the Hot Pepper forum, people manage to discern the nuances of "nuclear" hot pepper flavors. I'm thinking it would be much easier to discern the nuances of different varieties of dry beans?????

There are only partial chunks of these books online for free, but you can read these and see if that is what you read. The first book does talk about the earliest Kentucky agriculture including lambsquarters. Kentucky Heirloom Seeds: Growing, Eating, Saving Saving Seeds, Preserving Taste: Heirloom Seed Savers in Appalachia