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Post by Blueflint on Sept 27, 2014 21:06:34 GMT -5
Just a quick reminder that Bill Best will be hosting his annual seed swap and general get together Saturday October 4th starting at 9:00 am. Last year there were around 300 (?) that attended from 6 states. It is always good to see old friends, trade seed and catch up in general. This event grows more each year. The folks from Southern Exposure will also be attending this year.
Location: Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center, 1033 Pilot Knob Cemetery Rd., Berea, KY 40403
-Tony
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Post by kyredneck on Sept 28, 2014 9:43:02 GMT -5
Thank you for posting this, I've read/heard of this meet, I may actually could go this year. As the crow flies it's only about 40 miles from me, driving distance is more like 75-80 miles. I've ordered seed from Bill Best on a couple occasions and SESE many times.
Can anyone go? Or is it intended mainly for those selling seed or with large inventories to trade? What goes on at the event?
[add]
You'll have to excuse me, I'm new here and don't know who most folks are; I've been to your website before, I may be contacting you with some questions and an order.
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Post by Blueflint on Sept 28, 2014 20:57:03 GMT -5
Open to anyone!!!! Even if you just want to come and look around, talk to people, etc. This is really what it is all about. It is mostly people set up selling and trading seed but I would say the majority is people there talking and swapping, seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Bill will give a tour at least once, he is getting around better than last year as he had a hip replaced last winter, I on the other hand am gimping around a little more...time for me to go under the knife! Come one, come all.
Tony
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Post by reed on Oct 1, 2014 8:42:54 GMT -5
I think we are going to try to go. Wanted to last year but it didn't work out.
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Post by kyredneck on Oct 3, 2014 11:18:23 GMT -5
On this short notice I've actually gotten my small seed inventory organized and somewhat 'ready to swap' for tomorrow.
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Post by blackox on Oct 3, 2014 15:02:23 GMT -5
I wanted to but we'll be heading several hours in the other direction. I'm the only one in the family that's interested in gardening, so it's not like my parents would be interested in driving that far just for me. When I get my driver's license and a vehicle, perhaps.
Good luck and have fun!
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Post by reed on Oct 7, 2014 3:02:06 GMT -5
We went to the swap. I just had some beans, nothing really special but still did some trading and bought some things too. Some new greasy beans to mix in with mine and some big colorful runner beans. Also bought some more corn. It was fun overall but not many people there. Tasted some long red peppers that were so sweet they reminded me of apples, brought some of them home too.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Oct 7, 2014 4:27:42 GMT -5
forgot this was happening - and we actually went through berea that day, on a trip visiting several nurseries and nut/fruit orchards in the area...probably wouldn't have had the time anyway...oops.
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Post by kyredneck on Oct 7, 2014 16:46:00 GMT -5
We went to the swap. I just had some beans, nothing really special but still did some trading and bought some things too. Some new greasy beans to mix in with mine and some big colorful runner beans. Also bought some more corn. It was fun overall but not many people there. Tasted some long red peppers that were so sweet they reminded me of apples, brought some of them home too. I went also and had a blast. Those long red peppers were probably the 'Jimmy Nardello's' I was giving away, along with the fermented cukes & brussel sprouts, Aji Omnicolor & Hot Lemon chiles, Yummy Orange sweet peppers, and Bonda Ma Jaques Habs. I met some very interesting friendly people there. Were you one of them?
Bill Best and Frank Barnett said that there were about 100 fewer people that had signed in than from last year, attributing the decrease in numbers to the chilly weather.
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Post by reed on Oct 7, 2014 19:02:38 GMT -5
Yes the peppers were free,it must have been you, those things are amazing. Did you have Goose Beans too? I got some of them. We had a bag full of stuff when we left, I haven't sorted it all out yet. I think I gave you some Cherokee Trail of Tears Beans as we were leaving. Fun that I met someone from the forum. Also I think the fellow we got Cherokee Flour corn from might be Blueflint.
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Post by kyredneck on Oct 7, 2014 21:10:15 GMT -5
Yes, it is indeed an awesome sweet pepper and a bona fide Italian 'landrace' to boot. 'Who is Jimmy Nardello? The Story of the Jimmy Nardello Pepper' www.iowasource.com/food/cooks_0807.htmlYes, I always have Goose beans, they've been in my family as long as I can remember. Yes, someone as they were leaving tossed me a bag of black beans marked: Cherokee TT 2014 Thank you very much reed, I've come close to buying these in the past. Can you tell me something about their growth habit, like, how tall do the vines get? Do they spread horizontally? Maybe we'll meet and talk more at another swap, there's another one in Pikeville in the Spring I've been invited to, or, maybe next year in Berea we'll meet and talk. Yes, Blueflint was first table on the right going in the building. I had intentions to talk more with him and Bill Best and Frank Barnett and others but got totally involved at my own table and didn't. Maybe next year. I come back with a bunch of seed too and haven't sorted it all out yet myself.
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Post by steev on Oct 7, 2014 22:57:53 GMT -5
So cool to network; wish I'd been able to; not yet in my range of travel, but one can hope for the future.
I wouldn't even mind the chance to research my Kentucky forebears.
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Post by reed on Oct 8, 2014 4:16:19 GMT -5
kyredneck; The Cherokee TT are big vines ten feet easy but aren't they all? People say this is a half runner or these get eight feet tall but I'v met few that don't fall off the top of an eight foot trellis, hang down and then grow back up. The pods get six or seven inches and have purple streaks. They are a fine green bean but do have strings. Haven't tried them dry, well I'm not sure about that, if it's in the pantry I throw it in soup.
Not sure about horizontal growth, you don't have to help them find the poles like a few I'v grown (Anasazi). Don't know about these specifically but generally if a bean escapes its pole and finds the fence or the blackberry trellis it grows horizontally along it just fine. That might be a cool way to grow beans cause they just hang down in a line under the leaves but it usually turns into an unruly mess.
We tried a new kind this year called Ideal Market, seeds look exactly the same but pods are bigger and much fewer strings. Just grew a trial/seed patch, I have them sealed up for storage already but think there might be a few still on the vines if this rain didn't ruin them. I'll put together a share list sometime soon and keep you in mind for the Ideal Markets.
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