A Surprise Came In the Mail Today!

TheSeedObsesser

TheSeedObsesser

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Probably about 5 + lbs. of lentils came in the mail today! That's a quarter to the left. Even though I have read that lentils don't do well around here due to disease, I am going to try to breed my own disease resistant strain of lentil, starting with these. Chances are that I'm not going to plant the whole bag (I don't have that much room) but I might need the extras as back-ups. Willing to share some seed if anybody is interested.

Have you grown lentils? Do you like lentils? (Taste, texture?)
 
digitS'

digitS'

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I grew them years ago.

This is just about 80 miles north of the "Dry Pea & Lentil Capital" of the USA! Getting to be lots of chick peas around here, too.

Lentils in my garden were tiny plants! Don't be thinking pole beans, SeedO. Don't even be thinking garden peas.

They are quick. Maybe, there are some more robust varieties for the gardener that might grow another couple of weeks.

Steve
 
TheSeedObsesser

TheSeedObsesser

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Steve: I was thinking bush beans, I do know that the plant looks quite pea-like. Actually... probably more of vetch - like with pea flowers. Glad that they are quite, the weather heats up fast here and I read that they prefer cool weather. Do the pods mature all at once or at different times? Assuming different times...

Lesa: I'll keep you posted! I might plant a couple of handfuls of seed in this year, if I can find some way to till it (our rotor-tiller really can't take our soil), but chances are this will probably be a project for next year. Maybe just a few plants to see what they're like...
 
digitS'

digitS'

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Yes, they are "vetch-like."

I'd guess that commercial varieties mature their seed all about the same time. Maybe there are some from South Asia that wouldn't but combines are harvesting lentils here.

I'm trying to remember what the pods did in my garden. Let's see, you are pushing 40, right? It was back about the time you were born, SeedO. I disremember . . .

Steve
 
TheSeedObsesser

TheSeedObsesser

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The guy that gave me these lentils got them bagged from Chinatown (he lives close to NY city), so they are likely imported from somewhere in Asia. It's possible that the seed is so old that a lot of them won't germinate.

No, not 40! I can't even imagine being 40. You know how old I am. ;)

I'll see what the pods do when I set the seed out.
 
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897tgigvib

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Lentils were one of the miracle things in the bible old testament. Back in the days of Daniel in the lion's den when everyone got hauled off to Iraq to be slaves.
There was a drought and famine going on and of course the slaves got the least food and the worst of it.
Well, the folks in Iraq didn't like the lentils, so daniel said to the king, heck, us slaves will eat those lentils you all don't like. There seemed to be plenty of lentils at least.
You guessed it. The slaves ate well, even better than their masters. They stayed good and healthy, able to do the hard work, even got good muscles going on. Meantime, their free masters stayed skinny and unhealthy from the famine.
It got the king of Iraq to begin respecting the ways and culture of these slaves. This was about two or three years before the story of Esther, which is another excellent story, similar to and even much more interesting than the fictional story of Scheherazade enchanting the king with tales.

(I'll try posting this in awhile. I have limited TEG functiion.)
 
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