



Richters is proud to introduce SeedZoo™, a project to preserve traditional and indigenous food plants from around the world. Teaming up with botanical explorers and ethnobotanists, we are searching for rare and endangered food plants that home gardeners can grow and enjoy, and help to preserve. Of the 7,000 or so species of food plants known to man, only 140 are cultivated commercially, and of those, most of the world’s supply of food depends on just 12. Even as the world increasingly speaks about food security, incredible varieties that are known only to a single tribe or in small and remote localities are being lost forever. We sent plant explorers across the world in search of rare beans, squashes, melons, greens, and grains. They have been to the jungles of Borneo, to small farms in Japan and Italy, and to the bustling food markets of Africa. In the coming months they will visit India, Vietnam and beyond. Many of the rare and exotic plants that they bring back don’t even have names and can only be called landraces - plants with unique features found in only one region or sometimes in just one village. Often our explorers can bring back only a handful of seeds, sometimes fewer than 100. Because these seeds are so rare and from such remote regions of the world, they are sold on a “first come, first served” basis. Once they sell out they may never be available again. So if you see a variety that you like, do not hesitate to order it or you may be disappointed. The SeedZoo™ variety list is only available online and will change often so check our SeedZoo website regularly, or follow us on Twitter. Join us in this grand project to preserve a part of the world’s food diversity. Try some of the planet’s treasures, and enjoy the culinary adventure. And please save some seeds and share them with your friends.

Why SeedZoo? This video presentation by Conrad Richter explains why the SeedZoo project was started and why gardeners should grow these rare and endangered food plants in their gardens.

Here are the currently available SeedZoo™ varieties! Duff Sugar Pea This is a heirloom sugar pea that has been in the Duff family in New Zealand for at least a century. The young pods are very tasty and very juicy. Like snow peas, the pods can be eaten fresh in salads, steamed or stir-fried, or thrown into soups and stews. Today just four families in New Zealand and Canada are growing this variety, and as Lorraine Collett, our SeedZoo contributor writes, "it´s time for these rare seeds to be passed on and saved by other growers so [this pea] won´t go into extinction." A Chinese cook in Victoria, British Columbia, once told her that this type of pea is a favourite in Chinese cooking but it is hard to find, even in the local Chinatown. Best planted in May, but in milder areas it can be planted as early as March, and a second crop can be planted in early summer. Will get up to 75-90cm (2.5-3 ft) high so some staking is necessary. Order it now! Machiqua Fascinating wild food plant found only in central Mexico. Strangely, it is one of the closest living relatives to papaya (Carica papaya) but it looks completely different. It is a small trailing seasonal plant that emerges from an edible and tasty root when the spring rains return to Central Mexico. The plant quickly grows to a thin vine about 1-2 feet long and produces flowers followed by small strange-looking fruits. The fruits persist after the vine dies back in the heat of the summer. They can be eaten unripe or green like little cucumbers or they can be eaten when they turn a burnished red or yellow as they ripen. They have a unique aroma when ripe and are eaten by cutting in half and scooping out the flesh. The ripe fruits are also used to flavor fruit juices. As a bonus the edible root can be cooked and eaten like a potato. This plant probably can be grown easily in a pot, or it can be grown outside in warm dry areas. The plant seems well suited for pot cultivation in temperate areas because in its native habitat it is a tuber-forming perennial that grows actively for only about three months a year. Seeds should age before planting as brand new seeds do not germinate well. A plant for the serious gardener. Very rare! Order it now! Red Roselle of Rwanda The fleshy calyxes at the base of the flowers of the roselle plant are used to make a delicious lemony beverage known as "red sorrel," "rosa de jamaica," or just "hibiscus." Ubiquitous throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, the plant is one of Africa´s gifts to the New World brought by slaves from Africa. Many forms of it grow in its African homeland, and this unique landrace collected in the central Rwandan highlands is one of them. It has bright a ring of red round globe-like sepals, or calyx, that clings to the seed pod. Drinks made with the calyxes are a staple in the streets of Rwanda. This form of roselle should be easy to grow in warmer regions though it likely will not flower until the end of the season right before frost in temperate areas. It can be cultivated as a pot plant in areas with a short growing season. In the long growing season areas and frost-free areas it will do fine outside and should produce abundant red calyxes. Harvested when they become plump the calyxes are typically dried and later used to make the refreshing beverage. Order it now! Beretta di Lungavilla Squash A spectacular old Italian squash that has been grown in the small village of Lungavilla in the Lombardy region for probably close to two hundred years. Now listed as a rare and endangered Italian heirloom, it is an exquisite squash with smooth delicious flesh. This and other squashes like it are often called "Bishops caps" because of the sectioned base. Should be easy to grow wherever other squash varieties do well. Pick them when the stem is too hard to be punctured with a fingernail, or wait until frost and then harvest. Excellent cooked like other squashes, in soups or as a side dish after roasting or boiling. Order it now! Kyrgyzstan Banane Melon This is a gorgeous casaba type melon from southern Kyrgyzstan near the city of Osh. It is one of many local variations of melons found throughout central Asia. The yellow fruits have a creamy white flesh that is very sweet and delicious. It should be as easy to cultivate as other melons. Assume about 100-110 days to maturity. Will likely do best in warmer slightly drier areas. Fruit sweetness is enhanced when there is not too much water available. Fruits are picked when mature and deep yellow, and the stem begins to dry up. They are usually eaten fresh but the flesh is also dried as and used in the winter. Order it now! Tomatito Morado An edible Mexican berry found only in pine forests in the cool mountains southwest of Mexico City. It is a food plant enjoyed by young people hiking the area close to the Valle de Bravo where the plant is found. Like other jaltomatas, germination can be erratic, but once germinated the plants are easy to grow. Advanced gardeners may want to try soaking the seeds in gibberellic acid for 24 hours prior to planting to help induce germination. This plant is extremely rare and an exciting challenge to the SeedZoo community. We believe that this is the first time that seeds of this species have been made available to gardeners. Read more about it on the Jaltomata bohsiana web page. Order it now! Zapotillo Melon This criollo melon is from the environs of Zapotillo, in Ecuador, an area where conditions are hot and dry and where this gorgeous white-fleshed melon flourishes. Fruits are large with smooth yellow skins and deep ribbing. Melons can weigh up to 10 pounds (4.5kg) each. It is a traditional and increasingly rare landrace that is probably in danger of extinction. Should be easy to grow as any melon but will likely do best in warm drier areas and with less water than other varieties. Fruits tend to be sweeter when they are grown "drier". The fruits slip from the vine when ripe or they may be cut from the vine when they change colour and become fragrant. These melons can be eaten fresh and in salads, or can be juiced. Order it now! Millefleur Tomato This is a French "hypertress" variety – a tomato that produces large clusters of flowers, as many as 50 in each. When all the flowers are pollinated a big clump of tasty yellow-orange fruits follows. Excellent in salads or just picking and eating in garden. This variety has impressed every tomato collector who has grown it. Still relatively rare, Millefleur needs to be grown, loved and shared. Easy to grow from seeds like any other tomato. Indeterminate vines: needs staking for support. Order it now! Pineapple Finger Fruit This relative of the pineapple has delicious edible fruits shaped like fingers. A native of Mexico and the Caribbean islands, it grows easily in tropical and sub-tropical areas but elsewhere it is best grown in a large pot and cared for as you would a pineapple plant. It is unlikely to fruit while in a pot but it makes great conversation piece for plant collectors. Requires moderate watering as it typically thrives in areas where there are extended periods of heat and drought. The fruits mature in the center crown and can be pulled out and peeled like bananas. They are very sweet and sour and very delicious, but most people can only eat few at a time as the acidity and astringency gets to the tongue. Excellent for juicing like pineapple. For more information check out what plant explorer Andy Siekkinen says about this tasty bromeliad. Order it now! Tumaticot Sweet Pepper An extraordinary flat blocky sweet pepper traditionally grown in the Carmagnola region of Torino, Italy. The walls are thick, crunchy and deliciously sweet. One of the finest sweet peppers around, yet it is quite rare because its cultivation is still limited to northern Italy. Very easy to grow, as easy as other sweet peppers. Start seedlings in doors 6 weeks before anticipated planting date. Pick when peppers change to red or yellow. Used fresh or roasted or sauteed. Order it now! Kyrgyzstani Dewberry European dewberries grow over a wide area from eastern Europe to central Asia and Siberia. This form was collected in the mountains of central Kyrgyzstan where the berries are commonly eaten fresh or dried, and are used to make syrup and jam. The berries are dark purple blue with a waxy frost that makes them appear grey blue. It is a really spectacular wild fruit. Very tasty. It is also medicinal, used traditionally as a tonic, diuretic, laxative and for many other uses. The seeds require stratification in order to germinate. They can be sown outdoors in autumn in a cold frame or in a submerged seed flat to germinate the following spring. Or they can be stratified in moist sand in a fridge for 1-3 months and then sown in a flat. Order it now! Tarapoto Jungle Tomato This is a very special tomato that thrives in hot humid climates where tomatoes normally struggle due to disease. It is adapted to very hot humid areas of the Peruvian Amazon. The plants are said to grow with no aid from man and they produce abundant crops of small salad size juicy tomatoes. Can probably be grown anywhere tomatoes are grown, and especially where diseases are a persistent problem. Order it now! Canacin Squash The Canacin is a very old variety of squash traditionally cultivated in the northern Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The squash is very unusual in that they are round and very flat. The meat of the squash is a deep orange-red colour and is sweet and highly appreciated. This squash is now endangered because fewer and fewer farmers are growing it in the Yucatan. It grows in the steamy hot and humid Yucatan during the rainy season. But could do well even in warm temperate areas in North America. The squash are picked as their skin hardens and the stem starts to dry up. According to the farmers the fruits mature in about 105 days. Order it now! Oblonot Sweet Melon This is a creamy white-fleshed melon grown in southern Kyrgyzstan, in central Asia. It is a favourite variety of the area north of the city of Osh. The fruits are large, from 4-10 pounds (2-4.5kg) and the flesh is thick, sweet and juicy. Like most melons, it thrives best in dry warm areas with cool nights, and taking care not to over water will yield sweeter fruits. Fruits are picked when they start to change from green to yellowish. Estimated 110 days to maturity. Order it now! Senegalese Green Hibiscus A beautiful but hard-to-find variety of West African bissap. The sepals at the base of the flower petals are used to make a refreshing drink. The sepals come in bright green as well as the usual bright red and dark red shades typical of other varieties. The sepals that surround the flower petals are referred to as a "calyx" and it is these calyxes that are picked, dried and then steeped in water to make the tasty drinks so popular in the streets of West Africa. Though a tropical plant, it grows well in temperate climates; but as a late season bloomer it is best to grow it large pots that can be moved indoors when nights get cool. After the flower petals fall the calyxes are picked when they are large and developed. A tall but short lived perennial that can be restarted easily from hardened stem cuttings. Order it now! Cocapitos This is a wild species of passion fruit found in dry mountains from Arizona to Central Mexico. It is quite rare. It is a vine with beautiful all white or white and purple flowers, about 5cm (2") across. The flowers are followed by small (3-4cm) green fruits that are filled with a sweet pleasant pulp. The fruits remain green even when ripe. Adapted to desert areas with short rainy seasons, it likely will grow outside of its natural range where frosts and rains are infrequent. But elsewhere it is best to grow it in pots kept outdoors in summer and protected from frosts in the winter. The fruits are juicy, sweet and pleasant tasting, and probably would be much better known if they were not so rare. Order it now! Tarapoto Sweet Pepper This unusual sweet pepper was found in a market in Tarapoto, Peru. The orange-red fruit is small, thin fleshed and seems to be a hot pepper but it is completely sweet. A unique landrace that is cultivated in the hot humid areas around the city of Tarapoto in Peru. Used as a typical sweet pepper would be used. In Peru, the fruits are sliced thin and fried to be used as a garnish. Order it now! Caucasian Caper Just like the Mediterranean species, Capparis inermis, the flower buds and young fruits are pickled and used as a seasoning or garnish. This species is more cold tolerant and could be hardy in more northern areas of North America. It grows throughout the Caucasus and Central Asia where the local people traditionally collect the buds for use in cooking, and in some areas collect the buds on an industrial scale. Our seeds were collected in the dry steppes of Kyrgyzstan by Joseph Simcox, the botanical explorer who inspired the SeedZoo project. The collection site was at lower elevations where it gets quite cold in winter, and he guesses that this plant will survive at least zone 6 in North America. Order it now! Rwandan Eggplant Eggplants are common throughout Africa and come in many forms. This beautiful variety, collected in the hills east of Kigali, is very different from eggplants grown in Europe, North America or Asia. The small fruits about 8cm (3") long are often called "garden eggs" and they turn from green to yellow or orange as they ripen. They are decidedly bitter but in African cuisine that bitterness is actually desirable and is skilfully transformed into something absolutely delicious with the right ingredients. Here is a wonderful Nigerian recipe that illustrates how they are prepared and loved throughout Africa. Order it now! Manchurian Tubergourd A fascinating climbing or creeping vine that is both ornamental and edible. The flowers look remarkably similar to squash flowers. The leaves, ripe fruits and tubers are all edible. The red aromatic fruits, about 5cm (2") long, are very sweet and delicious when cooked. To get fruits it is necessary to hand pollinate flowers of female plants with pollen from male plants. Easy to grow. Originally from Manchuria and Korea where it is also used as a medicinal plant. Order it now! Ligote Ethiopian Kale Grown for centuries in the East African highlands, this tall kale adapts very well to North American gardens. The plants get up to 5 feet tall and produce loads of succulent tender leaves that are more sweet than bitter and are used exactly as you would regular kale. The Ethiopians use the leaves in many cooked vegetable dishes. Very easy to grow, start plants indoors exactly like you would cabbage or broccoli. Set the plants out after the danger of frosts. So far, we know this kale will flower and set seed as far north as Connecticut. Pick the leaves when tender and try them in salads either fresh or cooked like spinach. Order it now! Tomatito This small edible berry, related to tomatoes and husk cherries, has never been offered commercially before and is considered extremely rare. Jaltomata ventricosa grows in the Andean cloud zone above 9,500 feet (2700m). Its in humid shady areas and is somewhat shrubby. The flowers are exquisite: they look like blown Murano glass figures. The orange berries are variously described as sweet and acidic to slightly bitter and are relished by the locals. Fun fact: children are told not to make noise while picking them otherwise they will go "bitter." Although it is a tender perennial, it can be grown like an annual. It is quite easy to grow and there are reports of it flowering and fruiting in New York and Connecticut. It is not a plant for the beginner however, because the seeds germinate sporadically and can take from 3 weeks to 3 months, or the may remain dormant. For the experienced gardener, this is well worth the challenge. Plants can be overwintered after trimming back, probably best in a cool greenhouse. Order it now! Macre Giant Peruvian Squash An enormous squash that has been grown for hundreds of years in Peru. The fruits easily surpass 100 lbs with fruits of 150 lbs quite common. It is esteemed for the rich yellow flesh. Macre is an excellent all-purpose squash for cooking in soup, baking, and in other roasted dishes with meat. Because this squash is adapted to the Southern Hemisphere where the growing season is long, it takes a bit more planning to grow this where summers are short. Macre grows successfully as far north as central Michigan and will probably do well in much of southern Canada if seeds are planted in pots a couple of weeks earlier than usual and set the plants out when danger of frost is past. The fruits will start setting in early September in the north, but because they get so big and need time to mature it would be wise to have protection against early frosts. In more southerly climates this should mature easily if the summers are not too hot and dry. The fruits are ready for harvest when the thick corky stem starts to turn grey. Order it now! West African Epazote This is a milder form of the popular Mexican herb. It has a nice earthy flavour that works well in soups and stews or anywhere the Mexican variety is used. This form was found in the Volta Region, in West Africa, where it is grown for cooking, medicinal and spiritual uses. The locals use it in dishes featuring strong smelling meats such as goat or fish in order to reduce or mask strong cooking odours. In traditional soups it gives a really nice flavour that compliments strong meat and fish. Medicinally it is used to treat shortness of breath caused by anxiety: the fresh leaves, macerated into a paste and mixed with water, are taken 3 times a day. Spiritually the herb is used to stop recurring nightmares and for that a special ritual of asking for permission is done before taking and using it. Easy to grow like the Mexican form. Order it now! Dagbon Grey Millet This is one of many pearl millets grown in northern Ghana. Pearl millet may be the oldest domesticated food crop in West Africa. It was grown in Mali as far back as 4,500 years ago and was later brought to Ghana by invaders. Today more than a half million acres in northern Ghana are devoted to millet cultivation. Farmers traditionally save their own seeds, selecting the best plants suited for their local region, and many unique varieties throughout the millet-growing areas have been developed over the centuries. This unnamed variety, from one of the local markets in southern Ghana. is used to make a thick porridge called to and a thin, fermented porridge called koko. For koko, the seeds are roasted and popped and then ground into flour. This millet is also used to make a deep-fried pancake-like snack called marsa. Among the Ewe people, pearl millet is sometimes used in place of maize in traditional foods such as the dough-like akple served with soups. Due to worries of climate change there is a renewed interest in traditional drought- and heat-tolerant crops such as pearl millet. Order it now! Ajima Chile Pepper This chile pepper is from a tiny village called Ajimakope, located in the Volta Region of Ghana, in West Africa. Inaccessible by road, our collectors had to hike in, fording a river along the way. It is an heirloom of the Ajima family, a family of traditional herbalists and farmers. Ajima pepper is a local variation of the piri piri peppers found throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Piri-piri peppers are believed to have arrived from South America and became established in the wild centuries ago. Piri-piri peppers can vary a lot but this has mild heat and a nice woodsy flavour. There is hardly a dish prepared in the village in which this pepper is not used. Plants reach a height of 50-60cm (20-24"). Order it now! Turkish Corbaci Pepper This is a beautiful sweet pepper with long narrow fruits up to a foot (30cm) long. The fruits turn from green to yellow to orange and finally to red and can be eaten at any stage. Originally from Turkey, it is known for its heavy yields, producing as many as 100 fruits per plant according as some have claimed. Local SeedZoo contributor Sofie Bigham says that she never gets that many fruits per plant but for her this pepper has been a reliable heavy yielder in her Ontario garden ever since she began growing it in 1998. Although Corbaci peppers are still grown in Turkey by farmers today, this Canadianized version is a little thicker and heavier than the Turkish original. Order it now! Cynthia Bean A variety of cowpea growing in popularity among Ewe farmers in the Lake Volta region of West Africa because of its higher yields and higher tolerance of pests. Farmers report that they can get higher prices for ‘Cynthia’ than for other varieties. The flavour is similar to ‘Tsenabawu’ and ‘Turkoviahe’ varieties, but is taller and more vigorous. Like other cowpea beans, it is cooked in stews or cooked with rice and served with any spicy fish, meat or vegetable sauce on top. Little is known about the origin of the variety but some farmers have said that they heard it came from nearby Togo. We suspect that this variety was brought to the area by a trader named "Cynthia" and was henceforth known by that name. Order it now! West African Popping Sorghum Sorghum is a major cereal crop in the north of Ghana where it is a staple used for porridge and to make a local beer called pito. There are many varieties, white, red, and brown, and among them there are early, medium, and late varieties. This variety is preferred for making popped sorghum, a snack that is popular throughout Ghana and West Africa. Unlike many other varieties, this sorghum has a hard glassy endosperm that traps steam until the pressure explodes. The popping is so quick that little heat is required and proteins and vitamins are only slightly denatured by the heat. In the village of Dagbamete, the locals pop the seeds by roasting in hot sand over a fire (see video). The seeds pop almost instantly and the popped seeds are separated from the sand by sifting. Salted water is sprinkled on the popped kernels while still hot. Popped kernels are sold locally in small plastic bags. In Western kitchens sorghum can be popped like popcorn on the stove or in a microwave.Order it now! Pilgrims Kale This is a giant kale that came to the Americas from Spain centuries ago, presumably with early settlers. It became a family heirloom that is still passed on from generation to generation. It can get up to 5ft (1.5m) tall, and even taller when it flowers. SeedZoo contributor, Lorraine Collett, says that the leaves get so big they look like an elephants ear. Imagine leaves that get up to 20in/50cm long and 12in/30cm wide! The leaves can be used in soups, stews, stir-fries and can be used like cabbage leaves to make meat rolls. Hummingbirds love to visit the yellow flowers. If the flowers are allowed to set seeds, the plant will reseed itself where winters are mild. Easy to grow. Happily grows as a spring-planted annual where winters are more severe. Order it now! MORE SEEDZOO VARIETIES! > > > 1 2