Episode 300: The Questions You Keep Asking (and What the Research Actually Says)

Peppers, rosemary, and geraniums are all perennials somewhere in the world, and basil will keep going for a while on a windowsill if you start it right. But whether a plant makes it to spring gets decided mostly before it ever comes through the door.

Whether saved seed grows into the plant you loved is decided at pollination and protected or lost in storage. This episode covers hybrids versus open-pollinated and heirloom varieties, the easiest crops for beginners, why plants only cross within a species (and why squash species matter), how often peppers cross, isolation methods (time, containment, distance), population size for corn, and the three levels of seed saving.

In this episode, we're opening up the rest of the preserving toolbox: freezing, drying, fermenting, refrigerator pickles, and good old-fashioned cold storage.

In this episode, we're taking on four home canning myths that keep circulating in gardening groups, on food blogs, and in family recipe boxes: oven canning, open-kettle canning (and its cousin, flipping jars upside down), packing tomatoes and garlic in oil, and the idea that a salsa recipe can be tweaked however you like as long as it tastes right.

Frost is on the way, and the vines are still loaded with green tomatoes. In this episode, we sort out which green tomatoes will finish ripening on your counter (the mature greens and the blushers) and which ones belong in the skillet, the freezer, or a tested relish recipe.