Misleading seed company

[muddstopper]

getting ready to plan my garden for this year. I decided to order a few seeds early because last year there where a few things I wanted that could not find. This year a quick search led me to Ohio Heirloom Seeds, claim to be out of Columbus Ohio. I found the seeds I wanted and made my order, exactly 40min later my bank calls to verify my purchase on Etsy in the Netherlands. Of course, I said I didnt know anything about any order to the netherlands so the guy that called gave me over to a dispute rep for the bank. After going over my info and the bank verifying the number of purchases I made today and who from and how much they where for it turns out that Ohio Heirloom Seeds of Columbus Ohio sells thru Etsy, which pissed me off because I had blocked anything to do with etsy years ago. They spam you to death with their emails. Anyways, the Amount is $6.42 and it looks like my order will be coming from the Netherlands, so I might not get that early seed starting that I had hoped for. Is it even legal to import seeds from Europe? I let the purchase stand because I want to see how this turns out. I also found some of the same seed from Reimeir seed company and since I was already orderings some seed, I went ahead and added a pack of the same seed I am supposed to get from Ohio Heirloom Seeds company. The seed in question is Italian Cayenna pepper. Supposed to be about half as hot as regular cayenne. I saved the seed from the Cayenne I grew in 2021 as it was good pepper, started out almost like a sweet pepper, but as the season went along, it turned hotter than heck, I like the cayenne taste, I dont like the heat that it sometimes brings. I will p;ant both types this year and see which I like best.

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[wildwes]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with them. I have been ordering from Ohio Heirloom Seeds for several years now, and I have never had a bad experience with them myself. The only thing that ever happened was I got a shipment of a few packs of seeds that would not germinate once, but I would imagine that had more to do with them getting scanned at a post office with an X Ray machine, as the same thing has happened from other sellers as well. All of the other seed I have ever gotten from them has germinated close to 100% for me. I've always paid them through paypal because it was convenient for me.
Everything I have gotten from them has been shipped out of OH and received within a few days to central NC. Maybe they source some of their unusual seeds from overseas? Either way that seems like a weird thing to have happen. I'd be interested to hear how the seeds do for you.
Do you think the cayenne you grew in 2021 could have gotten hotter as the season went on due to the dry weather we had here in NC? I know I have had peppers that started out tolerable and got blazing hot as the season went on because of it being hot and dry. I believe water stress makes them hotter.

 

[muddstopper]

I got confirmation that my order has been shipped Jan 11, so they should be here in a day or two. I didnt get a tracking number, so I dont Know where they are coming from. This was my first time ordering anything from Ohio Heirloom seed company. I was not expecting my order to be handled thru the Netherlands or thru esty. That is what set off alarms and the Netherlands thing set off my bank alerts. Of course a 40min response time before my bank took action and notified me I think is great. Total was only $6.42 so I decided to risk it. we will se how it pans out.

dry weather does seem to make pepper hotter. The fact that we had a real wet early summer might of contributed to the peppers not being as hot to start with. I will be planting some of that seed this year in addition to the italian cayenne I have on order. Have to wait a few months to actually compare.

 

[wildwes]

I got confirmation that my order has been shipped Jan 11, so they should be here in a day or two. I didnt get a tracking number, so I dont Know where they are coming from. This was my first time ordering anything from Ohio Heirloom seed company. I was not expecting my order to be handled thru the Netherlands or thru esty. That is what set off alarms and the Netherlands thing set off my bank alerts. Of course a 40min response time before my bank took action and notified me I think is great. Total was only $6.42 so I decided to risk it. we will se how it pans out.

dry weather does seem to make pepper hotter. The fact that we had a real wet early summer might of contributed to the peppers not being as hot to start with. I will be planting some of that seed this year in addition to the italian cayenne I have on order. Have to wait a few months to actually compare.

Well I sure hope your seeds get here soon and are what you expected. I agree that the Netherlands thing is definitely weird.
I know that wet weather early on followed by dry heat wreaked havoc with pretty much all of my garden plants and my corn crop lol

 

[alanbaker]

Many seed older seed companies have been bought out. They keep the old name for marketing, but little else. Try FEDCO out of Maine . It is seed cooperative. Also if you want I can send you seeds of a red thin walled warm not hot chili type pepper. Been saving seed for years. Grows well here in SW Vermont.

 

[Del_]

The Netherlands have been a horticultural research mecca for over 400 years.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is a great US based seed company and employee owned.

The Seed Savers Exchange is another great company.

Johnny's Selected Seeds yet another.

FedCo.

I usually order seeds from each of these company every year.

 

[wildwes]

Another option that I have ordered from is True Leaf market, I have had good luck with their seeds as well.
I have also bought on ebay, you just have to be careful who you buy from, and you definitely should pay attention to the reviews.

 

[kenmbz]

I use Burpee, which for me is a local company.
I have a few others that are good too.

I found that Farmers Seed was the absolute worst to deal with.
Charged me for a bunch of stuff, sent only one item and then told me they gave me a refund when they did not.
Had to get BBB and the credit card company involved.
I proved they lied to me, and then they kind of admitted it and I got all the money I asked for back, minus the item they shipped me.
Then they asked for the money to cover all the shipping and I told them good luck getting that.
They finally went away-

 

[farmer steve]

@muddstopper . I have been using twilley seed out of SC with pretty good success. Only thing I got screwed up was some yellow sweet corn and it turned out to be bicolor. They sent me a replacement the next time I ordered.

 

[Goinwheelin]

If you like hot peppers and chiles Sandia Seed company is a great place. I order from them every year. The Numex Select is my favorite.
https://www.sandiaseed.com/https://www.sandiaseed.com/products/numex-sandia-select

 

[muddstopper]

To be honest, I order very few seeds. What I plant is usually seed that has been saved for generations. My Tomatoe seeds came today. Big zac is the variety, I have been wanting to try them for a couple of years. Seeds became scarce the last couple of years, I suspect because of Covid and people getting into gardening for the first time. The Pepper seeds I am hoping are the old cayenne that I grew up with. You cant buy a decent Cayanne plant around here, to many seed companies passing everything off as cayenne. Technially, their plants might be a type of cayenne, but the short skinny cayenne I grew up with I havent seen in years. I think most growers in the US are trying to grow the hottest peppers they can. I dont like that. I like warm and flavorful. Beans are another seed that has been screwed with until they are no longer good. I was able to secure some of my Grandmas old seed last year. I had weather problems and lost the first planting. I managed to grow some in pots along my back porch and saved all the beans for seed. I will have enough to plant a large plat this year. I also found, grew some white field corn and saved enough seeds to plant a large patch this year. The corn is similar to White Prolific, but not quite. Its the same seed my folks used to grow for cornmeal. Makes great hominy and makes the best pickel corn as well. As long as I can find old timey seed, I dont plan on planting any of this new hybrid stuff. It dont taste the same

 

[alanbaker]

To be honest, I order very few seeds. What I plant is usually seed that has been saved for generations. My Tomatoe seeds came today. Big zac is the variety, I have been wanting to try them for a couple of years. Seeds became scarce the last couple of years, I suspect because of Covid and people getting into gardening for the first time. The Pepper seeds I am hoping are the old cayenne that I grew up with. You cant buy a decent Cayanne plant around here, to many seed companies passing everything off as cayenne. Technially, their plants might be a type of cayenne, but the short skinny cayenne I grew up with I havent seen in years. I think most growers in the US are trying to grow the hottest peppers they can. I dont like that. I like warm and flavorful. Beans are another seed that has been screwed with until they are no longer good. I was able to secure some of my Grandmas old seed last year. I had weather problems and lost the first planting. I managed to grow some in pots along my back porch and saved all the beans for seed. I will have enough to plant a large plat this year. I also found, grew some white field corn and saved enough seeds to plant a large patch this year. The corn is similar to White Prolific, but not quite. Its the same seed my folks used to grow for cornmeal. Makes great hominy and makes the best pickel corn as well. As long as I can find old timey seed, I dont plan on planting any of this new hybrid stuff. It dont taste the same

Pickled corn? What is that? How is it made?

 

[muddstopper]

Pickled corn? What is that? How is it made?

I had to snicker at that question. I guess everyone around here know what it is and how to make it. Pickled corn is just what it says it is. You can pickle about anything. You can pickle it on the cob or cut off. Cook on cob first, I prefer putting in a pot of boiling water at full boil for about 2 min. I prefer to cut if off the cob and place in pint jars. Pack the corn tight in the jar and fill to rim with water and add one tablespoon of picklin salt on top. Table salt wont work. If salt has Iodine in it, it will turn the product black. Place lid on jar, but dont tighten, place full jars on top of towel and put under the kitchen counter. The corn will work off (ferment) and leak out of the jar, reason for the towel. In about 7days, top each jar off with water and salt and place back under the counter for another 7 days. At the end of 14 days, the corn should be ready for sealing the jars. Remove all the lids from all the jars and use a wet rag to clean the tops and wash the lids to make sure they will seal properly. Turn make sure lids are tight and place jars in water bath canner, upside down, with just enough water to cover the lids, let boil for about 10min remove from canner and place on top of countertop to cool. Pickle corn is one of those things that will last for years. sweet corn is harder to pickle than field type corn. Bicolor, peaches and cream, ambrosi will pickle, but you have to keep close watch on the amount of water in each jar making sure the corn is completely covered. Older varitities of sweet corn, ie silver queen, Seneca Chief, will pickles well. It will all pickle, but sugar content will determine how long it takes.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

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[alanbaker]

I had to snicker at that question. I guess everyone around here know what it is and how to make it. Pickled corn is just what it says it is. You can pickle about anything. You can pickle it on the cob or cut off. Cook on cob first, I prefer putting in a pot of boiling water at full boil for about 2 min. I prefer to cut if off the cob and place in pint jars. Pack the corn tight in the jar and fill to rim with water and add one tablespoon of picklin salt on top. Table salt wont work. If salt has Iodine in it, it will turn the product black. Place lid on jar, but dont tighten, place full jars on top of towel and put under the kitchen counter. The corn will work off (ferment) and leak out of the jar, reason for the towel. In about 7days, top each jar off with water and salt and place back under the counter for another 7 days. At the end of 14 days, the corn should be ready for sealing the jars. Remove all the lids from all the jars and use a wet rag to clean the tops and wash the lids to make sure they will seal properly. Turn make sure lids are tight and place jars in water bath canner, upside down, with just enough water to cover the lids, let boil for about 10min remove from canner and place on top of countertop to cool. Pickle corn is one of those things that will last for years. sweet corn is harder to pickle than field type corn. Bicolor, peaches and cream, ambrosi will pickle, but you have to keep close watch on the amount of water in each jar making sure the corn is completely covered. Older varitities of sweet corn, ie silver queen, Seneca Chief, will pickles well. It will all pickle, but sugar content will determine how long it takes.

Interesting, sorta like making sauerkraut? Something new to try this summer. Thanks

 

[alanbaker]

Interesting, sorta like making sauerkraut? Something new to try this summer. Thanks

Is the field corn picked at the "sweet corn" stage? Does field corn have more sugar than sweet corn or just works better for pickled corn? Interesting canning method, do you do all water bath canning this way or just pickled corn?

 

[muddstopper]

Is the field corn picked at the "sweet corn" stage? Does field corn have more sugar than sweet corn or just works better for pickled corn? Interesting canning method, do you do all water bath canning this way or just pickled corn?

You have to pick the field corn while it is still in the milk stage, otherwise, it becomes so hard and tuff you cant chew it. Water bath canning can only be done with certain veggies. Best to pick up a old Ball canning book to get the right facts if you're doing something you havent done before. I believe that books are actually provided when you buy a new pressure canner, like Presto brand, so one shouldnt be hard to come by.

Field corn does not have more sugar than sweet corn, sugar content does affect the time it takes for the corn to pickle. I guess personal taste and choice has more to do with which is better than the type of corn. I was raised on the old field corn pickle, so I guess I just think thats the best for that reason. I make pickle corn every year using sweet and field corn. Type of corn does affect taste, or at least I think it does.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

never had pickled corn. next to corn on the cob, canned Whole Kernal Corn is my fav. Libbys will do.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

add to it some mashed potatoes and gravy and it's

 

[muddstopper]

never had pickled corn. next to corn on the cob, canned Whole Kernal Corn is my fav. Libbys will do.
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You gave me and Ideal. Wonder if a person can open a can of libbys add some salt and it would pickle. I dont know, but all it would cost is a can of corn and a tablespoon of salt to find out. I would definitely dump the corn in a glass canning jar and not try it in the libbys can.