How to Harvest Spinach Seeds

Materials 

• 5 gallon bucket or brown grocery paper bag  
• Garden shears
• Strainer with 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch holes
• Large bowl to catch seeds as they fall
• Seed container (e.g., envelopes, plastic snack bags, etc.)

Directions

1. You will know when spinach plants are ready to form seeds when they shoot out a stalk that  produces flowers.  These blooms will disappear and seeds will form in its place.  See Photo 1.    
2. You should collect the seeds when the plant is dry so avoid collecting them in the early morning or after they have been watered.  
3. Use the garden shears to cut the spinach stalks off.  
4. After you cut the stalks, place them in the bucket or paper bag upside down.  Allow the seeds to completely dry out in a cool, dry location.    
5. After the stalks have dried and turned brown, start collecting the seeds.  See Photo 2.  Place the strainer over the bowl.  Then use your hand to strip the stalk of its seeds using one fluid motion.  See Photo 3.
6. Remove the strainer.  You can repeat the straining process if you would like to remove more of the leaves.  
7. Label the seed container with its name and date collected (if desired).  Then pour the seeds into your seed container.  Store seeds in a cool, dry location until you are ready to plant them in the garden.  See Photo 4    

Photo 1: Seeds forming on spinach.

Photo 2: The little balls on the dried spinach stem are seeds.

Photo 3: Seeds and dead leaves are stripped from the stem.

Photo 4: Spinach seeds in a plastic snack bag.

Drying Seed Pods from the Fence

Photo 1: Mustard greens seed pods hanging from fence

If you live in an area that has dry summers, you can dry seed pods from the fence.  All you have to do is gather the stalks into a bundle, and then tie them together with twine or strong string.  Then hang the bundle from the fence.  I just use another string to form a loop, attach it to the bundle, and then hang the loop over a single fence slat.  See Photo 1.

Preparing and Freezing Green Beans

My bush bean plants are producing a lot of beans---too much for us to consume so I have been freezing them for later use.  To learn how to prepare green beans for freezing, see the photos and directions below. 

How to Prepare Bush Beans for Freezing

Tools

• Scissors
• Knife
• 1 Sauce pan
• Colander (or slotted spoon if you do not have a strainer)
• 1 large bowl
• Freezer Bag

Directions

Step 1.  Harvest your beans in the morning.  I use scissors to snip the beans off the plant.  You can harvest the beans at any size.  I like the flavor and texture of medium size beans.  Remove any debris by giving your beans a quick rinse under water.    

Step 2.  Boil a pot of water.  Use enough water to cover the green beans.  While you are waiting for the water to boil, prepare the green beans.  Snip the pointy ends off the green beans (See Photo 1).  You can stop here or if you rather have bite size pieces, slice the beans into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (See Photo 2).

Photo 1

Photo 2

Step 3. Prepare another bowl filled with ice cold water.   

Step 4.  Pour your green beans into the water and boil your beans anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes.  Then remove your beans from the boiling water, and immediately plunge them in the ice cold water.  This will help preserve the green vibrant color and texture (Photo 3).  Then drain the beans in a colander.   

Photo 3

Step 5.  You can either serve the green beans or store them in a freezer bag for freezing.  If you choose to put them in a freezer bag, allow the beans to dry for about 5 minutes in the colander.  The dryer the beans, the less likely they will stick together in the freezer bag.  Then place them in a freezer bag.  Remove as much air as possible from the bag to prevent freezer burn.