Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) seedhead
It was about the time to make a new harvest of “Vild dansk” salsify, originating from Christiansø, a small island in the tiny archipelago Ertholmene in the baltic sea. It grows wild on the island, presumably bewildered from the small gardens around the naval fortress in times long past.
The seedhead looks like the dandelions miniature parachutes, ready to spread by the wind over a great distance. But I find it a bit slow to clean the pappus (parachute) from the seed. This year, inspired by SESAM, the swedish seed savers, I tried to cut off the pappus before the seeds matured. Indeed, it was an easy way to clean the seeds, for a private gardener that is.
Salsify flowers open between 10 and 12 am.
In the time between flowering and seed maturation it’s time to cut off the pappus. The pale yellow milk sap runs out and cover the injury. I cut quite low, where the shape goes from broad to narrow.
The result is immediately clean seeds, to pick when the seed head opens, just in need of proper drying before they can be packed in paperbags.
A simple operation saving a good deal of work under garden conditions. I used a kitchen scissor, but a short beaked scissor would probably do a better job avoiding the neighbor stems when cutting.
This method could probably also be used for other members of the composite flowers, like lettuce and chicory. If it’s usefull with artichokes I don’t know, I ought consider it – they are slow to clean.
One thing to be aware of is the birds reactions. Do they see the cut seedhead as an invitation to eat all the seeds? With salsify the seeds were ready to harvest same day as the seedhead opened, hardly any time for birds to feed on them before I’m home from work to pick them all.
Salsify between flowering and seedmaturity
In the toad's garden 
June 30, 2009 at 23:32
Great seed-saving idea. I haven’t saved (or even grown) salsify or similar plants, but I should.
You use of the word “bewildered” is interestin. I’ve never seed this usage before. I was able to find one reference to this sense on an etymology site:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bewilder
July 1, 2009 at 17:20
English is a foreign language to me, learned in school many years ago. You probably will find many more peculiar word, as I don’t know better.
I wonder, if the word “bewhape” should be my choice next 😉
Actually – I’m still not sure what word to use for a wild growing plant that originally was cultivated. A relict plant?
And thanks for the comment.
July 1, 2009 at 18:00
I like the usage from a poetic standpoint. It’s refreshing.
The plant literature I have read refers to cultivated plants that escape and grow wild as “naturalized.”
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naturalized
The OED has even better definitions, but their URLs are awful.
July 1, 2009 at 18:12
Yes! “Naturalised” is the word I should have used. (I use the english version – that’s what I was taught in school).
Guess I picked bewildered, as it is more close to the danish expression “forvildet”.
July 3, 2009 at 02:57
Yes, naturalized (or naturalised) is good. In a less formal way, you could also say ‘escaped’.
August 20, 2009 at 12:40
Great post Søren – really useful I’ll give your method a try. I have not tried salsify is it good to eat? The flowers are really beautiful.
August 20, 2009 at 21:53
It is reputed to have a taste similar to oyster, but I can’t recognise any oyster flavour in salsify. It’s a very mild tasting root, more like artichoke heart, nice steamed and served with butter. Leaves and floverbuds are also edible.