Harvesting Wild Poppy Seeds
As autumn approaches and paints the world in a medley of warm tones, it also brings with it the time to harvest wild poppy seeds. This time of year, the delicate, papery blooms have transformed into seed-filled pods just waiting to be gathered.
Before we harvest, we always make sure to give each pod a gentle shake. This releases some seeds back to the earth, ensuring that the wild poppies will re-establish and grace us with their presence next year.
Here’s our harvest process:
Gathering: We snip off the pods, being careful to hold onto the stems and keep them upright. This prevents premature seed spillage on our journey back home.
Prepping: At home, we pry off the little cap atop each pod and gently tap it. This action lets the seeds spill out freely, and the sight of these tiny, dark seeds is nothing short of delightful.
Emptying Completely: To get the last stubborn seeds out, we massage each pod gently with our fingers. This usually convinces the remaining seeds to part from their pod.
Filter: We can usually pick the caps and debris out, but it does help to filter the seeds through a fine-masked strainer
Returning to Nature: After we've collected the seeds, we return the spent caps to a spot where we'd like to see poppies grow next year- We never will get every last seed out from the pod!
Enjoying the Bounty: These seeds, at least those in our neck of the woods, are perfectly edible. They add a delightful crunch and mild nutty flavor when sprinkled on bread, or when mixed into desserts like lemon cake and lemon cupcakes.
Caps before jostling. The seeds will naturally spill everywhere.
Seeds, mostly free from debris
So, as the cusp of autumn arrives, we invite you to join us in this ritual. It’s a small act, but one that connects us to the turning of the seasons and the bounty that nature so generously offers. Plus, it's a beautiful way to help these wild beauties to continue thriving in our landscapes.
Straining or filetering helps with picking out caps and debris
Closeup of the tiny bumby seeds
Poppy seeds on our cottage bread, just waiting for some marmelade..
