{"title":"Ucandoit Farms","description":"\u003cp\u003eAundrae Cassell remembers first connecting with the soil at his family garden in Philadelphia. Later he worked and moved to Africa where he met his wife Sheila from Chicago.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUcandoit Farms seeks to encourage the resurgence of the small scale farmer, better care for creation and naturally improve soil quality to grow nutrient rich produce for enhanced health in our communities. We teach simple sustainable practices like no-till farming, zai holes, and leaf\/mulch cover.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAundrae's heritage is Korea-African-American along with his Lenni-Lenape extended family. His family roots in Chesapeake, Virginia were famous for growing the \"Charleston Gray\" watermelon. We enjoy sharing our rich cultural heritage and experiences for others to learn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"pippins-golden-honey-pepper","title":"Pippin's Golden Honey Pepper","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis colorful sweet pepper ripens from a deep dark purple to a bright honey-mustard, to a cheerful golden orange. The 3-4\" fruits have thin walls, making it great for stuffing, pickling, or eating fresh. This is one of the many peppers traded by Philly Area folk artist Horace Pippin for bee stings from H Ralph Weaver's hives in West Chester in the early 1940s. In a deep freezer, nearly half a century ago, William Woys Weaver found these seeds (as well as those of the Fish Pepper and many others) in labeled baby food jars.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 80\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 25\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 91% on 11\/27\/2024\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting \/ harvesting notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStart seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost and transplant into garden well after the danger of frost. Keep seedlings moist but do not overwater. Transplants should be initially watered in well, and plants will be most productive with regular irrigation and full sun.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeppers are generally self-pollinating, though we isolate different varieties of the same species by at least 50 feet, in hopes that flying insects will not cross pollinate them unexpectedly. There are several important species of peppers, so check your scientific names! Pepper seeds are ripe when the fruits have turned their final fiery color - in this case, sunset-orange. Cut the fruit, scrape out seeds, and lay them out to dry on a labeled screen or paper product in a ventilated place away from direct sunlight for a week or two. Drying the peppers before seed extraction can slightly lower your germination rates, but works fine for home seed saving as long as the peppers do not rot.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ucandoit Farms","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":3105491943464,"sku":"CAP-004","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/products\/pippinsgoldenhoneybasket.jpg?v=1571609432"},{"product_id":"korean-hong-gochu-pepper","title":"Korean Hong-Gochu Pepper","description":"\u003cp\u003eBright red fruits with thin skins are perfect for kimchi and drying down for gochugaru (chili flakes) and gochujang (fermented chili paste). This mild to medium pepper starts out green and turns red (\"hong\"), and then an even deeper red after drying.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis seed was grown for our catalog by Jungeun Kim (J.e.) who hails from Seoul, South Korea. As part of her studies with the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.greensgrow.org\/seed-keeping-residency-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSeed Keeping Fellowship at Greensgrow Farms\u003c\/a\u003e in Philadelphia, she tended to some of her favorite Korean heritage crops from seed to seed. Here’s what she has to say about this pepper:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\"Gochu is a Korean name for a hot pepper or chili pepper. When I think about Gochu, the first thing I think about is the image of numerous Gochu laying on a mat on a sunny day. It's very nostalgic and I feel like I can still smell them. I grew up seeing the drying Gochu in many residents' back\/front yard and rooftop including my own home. I don't recall seeing a Gochu plant in the garden growing up at my house but we did dry Gochu in the backyard. As a side note, rooftop gardens are very popular in Seoul since many residents don't have a yard or don't get enough sunlight. There are stores in South Korea where people can bring their dried Gochu and they will grind them for you which becomes Gochugaru (hot pepper powder\/flakes).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\"When I harvested Gochu at Greensgrow last summer, I brought a bunch home and dried them so that I could grind them to make Gochugaru. I just laid them out in the front of our house (indoor) which faces South and I get a good amount of sunlight. So if you end up having too many Gochu and are unsure of what to do with them, try drying them and making your own Gochugaru. The finer you can get is better for sauce or broth and the coarse one is better for Kimchi. I have never done this but if you want to make Gochujang (hot pepper paste), it's recommended to use fine Gochugaru.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJ.e. sourced these seeds originally from our friends at Adaptive Seeds, who sourced theirs from Sample Seed Shop, who received them directly from a lady in Korea. Adaptive Seeds has spent several years selecting this plant to thrive in Oregon, and now it is beginning its adaptation to Philadelphia with J.e.’s care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 75 to green, 90 to red\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 92% on 06\/10\/2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting \/ harvesting notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStart seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost and transplant into garden well after the danger of frost. Keep seedlings moist but do not overwater. Transplants should be initially watered in well, and plants will be most productive with regular irrigation and full sun.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeppers are generally self-pollinating, though we isolate different varieties of the same species by at least 50 feet, in hopes that flying insects will not cross pollinate them unexpectedly. There are several important species of peppers, so check your scientific names! Pepper seeds are ripe when the fruits have turned their final fiery color - in this case, fully red. Cut the fruit, scrape out seeds, and lay them out to dry on a labeled screen or paper product in a ventilated place away from direct sunlight for a week or two. Drying the peppers before seed extraction can slightly lower your germination rates, but works fine for home seed saving as long as the peppers do not rot.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ucandoit Farms","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42296733696238,"sku":"CAP-026","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/products\/KoreanHong-GochuPepper6_UCANDOIT.jpg?v=1678823635"},{"product_id":"charleston-grey-watermelon","title":"Charleston Gray Watermelon","description":"\u003cp\u003eRed, delicous, and crisp oblong melon with thick skin, the Charleston Grey is a classic summertime treat. It was introduced in 1954 by Charles Fredric Andrus, of ARS’s U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, SC as a variety that is easy to stack and ship. This has made it a favorite of the iconic Watermelon Man - Black long haulers who continue to bring up truckloads of watermelons from Southern farms to Northern customers. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur dear friends Mr. Aundrae and Mrs. Sheila Cassell grow this special melon for our catalog as a tribute to their ancestors. Mr. \u003cspan\u003eAundrae's relatives grew various \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003ewatermelons\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e on Galberry Road, in Chesapeake, VA where family roots date back to his great-great-great grandmother. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhile his g\u003c\/span\u003ereat grandfather moved to Philadelphia, Aundrae's grandparents would make yearly trips back down Virgina. His grandfather's car trunk would be loaded full of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eCharleston Gray\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003ewatermelons\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewhich made the front of his big black sedan rise high in the front until he delivered all the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003ewatermelons\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto family and friends in the Philadelphia area. Aundrae adds \"my wife and I fondly grow the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eCharleston Gray watermelon,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewhich evokes joyful sunny memories of summertime past.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 85-95\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20-25\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 90% on 2\/16\/2026\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting \/ harvesting notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDirect sow in warm soil after the last frost, or seed indoors 3-4 weeks beforehand and transplant. Space 12-18\" apart in rows that are 6-8' apart. Keep ground slightly moist until germination, but do not overwater. Watermelons love heat and well drained soils.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv itemprop=\"description\" class=\"product-description rte\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWatermelons are insect pollinated and need 1\/2 mile between different varieties of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. lanatus\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto prevent unwanted cross-pollination. It is difficult to know when a watermelon is truly ripe. In\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chelseagreen.com\/seed-to-seed\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSeed to Seed\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eby Suzanne Ashworth\u003c\/a\u003e, she recommends waiting until the small tendril opposite the melon's \"peduncle\" (stem attachment) changes from green to brown and dries out. You can also look for color changes in the skin, and listen for a thud when the fruit is tapped. Seeds are ready for harvest when the melon is ready to eat. Dry them out in a ventilated place away from direct sunlight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Ucandoit Farms","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47752372158702,"sku":"CUC-033","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/files\/33d43ddc57d74805-photo.jpg?v=1773239379"}],"url":"https:\/\/trueloveseeds.com\/collections\/ucandoit-farms\/a-z-type_watermelon.oembed","provider":"Truelove Seeds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}