{"title":"Star Apple Nursery","description":"\u003cp\u003eStar Apple Nursery grows a wide variety of seasonal heirloom vegetables and culinary herbs, with a focus on Caribbean and Southeast Asian heritage crops.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore info coming soon!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWebsite: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bitterkalli.com\/land-work\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehttps:\/\/bitterkalli.com\/land-work\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInstagram: \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/starapplenursery\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/starapplenursery\/\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"siling-labuyo-pepper","title":"Siling Labuyo Pepper","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis small, spicy, bright red pepper, that is also eaten semi-ripe or green, is often used to make \u003cem\u003esawsawan\u003c\/em\u003e—dipping sauces made with different combinations of vinegar, herbs, peppers, onion, garlic, and other spices. The leaves of the siling labuyo plant are also used in various Filipino dishes, including the soup dish chicken tinola. Siling labuyo is becoming increasingly difficult to find in the Philippines, as imported crops continue to dominate the culinary landscape. In 2014, it was added to the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.fondazioneslowfood.com\/en\/ark-of-taste-slow-food\/siling-labuyo-2\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSlow Food Foundation's Ark of Taste\u003c\/a\u003e, a global catalog of at-risk and endangered heritage foods of importance to their communities. Siling labuyo is used as a medicinal plant in some Filipino healing traditions, treating conditions such as arthritis and toothache. While \u003cem\u003esiling labuyo\u003c\/em\u003e (translated to \"wild pepper\") is the Tagalog name of the plant, it has many other names in indigenous Filipino languages, including \u003cem\u003esiling kolikot\u003c\/em\u003e in the Visayan language, \u003cem\u003erimorimo\u003c\/em\u003e in Bicolano, and \u003cem\u003epaktin\u003c\/em\u003e in Ifugao.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese siling labuyo seeds come from seed keeper and artist Nicky Uy, whose mother has been cultivating them in the Philippines. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/ClwcLpJpKE3\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNicky and her partner Omar Buenaventura have been growing the plant in Philadelphia for several years\u003c\/a\u003e, often sharing seeds and peppers with their communities. In 2022, Nicky and Omar gave seeds to Bitter Kalli of Star Apple Farm, who grew and harvested them for Truelove. Nicky says:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\"Siling Labuyo and its fruit have made us feel connected to so many. To my mom who thought to save it for me. To others in diaspora and in the motherland who respond lovingly whenever we post about siling labuyo. I can post a small dish of suka (vinegar) with chopped up chilis and know that someone out there can look at the picture and connect with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eTo me, it tastes like the sweet sourness of coconut vinegar that's had fresh garlic and sili marinating in it, with the bracing hotness of pepper that hits the nose first with its breath. Siling labuyo is what I associate 'anghang' (hot spiciness) with.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 60\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 30\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 92% on 01\/29\/2026\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 the 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, red. Cut the fruit (consider wearing gloves), 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":"Star Apple Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44129342095598,"sku":"CAP-036","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/products\/SilingLabuyoPepper_1_edsmsq.jpg?v=1681743540"},{"product_id":"cerasee-bitter-melon-leaf","title":"Cerasee (Bitter Melon Leaf)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCerasee is a type of Bitter Melon grown for its healing bitter leaves in many parts of the Caribbean (especially in Jamaica). This variety was shared with us initially by Ms. Marlene Wilks, a\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e community gardener and friend in East New York, Brooklyn. Ms. Marlene is a part of the East New York Farms project and grows many Jamaican crops for market in her neighborhood. To increase the seeds, we grew them around our chicken run in our backyard in Philadelphia, and then shared them with Bitter Kalli of Star Apple Farm in Philadelphia, where Bitter focuses on Southeast Asian and Caribbean crops in particular. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLike all bitter melons, this is a vining crop that will climb anything you give it to climb! Their leaves and green fruits are used for cooking and medicine. Their seeds are ripe when the fruits are past the edible green stage and close to or fully orange or yellow (and no longer edible). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 60-70\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 80% on 01\/24\/2024\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting \/ harvesting notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDirect sow outdoors after the last threat of frost has passed, or get a head start and sow indoors a couple weeks beforehand. For better germination, file a corner of the seed coat with a nail file (or clip carefully with nail clipper) to expose the seed inside and\/or soak overnight in warm water before planting. The plant will use as much trellising as you give it! These vines grow up to 12’ and thrive in the heat and sun.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeeds are ripe when the fruits turn a fiery orange. If you wait too long to harvest, they will pop open and drop their seeds, which are covered in a sweet, red gel. Remove the seed coat and dry the seeds in a well ventilated place away from direct sunlight. We have found that smooshing the seeds in a cloth bag will help remove the seed coat more efficiently.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Star Apple Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44661635121390,"sku":"MOM-004","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/files\/244660961_1797801540417559_2019681758875980789_n.jpg?v=1706646484"},{"product_id":"jamaican-pumpkin","title":"Jamaican Pumpkin","description":"\u003cp\u003eTropical pumpkins have been an important part of Caribbean cuisine for thousands of years, and are known for their Pumpkin Rundowns and Pumpkin Punches in Jamaica, Soup Joumou in Haiti, Pumpkin Talkari in Trinidad, and countless Calabaza dishes in Puerto Rico and beyond. This particular Jamaican Pumpkin is a diverse population with sweet, beautiful orange flesh and a dark green skin with light green streaks. It comes from our friend Marlene Wilks, originally from Jamaica, who grows traditional Caribbean crops in East New York, Brooklyn. She cuts her pumpkin and puts it in a steamer for 5 or 10 minutes until it's soft and sweet, and she says it is also great for soups.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis seed was initially grown with love and care by Bitter Kalli of Star Apple Nursery, who grows Jamaican and Filipino crops for our catalog and for their community. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso known as West Indian Pumpkin, Calabaza.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan\u003e85-105\u003c\/span\u003e\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 96% on 04\/17\/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 2-3 weeks beforehand and transplant. Plant 3 seeds per hill spaced several feet apart, or seed in rows, one plant every 2-3 feet. Allow vines space to sprawl. If grown in corn, you may need to train them so they won't pull it down! Avoid downy mildew by watering only at the base of the plant (not on the leaves!). Harvest when the stem begins to turn brown and woody and the fruit becomes hard, leaving a couple\/few inches of stem. Cure in a dry or sunny place for a week, and then store in a cool (45-50 degrees) room for up to 5 months (however, keep an eye on it and use it at earliest sign of softening if not before).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSquash is insect pollinated and requires about 1\/2 a mile of isolation from other varieties of the same species, which in this case is\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. moschata\u003c\/em\u003e. The seeds will be fully mature on any squash when the stem of the fruit has turned brown and woody, so when you eat your squash (after some weeks or months of curing, see above), the seeds should also be ready for harvest. Separate the seeds from the flesh, rinse them, and dry them on a screen or paper product away from direct sunlight in a ventilated place. The plumpest and hardest seeds will be most viable.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Star Apple Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46387458146542,"sku":"CUC-031","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/files\/jamaicanpumpkinscreengrabstarapplenursery.jpg?v=1744547755"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/collections\/AmberOfficer-Narvasa_sq.jpg?v=1681744532","url":"https:\/\/trueloveseeds.sbs\/collections\/star-apple-farm.oembed","provider":"Truelove Seeds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}