I’M LETTING myself be transported away from the winter scene outdoors my window, burying my nostril not within the snow however as a substitute within the spring-into-summer prospects depicted in seed-catalog pages. I’ve acquainted, favourite varieties I develop yearly—however I’m additionally on the lookout for some new-to-me prospects, and Lane Selman of the Culinary Breeding Community at Oregon State College at all times has some scrumptious solutions.
Lane, a professor of apply at Oregon State, based the Culinary Breeding Community in 2012, a collaborative neighborhood of plant breeders, seed growers, farmers, produce patrons and cooks collaborating to enhance greens and grains by creating, figuring out and selling excellent cultivars—particularly natural ones. Amongst Lane’s private plant passions are edibles from Italian culinary traditions, together with a variety of radicchio, and I used to be desperate to get her solutions for our 2026 gardens. (Above, a brand new kale from Johnny’s Chosen Seeds that she has her eye on, referred to as ‘Unicorn.’)
Learn alongside as you hearken to the Jan. 5, 2026 version of my public-radio present and podcast utilizing the participant beneath. You possibly can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).
must-try seeds, with lane selman
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Margaret Roach: Hello, Lane. How’s that winter on the market within the Pacific Northwest?
Lane Selman: At this time, fortunately, it’s sunny and that’s good, nevertheless it does imply it’s colder. So it’s nonetheless, proper now on this second, very pretty, I’m blissful to say.
Margaret: Good, good. In order a fast background, inform us what Culinary Breeding Community is, simply in order that a little bit greater than what I mentioned, simply so that individuals have an thought of what you do in one in every of your massive actions.
Lane: Certain. So I work at Oregon State College as a researcher, and some time again, I believe you mentioned 2012, nevertheless it was sooner than that, I had been working ever since 2005 with loads of natural farmers to search out varieties that carry out rather well on their natural farms. So the best-suited varieties for them that develop nicely with out chemical help within the natural microcosm, just like the natural ecosystem.
And these farmers typically needed natural seed, they needed open-pollinated varieties. That they had an inventory of issues that they needed, but additionally one factor they actually needed was nice taste. And so I used to be working with the plant breeders at Oregon State College and different universities to attempt to discover these varieties that match. I began doing tastings to get that data, simply to learn about varieties, as a result of we might develop them out on the farms. We’d perceive which of them grew rather well, carried out nicely, yielded nicely, didn’t get ailments and all the issues that the farmers are attempting to keep away from.
However then it was like, how do they style? What do they like? And so at that time, I obtained loads of cooks concerned as a result of I used to be additionally working on the farmer’s market right here in Portland, Oregon. I requested the cooks to get collectively to style these in order that they may consider them as a result of I used to be like, who else? Who’s the professional at tasting issues?
Margaret: [Laughter.] Excellent. Proper.
Lane: So these are all of the cooks that additionally already purchased from native farms and so they had been already in it. They had been very excited to be part of it. And so they evaluated loads of … And it’s at this level, on this second that this sort of happened, I’m speaking about pink roasting peppers, which we will discuss later if you wish to hear my favourite ones. And they also tasted them and so they began sharing with me the issues that they actually preferred about them. Not simply those that had the most effective taste and the most effective texture, which was what I used to be asking them, however then additionally the form and dimension that they wanted, the straight partitions, all these various things that they wanted, and form of introduced me into their world and what they do as soon as the greens are grown and harvested and so they have them of their fingers. It’s like, oh, there’s all these items that they actually need, and are they speaking to the plant breeders and the parents which might be really making these large selections? And so they weren’t.
So principally that’s when the Culinary Breeding Community began, and I mentioned, “Oh wow, that is the bridge that must be constructed.” That is the hole that there’s the place the plant-breeding world, which is usually for an excellent cause in isolation due to pollen; having to maintain it remoted. It’s finished away from lots of people; it’s a hidden factor.
And the cooks and all of us that cook dinner are utilizing these items in the long run. So I needed to have the ability to deliver all these people collectively. So the Culinary Breeding Community is absolutely about bringing the plant breeders, the seed growers, the farmers, the cooks, and in addition simply customers all collectively to form of discover, consider. So I’m oftentimes working with them to judge new and upcoming within the course of within the plant-breeding course of. And I additionally arrange massive occasions which might be open to the general public to allow them to really form of get to see what this hidden world is. It’s just like the knowledge is behind the scenes, proper?
Margaret: Yeah. And it’s actually, I imply, for everybody’s profit, that’s for certain. So I don’t know the place we wish to begin. And I’ve been starting to look by way of the, I say “catalog” nonetheless, however most of them are simply web sites [laughter] with the brand new listings on them. I don’t know the place we wish to begin. Can we wish to begin with a selected group of issues or any … What do you suppose? What are you most enthusiastic about or what’s one thing you mentioned about …
Lane: Yeah. Once you requested me I instantly went to leafy greens. So I used to be like, let’s discuss concerning the leaves and issues like that first after which perhaps the fruits, which means the issues with seeds. Yeah. So I imply, the very first thing that got here to thoughts at all times is cima di rapa [above,from Uprising Seeds], which lots of people … Properly, you reside on the East Coast and I really feel prefer it’s a little bit extra in style there than on the West Coast. We at all times see it in grocery shops like Andy Boy, cima di rapa, a.okay.a. broccoli rabe and in addition rapini folks name it. So we oftentimes simply see it there, and that’s it. Generally farmers I really feel like out right here develop it; not loads. I really feel like there’s a extremely brief window for harvest. So I believe it’s a extremely good thing to develop in your backyard. So I at all times develop it and I simply have it on a regular basis.
So it’s not like loads of the opposite brassicas that we eat which might be Brassica oleracea, this one is definitely Brassica rapa. So it’s within the turnip household; it has that robust turnip taste, and I actually like it.
Margaret: And so it figures into some dishes you prefer to make, some that you just prefer to cook dinner, I think about.
Lane: Yeah. There’s a traditional dish from Puglia that’s Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa, and generally it has sausage as nicely. So it’s only a pasta the place you cook dinner down, you blanch, the cima di rapa and then you definitely saute it with garlic, and you utilize a few of the pasta water and it form of makes it creamy. And you set the orecchiette in there and it simply makes a extremely pretty easy dish, put a bunch of Parmesan or Pecorino on it. When you needed to have meat with it, you would saute sausage, Italian sausage, and put it in there. You might put some Calabrian chili paste or no matter, combine it up a little bit bit. Nevertheless it’s like a really scrumptious meal, I believe. And I really feel like loads of occasions what we discover within the grocery retailer is a bit more gentle than what it needs to be. It’s like-
Margaret: So we’d say if we Anglicize it, broccoli rabe, is that what … And it’s a little bit milder, a little-
Lane: Yeah. So a little bit extra gentle. And so you may get … So Rebellion Seeds has some proper now; Brian [Campbell] and Crystine [Goldberg] are massive followers of it. And I do know that they’re getting extra from the identical breeder that I work with on the radicchio stuff, Andrea [Andrea Ghedina of SmartiesBio] in Italy, they’ve been working with him to have some extra choices which might be obtainable. So there might be some perhaps this 12 months, but when not within the coming years, however at the least he has at the least two proper now. I simply love rising that for myself.
Margaret: O.Ok., good. And one other leafy inexperienced, perhaps with some spice or some style to it? [Laughter.]
Lane: We name it ‘Wasabi’ arugula; I like this factor. I don’t know the place … It’s referred to as loads of various things, however that is what I see when you do discover it at a backyard store, like a plant, otherwise you purchase seeds it’s at all times form of like ‘Wasabi’ arugula is the title of it. It’s this wild inexperienced I’ve seen in Sicily. It simply grows in every single place and it’s very pungent. It does style like wasabi. I simply eat it uncooked simply by the fistful. I simply like it. However you can also make it right into a salad. You might put it on prime of pizza. It might wilt in a short time, nevertheless it’s actually … As you may see, each these items, they’re each actually robust flavors, however: love them.
Margaret: Properly, and I believe whenever you’re going to place one thing, such as you mentioned, you would put some on prime of a pizza otherwise you’re going to place it right into a pasta dish. I imply, there’s different flavors in there, too.; you may need your cheeses and so forth and perhaps tomato. And so it stands as much as these.
Lane: Sure.
Margaret: So ‘Wasabi’ arugula, and Rebellion, is that this one other of their specialties? Rebellion Natural Seeds.
Lane: Sure, they’ve it. I’ve seen it at like Renee’s Backyard [photo below] I imagine has it. I’m certain there’s somewhere else, too.
Margaret: O.Ok., good. I believe in your Instagram perhaps it was, I can’t keep in mind, for the Culinary Breeding Community, I believe I noticed an uncommon kale not too long ago. Did I? Was it ‘Unicorn’ or one thing [photo, top of page]?
Lane: Sure. So ‘Unicorn’ kale is out this 12 months, which was bred by Philip Griffiths, who’s a breeder at Cornell. And Johnny’s is providing it this 12 months for the primary time. And it’s this a extremely fairly kale with very vivid inexperienced leaves and it has vivid purple stems and it’s very stunning. It’s speculated to be … I haven’t really tasted it, nevertheless it’s speculated to be form of succulent texture and fairly chilly hardy.
Margaret: And I believe that they are saying it’s such as you did vivid inexperienced, and there’s virtually like a yellowish solid to the inexperienced. what I imply? It’s not darkish inexperienced, proper?
Lane: Sure.
Margaret: Yeah, precisely. And people purple midribs or no matter, the stems—simply attractive, proper?
Lane: It’s so fairly. That’s one factor that he’s actually into. I work on a few initiatives with him, and he’s actually into enjoyable colours, form, sizes. He works loads with brassicas, however he’s like, there’s a lot to mess around with in right here and to combine up. So it’s actually enjoyable to see so many fairly greens on the market.
Margaret: Yeah. And I’d suppose this one, they are saying it’s extra tender and never so … Like a few of the darkish kales may be actually chewy, proper? Sure. And so I’d think about, particularly when grown to a youthful age, this is able to be virtually like a scrumptious salad.
Lane: Precisely. It’s speculated to be very tender and good. And lots of people, I imply, I do know they’re attempting to promote it additionally as not simply full kale, however child kale, due to that placing colour distinction. So it could be very fairly in a salad in any respect the completely different sizes. It’s supposed to maintain that tenderness. And I’m sorry, I mentioned it was chilly hardy, nevertheless it’s much less chilly hardy than the stronger kales that you just had been speaking about. Sorry.
Margaret: O.Ok. So one other one then, I believe?
Lane: I used to be considering, earlier than we get into the radicchios, of course-
Margaret: Uh-oh [laughter].
Lane: I used to be additionally excited about one other strong-flavor mustards. I like mustards, and Wild Backyard Seed has fairly a number of mustards. ‘Dragon Tongue’ is one. Oh yeah. That one is a really purple one. It’s simply completely stunning and scrumptious. There’s one referred to as ‘Horned’ and so they really simply have their pungent combine. Once more, in fact, I actually love pungent issues. So this one is a combination of all these completely different, all of Frank Morton’s breeding materials that he has.
Margaret: At Wild Backyard Seed.
Lane: At Wild Backyard Seed, sure.
Margaret: O.Ok., so to strive a few of these as nicely; that’s a good suggestion.
Lane: And you’ll eat them child, greater, no matter. And after they’re infants, I used to be up at a farm in Carnation, Wash., and so they had a giant patch of it on the market. And I simply was simply consuming it proper there out of the sphere and couldn’t get sufficient of it. I used to be like, I don’t even wish to do something with it. I simply wish to eat it. I believe that’s an excellent signal.
So these are the leafy greens that I used to be excited about that I actually love that I do prefer to guarantee that I’ve in my … I put in my backyard yearly, as a result of I would like them. And so they’re more durable issues to search out, I really feel like out on this planet once I go, as a result of I’m going to loads of farmer’s markets and whatnot.
After which in fact there’s radicchio, which is this isn’t … at this second is just not the time … or after we’re planting loads of the opposite issues, it’s not the time to seed it; you wish to wait till June, July to seed it, however you when you’re going to get some, purchase your seeds whenever you purchase all the opposite ones initially of the 12 months. And there’s three new ones that we have now as a part of the Gusto Italiano Venture.
Margaret: And that’s with Rebellion?
Lane: Sure. Rebellion Seeds carries them. They’re really bred and grown in Italy. They’re all natural and open-pollinated. And there’s a brand new pink one. So if the people who like pink, it’s improbable. A number of them are later season, however there’s an earlier one now referred to as ‘Jolanda.’
Margaret: So it’s an early pink selection.
Lane: It’s, sure. All pink. There’s one that’s all yellow now referred to as ‘Yellowstone’ [above]. Sure. And that one is absolutely cool. I believe the much less colour there’s in it, I really feel just like the extra gentle it’s. And so the yellow one, it’s actually small, too. It’s a Verona, so it’s like the identical form because the Verona ones, which is form of like a little bit teardrop form, or generally it’s like oval if it doesn’t make the little level. Very cute. And it’s so good as a result of you may simply lower the underside off and simply form of peel the entire leaves off. And so they’re similar to the proper dimension, and are a little bit bit like Belgian endive. So you may put it in a salad and use it that manner. Or you should use it for hors d’oeuvres or one thing, the place you set one thing in it and eat it similar to you desire to Belgian endive or one thing. Somewhat hand salad [laughter].
Margaret: So some new radicchios. O.Ok.
Lane: Sure. So I like that one. After which ‘Bandarossa’ [below] is a brand new one in that challenge, too, the Gusto Italiano Venture, which is the Verona form. It’s purple, however the mid-rib, as a substitute of being all white, has a pink or hot-pink stripe on it and it’s very stunning. So all three of those are new this previous 12 months. They’re simply gaining traction although, and so they’re all very fairly, very placing.
Margaret: I’ll give a hyperlink to some earlier dialog we’ve had about rising radicchio for individuals who don’t know. So we’ve obtained some leafy, leafy, leafy, leafy, leafy, leafy [laughter]….
Lane: I do know. Properly, then we will discuss herbs, if you wish to simply end up leaves with herbs. I develop loads of these [laughter].
Margaret: Proper. As a result of everyone knows the standard issues, however …
Lane: Yeah. And I really feel like I form of was doing this already, however then I went over to somebody’s home to eat once I was touring and I used to be in Oakland. And there’s pals of mine that used to personal a restaurant in Oakland, and his use of herbs… They develop tons of herbs additionally of their yard. And it was like, wow, that is nice. I really feel prefer it actually kicks it up a notch.
I’m an individual that makes quite simple meals. I exploit superb merchandise. I’m going to make use of nice greens. I’m going to roast them the suitable manner, however nothing fussy within the least. However I actually prefer to make sauces after which have loads of chili crisp or crunchy issues to placed on prime, loads of seeds to placed on prime. However herbs additionally does the trick with this, too. It simply takes it to the following degree, I really feel like.
So I at all times have, this comes with loads of completely different names, however Mexican tarragon, or generally they name it mint marigold. It’s within the marigold household. It’s not associated to tarragon itself, has fairly low yellow flowers. That one, I’m at all times rising. Adore it. I’m going to get round to speaking about different seed firms, however this one is on the market from Rebellion. I do know that additionally Johnny’s has it.
Margaret: Yeah, plenty of folks have it. Positively, the Mexican tarragon, completely.
Lane: Precisely. Sculpit is one other one which I like [above, sculpit from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange]. It additionally goes by the title of carletti. That is one thing that I’ve had in Italy, and it form of tastes like a combination of precise French tarragon and oregano perhaps collectively. It has very stunning little flowers and it makes a little bit balloon form of factor additionally. And loads of occasions folks like florists use it, as a result of the blooms are so fairly.
It’s actually tasty. And I really had it the place it simply form of grows wild in northern Italy. And so once I’m there doing the work on radicchio, I used to be there with a farmer, one other farmer named Andrea. There’s loads of farmers named Andrea [laughter]. And he simply went out and simply picked it from the sphere as a result of it simply grows wild there. And his sister made us a quite simple risotto with this, and so they name it carletti. And it was the most effective risotto I’ve ever had, I believe, as a result of that herb is simply scrumptious. So ever since then, I’ve grown it once more, and it seems to be actually stunning. It’s very stunning within the backyard and tastes nice.
Margaret: After which I believe you have got a parsley that I’d by no means heard of that you just talked about to me the opposite day after we had been emailing and so forth, which I believe Experimental Farm Community has Hungarian Landrace Parsley. What’s distinctive about this one, actual fast?
Lane: So this one tastes nice. I don’t know the way actually the best way to describe it, nevertheless it tastes completely different and superior to different parsleys. This was one thing that Wild Backyard Seed’s Frank Morton was working with and obtained the seed initially from the united statesD.A. GRIN database [Germplasm Resources Information Network, or GRIN].
And he had seeds from Hungary and he obtained seeds from loads of completely different nations and he grew all of them out. And he was simply going to create a brand new flat-leaf parsley from it, however he discovered that they tasted distinctly completely different from each other, all these parsleys from completely different nations. And so this was one which he stored and mentioned, “O.Ok., this one’s actually nice. Let’s hold it separate in order that we will form of …”
He simply preferred the way in which that it grew. He was on the lookout for one thing that overwintered and didn’t bolt when transplanted and he preferred the flavour of it. And we had some cooks work with us on this, too. So that is one which he stored from that challenge.
Margaret: I do know we each share this type of amazement/admiration for the gathering of cucumbers and cousins of cucumbers by Jay Tracy at The Cucumber Store, a web-based seed catalog. Are there a few those who you wish to form of spotlight? As a result of I imply, everyone knows what we expect a cucumber is, however there’s an unimaginable variety of relations [above].
Lane: Sure. So very excited concerning the cucumber. These are cucumber melons, as a result of they’re really immature melons moderately than the cucumber species.
Margaret: So it’s Cucumis melo?
Lane: Sure, precisely.
Margaret: Versus sativus, the species of sativus, which is the cucumber that we all know.
Lane: Sure. And so very confusingly, Armenian cucumbers are these immature melons, though they don’t look immature, they give the impression of being similar to cucumbers [laughter].
Margaret: Or longer.
Lane: Sure. They’re on this household in addition to Carosello. And so I’ve been engaged on some trials, too, with Cornell on these as nicely, however The Cucumber Store, Jay Tracy there has an enormous assortment of them. And I like these. I really feel that they’ve a little bit extra gentle style, a little bit extra gentle taste than the cucumbers. I like the feel loads. You should utilize them simply interchangeably, although, with cucumbers, nonetheless you utilize these, however they’ve a really good form of clean texture, if that is smart. So I’m loving these. Once more, a little bit bit exhausting to search out, so it’s good to develop them your self.
Margaret: Proper. And he has such an unimaginable assortment. It’s so enjoyable. I imply, he’s a eager fanatic who’s made this glorious challenge, a catalog. And a few of them are completely different shapes and a few of them are extra type of noticed and some-
Lane: Precisely. And the Carosello is tiny. It’s extra like a tiny melon; it’s oval and it’s very small dimension. These issues, the feel is simply unbelievable. And simply put them in a cucumber salad. You might put them with tomatoes, with onion, simply one thing quite simple and simply pleasant to eat.
Margaret: So talking of melon, the phrase melon, you additionally, I believe, informed me a couple of melon seed that you just had been interested in you had been thinking about from Johnny’s, I believe. ‘Melonade’ [below] or-
Lane: It’s referred to as ‘Melonade.’
Margaret: As a substitute of lemonade. O.Ok.
Lane: And it’s a candy and bitter melon. It was bred by a person named Jason Cavatorta in Florida. And yeah, we had this at one of many occasions that I organized, and it was actually cool as a result of it wasn’t simply very, very candy. It had this very nice stability of candy and bitter collectively. It sounds a little bit bit bizarre, nevertheless it was improbable. And the chef made it into form of like a Thai salad that had I believe fish sauce and shallots and scorching peppers. And it was completely scrumptious. And it was such an fascinating and completely different melon that I’ve ever … However you would simply eat it by plain.
Margaret: I’ve to lookup that one. That’s fascinating.
Lane: I believe it’s undoubtedly value wanting into and rising it and seeing what you concentrate on it, as a result of I’ve questioned if it’s going to grow to be an entire new class in itself with our melons.
Margaret: Do you wish to simply give us a fast shout out of some peppers? As a result of I do know that’s one other factor you’re keen on.
Lane: Thanks, yeah. So I’ll simply say, we talked concerning the candy pepper tasting that I did that form of began the community. That one, that was the winner with all of the cooks there and in our area trials was ‘Stocky Pink Roaster.’ This was bred by Frank Morton at Wild Backyard Seed [below]. It was loads of completely different locations that yow will discover that ‘Stocky Pink Roaster.’
It’s fantastic for roasting. It’s actually thick, straight partitions, very meaty. It’s nice for roasting and preserving in olive oil. I exploit it on a regular basis to make romesco. You possibly can simply eat them. You might eat them uncooked. You possibly can saute them, something with them. They’re actually high-yielding. They don’t lodge. I’ve simply been so impressed with this pepper after we grew it.
Margaret: O.Ok. ‘Stocky Pink Roaster.’ Properly, Lane, we’re out of time, however these sound fairly enjoyable, too. I’m going to offer hyperlinks to all the things, in fact, with the transcript.
Lane: Thanks a lot.
Margaret: And I hope I’m going to talk to you quickly once more. I hope so. So thanks. Thanks. Thanks.
Lane: I sit up for listening to about how all people’s backyard goes this 12 months.
previous conversations with lane selman
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MY WEEKLY public-radio present, rated a “top-5 backyard podcast” by “The Guardian” newspaper within the UK, started its sixteenth 12 months in March 2025. It’s produced at Robin Hood Radio, the smallest NPR station within the nation. Hear regionally within the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) Mondays at 8:30 AM Jap, rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. Or play the Jan. 5, 2026 present utilizing the participant close to the highest of this transcript. You possibly can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).
