Alfred Reed Bishop and Doris William Butler

The picture above is the very tap root of Bishop's Homegrown/Face Of The Earth Seed. My grandparents shortly after moving to Pekin Indiana from Greensburg KY in 1947 where they purchased the farm that is now Bishop's Homegrown. This picture was taken in Pekin in front of the old co-op next to the old railroad depot, neither of which exist today.

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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Seeds will be available again January 1'st




I momentarily took down the Hip-Gnosis Seed Development offer due to the holidays and the incredible amount of mail traffic circulating around this time of the year. Don't fear, I'll have seed available again come the first of the year, this time there won't be a Pay-Pal option and I want people to know that they do not have to feel obliged to donate for shipping and or packaging costs/research fees, the seeds are more important than that.

For those who have not taken a look at our seed list for the year, here you go, just remember that no seed will be shipped until after January fist.




Hip-Gnosis Seed Development List of Available Seed 2009
First a quick introduction to the Hip-Gnosis Seed Development Project:
Hip-Gnosis is a continuing endeavor to re-introduce old Open Pollinated food and flower crops as well as all new unique cultivars and seed mixes to the gardening public. Hip-Gnosis started out as an offshoot of our produce business called “Bishop’s Homegrown” and it is through “Bishop’s Homegrown” that we have introduced many of these new and old and unique crops to our farmer’s market customers with great success and acclaim. We continuously select (year round) for new adaptations, unique colors, and higher nutritional content as well as taste and performance in our seed crops. Many of our seeds are unique breeding lines that will allow the home gardener to select for what they like and need in their own unique micro-climate conditions as well as in taste and color. Hip-Gnosis Seed Development operates now as a unique collective of seed growers and plant breeders working and trading together on the homegrown goodness message board (http://alanbishop.proboards60.com) where many of our varieties can be traded and bartered for (both from us and from other members). As always, all of our seed is public domain property and as such should be traded and allowed to continue its regional expansions into new territories for new selections and strains. We openly encourage everyone to share these special seeds far and wide. Many of the genes present in our crosses have been selected and preserved for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years buy enterprising gardeners, farming cultures, and unique people all over the world. We hope to continue that trend with these seeds. These seeds are not for the taking by multi-national seed and bio-tech companies which we fight tooth and nail. More information on what we do can be found on our blog site at http://homegrowngoodness.blogspot.com along with links to more of our products, you can also check out and edit (after growing of course), the individual pages for our crops over at http://hipgnosisseed.wikispaces.com/ (still undergoing construction). Don’t be afraid to contact us for trades as we love to trade seeds and other natural goods! You can contact us at any time at:
Alan Bishop
5604 S. State Rd. 60
Pekin IN 47165
1-812-967-2073
bishopshomegrown@gmail.com
The short list.
This list of available cultivars encapsulates most of what we will be offering for fall 2008 and spring 2009. The list is a bit shorter this year than last years list due to the strange weather patterns and hardships of 2008. All seed has been grown “Eco-Logically” (read organic without certification) on our farm without the use of inorganic sprays or pesticides and for the most part using resources found within only 5 miles of our farm including compost, worm castings, and other natural fertilizers.
It is important to note that we do not sale seeds as our seeds do not necessarily meet the requirements of our state or national seed laws. Many of our seeds are made up of mixes, are segregating hybrid populations, or are otherwise intended for home garden use and experimentation. Packets may be requested for a $2.00 shiping cost per packet of seed or $20 for 13 listings. As such you are paying a small donation for our packaging and shipping costs and the seeds are simply a free gift. The co-operator seeds may only be ordered by registered members of the Homegrown Goodness message board unless otherwise noted (http://alanbishop.proboards60.com) for $3.00. Of course as always we love to trade, so contact us with your trades if you’re interested. We are particularly on the lookout this year for grains of all types including; wheat, rice, hull less oats, millet, quinoa, and amaranth.
Seeds can be ordered by mail with a check or well secured cash (and list of what you want) mailed to:
Alan Bishop
5604 S. State Rd. 60
Pekin IN 47165
If you have a pay pal account you can also pay pal us and send us a list of your wants at:
bishopshomegrown@gmail.com
You can also order through pay pal button at the bottom of this list using your credit card! We hope to hear from you and work with you in the near future!
Now on with the list!

Have You Got It Yet Tomato Seed Mix- All original mix of 5 “saladette” type tomatoes bred by Alan Bishop. 3-5 ounces. Including Red-Mer De Noms, Black-La Mer Noir, Black and Green Striped-La Luna, Yellow-Le Soliel, and a new Orange cultivar that is as of yet unnamed. Some are still segregating. All are delicious. Great for Farmers Markets and children. Collection named after a legendary song by Syd Barrett.

Astronomy Domine (F-3) breeding stock Sweet Corn- Continuing with work on the original Astronomy Domine project. A multicolored composite cross of over 55 sweet corn varieties. Very high in Anthocyanins. Red, Purple, White, Pink, Yellow, Orange, Chinmarked, and Speckled corn kernels. Early - mid season, good cold soil tolerance. Small and large ears. Lots of variations. Select for what you like the best! Named after an early Pink Floyd song.

Taggette Marigold Mix- A large mix of tall type marigolds of yesteryear, Terrific Fragrance, tall long stems, beautiful yellow, orange, and red/purple colors. Terrific for a small hedge in the garden. Nine varieties in one package.

Absinthe Tomato - Our unique green when ripe tomato is back for a second year. From a stabilized cross of Aunt Ruby’s German Green X Emerald Evergreen. Named after the famous drink favored by artists such as Picasso.

Ooompa Loompa Micro Tom mix- A mix of small/dwarf and highly rugouse tomatoes in yellow/orange and red. Some shaped like a roma. Most like standard small cherry tomatoes. Like a bonsai tomato. Great for balconies, ornamentals and hanging baskets.

Jeffersonian White/Yellow alpine strawberry mix-An interbreeding mix of white and yellow alpine strawberries. So much better than your average garden strawberries. Very sweet, beautiful, but small, about the size of a U.S. quarter. A crop that could be specialty marketed. Does great in field or in pots. White color isn’t as noticeable to bird pests. Highly recommended. Named after Thomas Jefferson who wrote of growing Alpine strawberries but was vexed by their small size.

Jack White Tomato - Another of our unique new OP tomatoes. Jack white is a stabilized cross between White Beauty and White Tomesol, gaining the love of white tomato haters everywhere for it’s unique and delicious taste when compared to other white tomatoes. Named after Jack White, lead singer of the White Stripes band.

Absinthe Green Fleshed Musk Melon Mix - A mass cross of 9 distinct green fleshed muskmelon types. Great taste, good looks, better than orange fleshed melons. A big hit at the farmers market! A favorite breakfast item here at Bishop’s Homegrown!

Yellow/Orange/Red/White Watermelon Mass Cross - A mass cross of mostly yellow, orange, and white watermelons. Too many varieties to name were planted in the field (close to 100). We saved seeds from the best in color, taste, and use! Check this out if you love watermelons!

Paste Tomato Mix - A mix of white, yellow, orange, pink, red, green when ripe, and purple paste (roma type) tomatoes. Great for farmers market. Create unique sauces and salsas. If you love canning tomatoes or fresh pasta sauce give these a go, you will not be disappointed but you will be surprised.

Robert Johnson Mississippi Delta Burley Tobacco- After wintersown.org helped us distribute these seeds last year we thought we would offer another chance at them this year. Even if you don’t smoke tobacco or use the leaves to make nicotine tea to protect your plants from pests you will love this plants growth habbit and profusion of beautiful pink, petunia like flowers. Give this a go in a flower bed or make a hedge out of it. Of course it’s great for smoking as well. Makes an excellent pipe or cigarette tobacco after curing. Named after the Mississippi blues man Robert Johnson.

The Pink Floyd Tomato-A segregating Selection of Brandy Boy hybrid in the F-6. Selecting for large (one lb or more) great tasting, non cracking fruit without green shoulders and with better production than Brandywine. This is a good start, give it a try if you love Brandywine but would like to improve on it!

High Voltage Hot Pepper Mix - A mix of some of the hottest peppers on earth. Habanera, Chilies, long frying types, poblanos and many more make up this unique mix. Great for pepper lovers the world over!

Easter Everywhere Sweet Pepper Mix-Frying and bell pepper types, a number of colors. Something for everyone. 15 varieties in one simple mix!

Rollercoaster Cherry Tomato Mix-Like cherry Tomatoes, then this mix is for you! 60 varieties in the mix. Different colors including white, yellow, orange, bi-color, green when ripe, red, black/purple. Pear and currants, wild types, lots of rarities! Plenty for everyone to enjoy!

Hoskins Pink/Yellow tomato mix-a segregating mix of two tomatoes and their hybrids grown by my great grandparents for years, saved together and allowed to cross for years. Lots of diversity, would be great to make selections from. Large 12-16 ounce tomatoes, some potato leaved others regular, all delicious.

Truckers Favorite Dent/sweet corn-Used for a roasting ear in the olden times. Quite good on the grill with butter and a pinch of sugar. Great for animal feed. Large white kernals, very large plants that make good fodder.

Rutgeurs Tomato (bishop's strain)- One of the many seed accessions given to me by my paternal grandmother who owned the farm that is now Bishop's Homegrown. Grown for years and selected by my grandmother and grandfather, Father and Mother, and now myself.

Co-Operator Seed Only: Co-operator seed is reserved for those who wish to grow out and return a portion of seed to Hip-Gnosis seed development at the end of the next season. These varieties are usually highly endangered or need to be multiplied before being offered to the general public

Kculli Corn - The most ancient of domesticated corns. Deep violet purple kernels. Hard to classify. Not a dent, not a flint, closer to a wax type. Traditionally farmed in the Peruvian coastal areas over the past 8,000 years. Used to make Chicha Marada, a refreshing drink (and sometimes beer). Great for Chicha and for cornbread, also great for an animal feed. Very high anti-oxidant levels. Must be a registered Homegrown Goodness member to apply.

Le Fee Verde and October Rust Colored Cottons - A mass cross of 9 unique varieties of colored cottons ranging the gamut from pastel to olive green and bronze to near red brown. Ancient Peruvian cottons, southern slave heirlooms, Native American selections, Egyptian cottons. Beautiful hibiscus type flowers in a rainbow of colors. Great for ornamental growth. Must be a registered Homegrown Goodness member to apply.

We do accept money orders, checks and well concealed cash as well sent to
Alan Bishop
5604 S. State Rd. 60
Pekin IN 47165

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