Beans not getting soft?If you cook beans from scratch (dried beans), you may have noticed that they sometimes don't get soft no matter how long you cook them. There are a couple reasons that beans might not be getting soft: Old beans may not get soft, so use fresh beans. Why? As dried beans age, moisture evaporates, giving pectin time to age and harden the skin, which results in beans that refuse to get fully soft. Beans can remain hard if acidic ingredients are added before they get soft. Tomatoes, vinega...
Pinto Beans Recipe - a simple classic!EASY PINTO BEANS RECIPE: Enjoy homemade pinto beans with this classic and simple recipe: Soak beans overnight. Rinse. Add beans to pot. Add water. Add salt, add a whole onion (or dice it up) and a head of garlic. Bring to boil, then bring down to simmer. When they get soft, taste and add more salt if desired. This usually takes about 2-3 hours. Once the beans are cooked and soft, you can add any other ingredients to spice it up! Optional additions and variations: Chile de Arbol, destemmed...
Conserve Nutrients & Moisture in your Vegetable Pots with MulchConserve Nutrients & Moisture in your Vegetable Pots with Mulch Shown above, a new pepper plant has been transplanted into a large pot that has some lettuce growing in it currently. This pot was mulched with grass clippings to conserve moisture (which is important in our dry Western climate) and feed the soil life. Conserve Nutrients in your Veggie Pots:Adding mulch to your veggie pots can help them hold onto nutrients. Growing veggies in pots is a great way to expand your growing spac...
Eat the weeds: Dandelion Quesadilla RecipeEat the weeds! Weeds are a great source of food. In fact, many of them, like Dandelions, were brought over to North America to be used as food. Early Romans documented eating dandelions and European settlers who came to America purposely brought dandelions with them to the new world for their high nutritional value, medicinal properties, and versatility as a food source. So don't nuke them with pesticides, eat them! Just make sure that you are picking only dandelions that have not been s...
Free FertilizerOn a budget? Make your own fertilizer for your garden vegetables. Fertilizer isn't inexpensive, and it is getting more expensive every year. And organic fertilizers, which we use, cost even more! But you can create your own organic fertilizer, in fact, you may already be making fertilizer in your kitchen and you don't realize it! Do you make mashed potatoes? Skip the salt when cooking and use the water for your garden! The cooled (unsalted) water used for boiling potatoes is a highly...
Herbs for Partial ShadeOur Herb Garden Seed Bundle, shown above, includes all the herbs you need for a partially shaded herb garden! Best Herbs for Partial Shade Grow more food in your garden with a variety of annual and perennial herbs to expand your growing season and harvest! There are plenty of herbs that grow in partial shade. Herbs that can grow in partial shade (3-6 hours of sun) include cilantro, parsley, garlic chives, and oregano. These are all more cold-tolerant herbs that grow great in early spring, and...
Low Water VegetablesWondering what are the best low water vegetables to grow? Here are a few of our suggestions along with tips for conserving water in your garden. #1 Favorite Low Water Vegetables: Peppers* Peppers need less water than many other vegetables. As tropical plants, they thrive in warm, well-draining soil and don't mind it drying out slightly between watering. The famous New Mexico Chiles are grown annually in the dry regions of Hatch Valley and Chimayó regions of New Mexico, and the Pueblo Ch...
Chili con Carne RecipeChili con carne is a Spanish phrase that literally translates to "chili with meat". Originating from Tex-Mex cuisine, it is a spicy stew typically composed of chili peppers, meat (usually beef), tomatoes, and often beans. Ingredients 2-2.5 lbs. chuck roast 3 Ancho dried chiles 3 Guajillo dried chiles 1 onion 4 garlic cloves 3-4 Roma tomatoes 1 chipotle in adobo (optional) 1-2 (15) oz. cans black beans or kidney (optional) 4-5 cups beef or vegetable stock 1 tablespoon Mexic...
How to grow more peppersTo increase your pepper plant harvests, it is important to provide optimal growing conditions, such as in full sun and warm temperatures, plus good, loamy soil with lots of organic matter. Providing a balanced fertilizer, ideally organic, is also good for continued support of growth. Here are more tips on growing more peppers: 1. Choose Productive Pepper Varieties: Pick the fastest growing peppers to ensure a long, productive harvest. While all peppers will eventually produce a ton of pods...
What Seeds to Plant in June - Companion Plants!Wondering what seeds you should plant in June? June is a great time to plant companion plants with your peppers, tomatoes and other veggies. There is a great range of seeds to choose from that you can plant in June including cilantro, squash, cucumbers, nasturtium, lettuce, basil, and many more. Read about them below... Cilantro - great for salsas, and the flowers attract lots of beneficial insects and produce more seeds (also known as Coriander) Cherry Belle Radish are super fast gro...
Seeds to Plant in May - Direct SowingA summer squash above was direct seeded in mounds in May at a community garden in Denver. Squash is best direct sown as it doesn't like to have it's roots disturbed, so we generally plant it directly in the garden in May and June. Is May too late to direct sow seeds? Answer: Nope! May is a great time to direct sow many seeds in most growing regions in most of the Northern Hemisphere! May marks the transition from spring to summer in many regions, and the days are super long in M...
Habanero Pepper Heat ScaleHabanero Pepper Heat Scale Our Habanero seeds grow Habaneros that range from 0 to 450,000 Scovilles. That's right, we have two no-heat Habaneros that pack all the great fruity flavor of Habaneros but without heat so they're considered sweet peppers. Our classic Orange Habanero Seeds produce pods that have around 250,000 Scovilles. Get our hottest Habanero with our newer Yellow Caribbean Habanero seeds which produce pods with 450,000 Scovilles. Our second runner up is our Red Caribbean...
Best Peppers for SalsaIf you love salsa like us, growing hot peppers from seed is a great way to step up your salsa game! Best Peppers in Salsa: With tons of different peppers to choose from in different heat levels, flavors and colors, don't limit yourself to just Jalapenos and Serranos – which are the most popular choices – be sure to try all sorts of hot peppers in your salsa to taste the rainbow of flavors! Roasted Anaheim chile, green chile and poblano peppers offer a milder, smoky flavor. Or for a wi...
How to Start a Seed LibrarySharing seeds is one of the best ways for communities to share the love of gardening and growing food! Here are our top tips for starting a seed library in your community: Step 1: Find a community space for the Seed Library A well-visited community space is your best bet! Choose a venue that is free and open to the general public such as a local public library or community center.Some people are starting to create outdoor "Little Free Seed Libraries" alongside the book versions ...
Hottest Peppers ScaleHottest Peppers Scale Sandia Seed's list of their 101 peppers of the world, in order of their heat Scoville scale ratings: Bell Chocolate Sweet - 0 ScovillesBell Golden Cal Wonder - 0Bell Green Cal Wonder - 0Bell Orange Mini Snacker 0Bell Purple Beauty - 0Cubanelle - 0Fushimi - 0Jimmy Nardello - 0Marconi Red - 0Pimiento - 0Shishito - 0Sweet Cherry - 0Trick or Treat NuMex Habanero - 0Gypsy Pepper - 0Padron 0-100Paprika 0-100Alma Paprika 0-500Piquillo 0-500Pimento Sheepnose 0-500Sweet Ba...
Vegetable Container GardeningVegetable Container Gardening:The best seeds to grow Even if you don't have a lot of space, vegetable container gardening is possible so you can have your own homegrown veggies and herbs. Starting Seeds for Vegetable Container Gardens: You can start many seeds in a sunny window, or get some inexpensive led or flourescent grow lights and start seeds under the lights to get them growing strong for transplanting into their final containers or pots come spring. The cost of starting your cont...
Seed DonationsWe love providing seed donations to Seed Libraries! We are thankful for organizations and groups that are helping their community through seed libraries and other seed sharing opportunities. Every year we donate lots of seeds to seed libraries, non-profits and community gardens over the years. We offer our seed donations in October each year. Do you know of a non-profit or seed library in your city that needs seeds? Have them contact us in September/October at support@sandiaseed.com to see i...
Gardening by the Zodiac SignsWhen it comes to planting in your garden, soil, sun and seasons aren't the only factors to consider. It turns out the the zodiac signs can be just as important. For the best results, they should be considered when choosing plants for your garden. What to plant in your garden according to your zodiac sign. ARIES (March 21 to April 20) You are a fiery, energetic, and quick individual who likes spicy, invigorating plants and foods. Growing onion, garlic chives, basil, cayenne peppers, a...
Pumpkin Chile Soup RecipeIf you grow pumpkins and green chile, then you should definitely be making pumpkin chile! This delicious recipe has a slight sweetness from the pumpkins, and lots of flavor from the green chile and red chile. Pumpkin Chile Soup Recipe INGREDIENTS: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 can of diced tomatoes 1.5 cups of roasted Green Chile, peeled and diced 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained 1.5 cups chopped or mashed pumpk...
Easy Christmas Green Chile RecipesThese are the best Christmas Green Chile Recipes and other spicy dishes to make your holidays even tastier: Hatch Green Chile Gravy Recipe »Go Christmas-style at Christmas with green chile gravy and red chile recipes below – pour half green, half red on your mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and other dishes for a festive and super tasty Christmas-Style delight. Red Chile Sauce Recipe »Fresh Red Chile Sauce Recipe » A classic, Mexican Red Chile Sauces make every recipe special...
So, as a life long BOC fan and an avid gardener who loves the quality of seeds I’ve always received from Sandia Seeds. I just had to have this shirt. It rocks! I ordered a couple more for some fellow BOC fans as well. Great quality and the graphic is outstanding!
I'm going to grow these every year, they are HOT!! They make great poppers and salsa. Very productive, easy to grow, quick germination and fast growing plants. Thank you for the stellar seeds.
I planted several cultivars from wholesale seed. These were prolific. See all that RED (and green)?!? Looking forward to harvesting in a few days. Thank You Sandia Seed!
I pretty much use Sandia seeds exclusively! A few years ago I just happened to order your Jalapeño M. To me it's the perfect Jalapeño! Really nice size! Perfect heat for what we like! Wonderful flavor with a meatyness that's perfect for many different uses! I make my own Sriracha so I wait for them to turn red. They're one of my base peppers for my sauce! I praise them to all my personal friends and to members of groups that I belong to!
Serrano Hidalgo Seeds fromSandia Seed produce even in the HOT drought of central Illinois this year! I love adding a little Mexican kick to my salsa but also tossing these on the grill! They have great flavor and produce all summer long!
I had looked high & low, and searched the web with many word combinations ‘looking’ specifically for my favorite chili, the Dynamite xx Hot… so I could grow my own. The peppers were sold in Colorado at select places during roasting season, but you couldn’t buy seeds for them… anywhere!
Finally, as luck and persistence would have it, I discovered Sandia Seed Company.
Thank you Sandia! I planted them and had a great crop this year. I plan on growing them every year as well as trying some of their other seeds,
There's just something fun about growing a jalapeno that is light enough in color that some people think it's a banana pepper. LOL! I picked these just for color variety, and I'm very pleased that my plants have been loaded with them all season! We donated about 50 lbs of mixed peppers this year from our garden and I still had enough to freeze some and can more jars of recipes than we'll probably be able to use before next season. All my peppers were from Sandia Seed Company. I've never had such great pepper production before using these seeds!!
This spinach germinated well, and produced way more spinach than I'd initially expected. It grew really well, was slow to bolt in the summer, and has a really nice mild flavor for salads or steamed.
This was my first time growing these and I will definitely be growing them from now on. Great germination and very sturdy plants that have withstood some really high winds. Huge long peppers that are excellent green or red, very easy to peel skin.
Growing these in Florida, (Recent transplant of NM).
Lovely peppers. Took a couple weeks is all and wow! I have several budding; 2 large enough to nickname. They're still in their infancy, but I can tell they are going to be great! Love the seeds!
Beans not getting soft?
If you cook beans from scratch (dried beans), you may have noticed that they sometimes don't get soft no matter how long you cook them. There are a couple reasons that beans might not be getting soft: Old beans may not get soft, so use fresh beans. Why? As dried beans age, moisture evaporates, giving pectin time to age and harden the skin, which results in beans that refuse to get fully soft. Beans can remain hard if acidic ingredients are added before they get soft. Tomatoes, vinega...
Pinto Beans Recipe - a simple classic!
EASY PINTO BEANS RECIPE: Enjoy homemade pinto beans with this classic and simple recipe: Soak beans overnight. Rinse. Add beans to pot. Add water. Add salt, add a whole onion (or dice it up) and a head of garlic. Bring to boil, then bring down to simmer. When they get soft, taste and add more salt if desired. This usually takes about 2-3 hours. Once the beans are cooked and soft, you can add any other ingredients to spice it up! Optional additions and variations: Chile de Arbol, destemmed...
Conserve Nutrients & Moisture in your Vegetable Pots with Mulch
Conserve Nutrients & Moisture in your Vegetable Pots with Mulch Shown above, a new pepper plant has been transplanted into a large pot that has some lettuce growing in it currently. This pot was mulched with grass clippings to conserve moisture (which is important in our dry Western climate) and feed the soil life. Conserve Nutrients in your Veggie Pots:Adding mulch to your veggie pots can help them hold onto nutrients. Growing veggies in pots is a great way to expand your growing spac...
Eat the weeds: Dandelion Quesadilla Recipe
Eat the weeds! Weeds are a great source of food. In fact, many of them, like Dandelions, were brought over to North America to be used as food. Early Romans documented eating dandelions and European settlers who came to America purposely brought dandelions with them to the new world for their high nutritional value, medicinal properties, and versatility as a food source. So don't nuke them with pesticides, eat them! Just make sure that you are picking only dandelions that have not been s...
Free Fertilizer
On a budget? Make your own fertilizer for your garden vegetables. Fertilizer isn't inexpensive, and it is getting more expensive every year. And organic fertilizers, which we use, cost even more! But you can create your own organic fertilizer, in fact, you may already be making fertilizer in your kitchen and you don't realize it! Do you make mashed potatoes? Skip the salt when cooking and use the water for your garden! The cooled (unsalted) water used for boiling potatoes is a highly...
Herbs for Partial Shade
Our Herb Garden Seed Bundle, shown above, includes all the herbs you need for a partially shaded herb garden! Best Herbs for Partial Shade Grow more food in your garden with a variety of annual and perennial herbs to expand your growing season and harvest! There are plenty of herbs that grow in partial shade. Herbs that can grow in partial shade (3-6 hours of sun) include cilantro, parsley, garlic chives, and oregano. These are all more cold-tolerant herbs that grow great in early spring, and...
Low Water Vegetables
Wondering what are the best low water vegetables to grow? Here are a few of our suggestions along with tips for conserving water in your garden. #1 Favorite Low Water Vegetables: Peppers* Peppers need less water than many other vegetables. As tropical plants, they thrive in warm, well-draining soil and don't mind it drying out slightly between watering. The famous New Mexico Chiles are grown annually in the dry regions of Hatch Valley and Chimayó regions of New Mexico, and the Pueblo Ch...
Chili con Carne Recipe
Chili con carne is a Spanish phrase that literally translates to "chili with meat". Originating from Tex-Mex cuisine, it is a spicy stew typically composed of chili peppers, meat (usually beef), tomatoes, and often beans. Ingredients 2-2.5 lbs. chuck roast 3 Ancho dried chiles 3 Guajillo dried chiles 1 onion 4 garlic cloves 3-4 Roma tomatoes 1 chipotle in adobo (optional) 1-2 (15) oz. cans black beans or kidney (optional) 4-5 cups beef or vegetable stock 1 tablespoon Mexic...
How to grow more peppers
To increase your pepper plant harvests, it is important to provide optimal growing conditions, such as in full sun and warm temperatures, plus good, loamy soil with lots of organic matter. Providing a balanced fertilizer, ideally organic, is also good for continued support of growth. Here are more tips on growing more peppers: 1. Choose Productive Pepper Varieties: Pick the fastest growing peppers to ensure a long, productive harvest. While all peppers will eventually produce a ton of pods...
What Seeds to Plant in June - Companion Plants!
Wondering what seeds you should plant in June? June is a great time to plant companion plants with your peppers, tomatoes and other veggies. There is a great range of seeds to choose from that you can plant in June including cilantro, squash, cucumbers, nasturtium, lettuce, basil, and many more. Read about them below... Cilantro - great for salsas, and the flowers attract lots of beneficial insects and produce more seeds (also known as Coriander) Cherry Belle Radish are super fast gro...
Seeds to Plant in May - Direct Sowing
A summer squash above was direct seeded in mounds in May at a community garden in Denver. Squash is best direct sown as it doesn't like to have it's roots disturbed, so we generally plant it directly in the garden in May and June. Is May too late to direct sow seeds? Answer: Nope! May is a great time to direct sow many seeds in most growing regions in most of the Northern Hemisphere! May marks the transition from spring to summer in many regions, and the days are super long in M...
Habanero Pepper Heat Scale
Habanero Pepper Heat Scale Our Habanero seeds grow Habaneros that range from 0 to 450,000 Scovilles. That's right, we have two no-heat Habaneros that pack all the great fruity flavor of Habaneros but without heat so they're considered sweet peppers. Our classic Orange Habanero Seeds produce pods that have around 250,000 Scovilles. Get our hottest Habanero with our newer Yellow Caribbean Habanero seeds which produce pods with 450,000 Scovilles. Our second runner up is our Red Caribbean...
Best Peppers for Salsa
If you love salsa like us, growing hot peppers from seed is a great way to step up your salsa game! Best Peppers in Salsa: With tons of different peppers to choose from in different heat levels, flavors and colors, don't limit yourself to just Jalapenos and Serranos – which are the most popular choices – be sure to try all sorts of hot peppers in your salsa to taste the rainbow of flavors! Roasted Anaheim chile, green chile and poblano peppers offer a milder, smoky flavor. Or for a wi...
How to Start a Seed Library
Sharing seeds is one of the best ways for communities to share the love of gardening and growing food! Here are our top tips for starting a seed library in your community: Step 1: Find a community space for the Seed Library A well-visited community space is your best bet! Choose a venue that is free and open to the general public such as a local public library or community center.Some people are starting to create outdoor "Little Free Seed Libraries" alongside the book versions ...
Hottest Peppers Scale
Hottest Peppers Scale Sandia Seed's list of their 101 peppers of the world, in order of their heat Scoville scale ratings: Bell Chocolate Sweet - 0 ScovillesBell Golden Cal Wonder - 0Bell Green Cal Wonder - 0Bell Orange Mini Snacker 0Bell Purple Beauty - 0Cubanelle - 0Fushimi - 0Jimmy Nardello - 0Marconi Red - 0Pimiento - 0Shishito - 0Sweet Cherry - 0Trick or Treat NuMex Habanero - 0Gypsy Pepper - 0Padron 0-100Paprika 0-100Alma Paprika 0-500Piquillo 0-500Pimento Sheepnose 0-500Sweet Ba...
Vegetable Container Gardening
Vegetable Container Gardening:The best seeds to grow Even if you don't have a lot of space, vegetable container gardening is possible so you can have your own homegrown veggies and herbs. Starting Seeds for Vegetable Container Gardens: You can start many seeds in a sunny window, or get some inexpensive led or flourescent grow lights and start seeds under the lights to get them growing strong for transplanting into their final containers or pots come spring. The cost of starting your cont...
Seed Donations
We love providing seed donations to Seed Libraries! We are thankful for organizations and groups that are helping their community through seed libraries and other seed sharing opportunities. Every year we donate lots of seeds to seed libraries, non-profits and community gardens over the years. We offer our seed donations in October each year. Do you know of a non-profit or seed library in your city that needs seeds? Have them contact us in September/October at support@sandiaseed.com to see i...
Gardening by the Zodiac Signs
When it comes to planting in your garden, soil, sun and seasons aren't the only factors to consider. It turns out the the zodiac signs can be just as important. For the best results, they should be considered when choosing plants for your garden. What to plant in your garden according to your zodiac sign. ARIES (March 21 to April 20) You are a fiery, energetic, and quick individual who likes spicy, invigorating plants and foods. Growing onion, garlic chives, basil, cayenne peppers, a...
Pumpkin Chile Soup Recipe
If you grow pumpkins and green chile, then you should definitely be making pumpkin chile! This delicious recipe has a slight sweetness from the pumpkins, and lots of flavor from the green chile and red chile. Pumpkin Chile Soup Recipe INGREDIENTS: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 can of diced tomatoes 1.5 cups of roasted Green Chile, peeled and diced 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained 1.5 cups chopped or mashed pumpk...
Easy Christmas Green Chile Recipes
These are the best Christmas Green Chile Recipes and other spicy dishes to make your holidays even tastier: Hatch Green Chile Gravy Recipe »Go Christmas-style at Christmas with green chile gravy and red chile recipes below – pour half green, half red on your mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and other dishes for a festive and super tasty Christmas-Style delight. Red Chile Sauce Recipe »Fresh Red Chile Sauce Recipe » A classic, Mexican Red Chile Sauces make every recipe special...
