The JOSPHINE PORTER INSTITUTE for APPLIED BIO-DYNAMICS INC. Dept. BDL, Route 1 Box 620, Post Office Box 133, Woolwine, VA USA 24185 Phone/FAX(540) 930-2463 HELP ! HELP ! HELP ! In order to meet future needs for the Biodynamic preparations (Specifically, BD 506 - one of the compost preps.), we urgently need help in harvesting dandelion blossoms . For the time being, we have managed to solve all other problems of supply with respect to any of the other preparations. The relatively short peak time of bloom,sparsely scattered plants, and other demands on our schedule during harvest time (which coincides with our busiest preparation distribution season) all conspire to prevent us from obtaining the quantities needed to supply future demand. Please help if you possibly can, by taking the time to harvest dandelion blossoms, drying them thoroughly in the shade and forwarding them to us as soon as conveniently possible, but before September 30th.Some harvesting tips are indicated below. WHEN to Pick | WHERE to Pick | WHAT to Pick | HOW to Dry & Ship WHEN to PICK The best blossom are picked: Early in the Spring/Early in the Day (But by careful observation and selection, quality blossoms can be found throughout the Spring.) Time of harvest: Morning hours, the earlier the better but no later than one hour before meridian noon. Here at 80+ longitude and during daylight savings time, meridian noon can coincide with a clocktime of 1:20 PM. In the same timezone [EDT] clocktime for meridian noon in Bangor, ME is 12:36PM and in Louisville, KY is 2:04 PM. WHERE to PICK Pick dandelions where you are reasonably sure no poisons or mineral fertilizers have been applied. Do not pick along roadside ditches or near parking lots. If poison spray drift from other areas into your picking area is a problem, please do not pick there. WHAT to PICK Appearance of bloom: Dandelion blossoms open one tiny petal at a time from the periphery, and often have approximately a three day cycle of opening and closing. The earlier the blossoms are harvested in the blooming cycle the better is the quality of the preparations which can be made.So long as a clearly distinguishable "bulls eye" of tight/unoponed petals can be seen in the center of the blossoms (fig. 1 and fig. 2 below), it is a candidate for harvest. As the blossom ages, it changes from a bright yellow color to a dull or"muddy" orange, and eventually the white puff or seed parachute appears. A closed blossom in early bloom stage has a very rounded top or crown, while an older bloom that is closed begins to assume a cone shape. [in the earlier part of its blooming season, the flower will often be snug against ts leaves on the ground, while later on in the spring, it will shoot up as a,stalk while still exhibiting the characteristic "bulls eye" or target of a young blossom] Pick only the young blossoms with bull's eyes as described. Pop the flowers off the stems, and remove leaves or "trash." Domesticated dandelion (French Dandelion) blossoms are as valuable to our work as wild dandelion blossoms. HOW to DRY and SHIP Blossoms need careful drying, which must be done in a warm, dry, shady spot. A good method is to put them near a wood stove spread out on newspapers. If you must use electric food dryers or similar, be careful not to over dry them. Once dried, put them in a bag and ship them to JPI right away. Shipping address (UPS or US Mail): The JOSPHINE PORTER INSTITUTE for APPLIED BIO-DYNAMICS INC. Dept. BDL Route 1 Box 620 Post Office Box 133 Woolwine, VA USA 24185 Phone/FAX (540) 930-2463 (JPI will be very happy to reimburse your shipping costs if necessary.) Questions? Call the Josephine Porter Institute at (540) 930-2463 Quick question to someone who probably doesn't know the answer? Ask Allan. Below are some pictures indicating dandelion appearances: