Yup. Fall is here…and these are pictures from my recent visit to the east coast to visit my daughter. The leaves just started to change color during my visit and I took these pictures on the last day! I’m sure the colors are even more prettier now…
Autumn usually also means that it is the end of the season for the vegetables in my garden.. 🙁 Although, I have to say that my cucumbers are still going strong – still producing 2-3 cucumbers every few days. I also have these Italian tomato plants (Tomato II Pantano Romanesco) that I planted this year for the first time. I planted them kind of late (in July) so I wasn’t sure if these plants were going to produce any fruit before the winter. Surprisingly, out of the 3 that I planted, 1 plant is doing extremely well and it has just started to produce ripe tomatoes – which is pretty late for northern California. The other two plants are still pretty small. Not sure why, since they are in the same garden box.
Anyway, the seed packet says that in warmer climates these tomato plants produce fruit well into autumn, so I think this will be a perfect way to extend your tomato harvest into fall in California. All of my other tomato plants (that I bought from the local nursery) are just about dead. Hopefully I can get some good seeds from this Italian tomato plant this year so I can plant it again next year!
Also, during the last few weeks, my perilla plants have lost all of their leaves and flowers. And they have these beautiful seed pods which I have been harvesting. Boy, I have to say..harvesting perilla seeds is a lot of work! I was able to shake off most of the seeds but I had to go through each pod to make sure there wasn’t any that was still lodged inside. I wish there was some easier way.. Anyway, I now have these fabulous perilla seeds which are called Deulkkae (들깨) in Korean. Deulkkae is used in similar ways to how sesame seeds are used in Korean cooking – as garnishes and seasonings and as oils. However, unlike sesame seeds, these have a pretty strong fragrance. The intensity of the taste and fragrance has been compared to mint or fennel in some articles.
The seeds shown above are from just 4 perilla plants! I can’t wait to plant them again next year. I’m also wondering if there’s anyway I can grow them indoors during the winter… we shall see…
Hi JinJoo-ssi! My name is Emma. I grew perilla plants for the first time this summer and they have flowered and the leaves are starting to die. When will I know that it’s time to get the seeds out of the flowers? Should I wait until they have turned brown like your picture? Also, how should I store the seeds? And when is a good time to replant them? My friend told me to also save the soil that I grew the plants in. This is the first time I’ve grown perilla, so I am very much a beginner. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I was going to wait until April or May to plant again. Thanks for the great recipes! My family and I have been enjoying them. It makes us miss Korea though! I guess we will just have to go again.
If you can wait until it turns brown like in the picture that’s best but you also have to be careful that it doesn’t drop the seeds already. So it’s best to cut the whole stem when the seed pods are partially brown or mostly brown. Then what I do is to put them upside down, inside a brown paper bag or plastic bag and let it dry completely. In the bay area, it should dry pretty quickly – couple weeks. Then shake them inside the bag and most of the seeds should fall out. STore them in a jar (loosely covered) or paper bag until next spring. And then follow instructions in this article – https://kimchimari.com/korean-vegetables-to-grow-in-your-garden-this-spring/ to plant next spring. Glad you are enjoying Korean food at home! Thank you for letting me know!
Hi! I just found your website and LOVE it. It has to be one of the best food/cooking/ingredients websites I have seen. The layout and structure is fantastic (not surprising given your background) but the content is really really outstanding. I can’t wait to really dive in and make some of your recipes because I love Korean food. I have been trying to grow perilla here (Big Island Hawaii, 2500ft elevation) and I am having zero luck – both in my beds and in my greenhouse. I bought seeds (one purple and one regular) from Bakers Creek which are usually pretty good so I think it must be me. Any top tips for what perilla likes/does not like? I would love to grow it here. I also struggle with cilantro and basil but I usually get some that come out weak but alive. Thanks in advance!
Hello Clare,
Thank you SO much – I am soo happy to hear that you like the new site. It has been a lot of work but I am glad I went for it! So Perilla usually grows like weeds for most people.. in Korea, people grow them inside apartments in pots so they are pretty easy to grow. Do you have other plants that grow well? hmm.. I’m wondering why you are having issues. So does it not sprout at all? Or does it sprouts but then doesn’t do well after? Perilla likes moderate water and doesn’t like long drought but I assume Hawaii would not be too dry. Try reading this post https://kimchimari.com/korean-vegetables-to-grow-in-your-garden-this-spring/ and see if anything jumps out at you. Perilla is in my list of 9 vegetables to grow at home. Let me know if you have more questions. Cheers!
I have several Shiso plants growing outside in Oregon….. but I will be gone 9//16-11/16. I want to have my house sitter harvest for me so I think the best thing is have her wait till there are tiny seed pods on the plant and when they are close to brown, cut them off and bring them inside to finish drying – maybe hanging inside a paper bag. does that sound like a plan?
Hi Christine,
Sure, letting the peppers become fully ripe with colors of red/brown would def. work. If you can leave it longer on the plant, the better. But if you are going to get a lot of rain, you should harvest it and let it dry inside. And hanging them in a paper bag sounds like a plan to me!! Good luck and have a good trip.
Hi There!
I just saw your message from like 100+ days ago. Since then, I planted Perilla seeds and got some good leaves out of them. It’s been 4 months since I planted them and doesn’t seem to regrow. Is that normal? Also, can I replant those 들깨 seeds that come out of their pods? I thought they were weeds the first time I saw them. I’m such a beginner at this gardening hobby. haha.
Yes, once it starts to grow the seeds, it means the plant has reached it’s full life cycle. It will turn brown and die. Yes, you can save the seeds and plant again. We are all beginners at one point so no worries. Good for you for trying!! Good luck!
Ah, I see! That’s sad there’s only one life cycle for Perilla leaves. How would one discard the plant? Just pull it out? Completely clueless here. Heh.
Hello!~^^ I stumbled upon your blog this afternoon and have been so enjoying your posts! I lived in Seoul for 5 years and since returning to the US, have been doing my best to make Korean food. Do you have any advice on how to use and store 들깨 가루? My favorite restaurant near Ehwa University serves 들깨 순두부, and I’ve been trying to recreate it, but haven’t gotten it quite right yet. Thanks so much for any advice you can offer!
Hi! So glad you found my blog!! 들깨가루 is used in soups(해장국, 된장배추국..), stews or jjigaes (순두부찌게, 매운탕, ) and in namuls. It is usually added at the end to add extra rich flavor to foods. I am afraid I have not had 들깨 순두부 at Ewha yet but you must let me know and I will have to try it one day. Not sure which kind you had but I imagine, using Anchovy stock for the liquid, season with sea salt and some kook kanjang, add some seafood like clams (optional), and then add 들깨가루 at the end. Some onions should be good. Good luck and thanks!
Yowzers! I live in Milton, ON (just about 1hour NE of Toronto) and I’ve always wanted to grow Korean perilla. But, I thought that my local climate would be too cold for them to really do anything. This year, I’ll definitely plant them!
Hope it grows well for you! Good luck! Thanks for stopping by.
do you use tomato in any of your korean food recipes?
Hmm..I don’t think tomato is really a Korean ingredient. All I remember from my childhood days is having tomatoes sprinkled with sugar. In today’s Korean cooking, tomato ketchup or sauce is used to make glaze for fried chicken, few fusion dishes (e.g. omelet rice) or even ddukboggi but other than that I can’t really think of any recipes…
Yeah, my dad used to sprinkle sugar on tomato slices when I was little…
Oh so it wasn’t just me!! 🙂
Thanks, this was helpful. My wife and I are going to [try] to harvest our perilla seeds for replanting soon. Our problem is that when the pods are ready, the birds come for snacks and leave us with little or no seeds. 🙁 We’ll try and share I guess.
oh dear! In Korea I have seen farmers put up twisted metallic ribbons on their fields to keep the birds away. I wonder if something like that could work for you? Anyway, good luck with your harvest!
JinJoo,
Thanks for the tips I’ll wait till the pods start to turn brown and follow your bag method for collecting the seeds! I’m growing them in Toronto, Canada and it’s 8 to 10 Celsius here and the leaves are still green.
Sounds good! FYI – in Korea they try to harvest the seeds before first frost. I would advise try cutting the plants and drying them indoors if you think you are going to get frost before they all turn brown..
Hi,
Great blog, like you I grew Korean perilla from seed this year, and they are 5′ tall in my back yard. Planning to harvest the seeds also, I would like to ask when the seeds are ready to be harvested? Fearing harvesting prematurely and ruining the seeds I hope you can give me some tips? Thanking you in advance.
Terence
Hi Terence,
Wow! 5′ tall? That’s huge!! The best time is when all the green leaves have fallen off and the seed pods have turned fully brown. One problem I found is that if I wait a little too long, the seeds already get dispersed from the plant and you only get one or no seeds left in the pod. So try to harvest the seeds not too long after the pods have turned brown. One tip on harvesting the seeds, put the cut stem with the pods inside a plastic grocery bag and shake it or hit it and the seeds will fall off into the bag. Good luck!