OK Who dunnit?

[Guest reville]

Ive just been sent a less friendly than usual AQIS letter telling me they have seized two items.

1 is ephedra seed, which i am expecting as i ordered it from Richters after checking ICON and AGWA lists, both OK. Its Ephedra nevadensis - Mormon tea. No idea why they want to hold this one.

The other unexpected parcel of joy is 200g jar of poppy seed.

I was not expecting this

Im hoping the person who has sent it, im assuming its international, can tell me just what they sent (what species/ Type) etc. Before i call them ASAP to explain that i have no idea what this is all about as i have not requested them.

For all i know it could be Californian poppy. Im not sure if there was any writing with the seed either because if it was it was not forwarded - so i have no idea if anything was said that i need to know about.

Please write to me at [email protected] ASAP if you sent a *jar* of poppy seed to the AFSR lately

thanks

[waterdragon]

whew, glad you specified 'jar'. thought i'd have some splainin to do lucy. had to be an import - aqis don't do domestic do they?

[VINS]

i will definitly not buy their christmas calendar this year !!!

i fuck the people who are doing decision when they don't know !

good luck

[Guest reville]

I think we have a bunch of Over zealous inspectors - i use the perfectly legal Ephedra seed as the example

As for the seed, for all i know they could be P rhoeas, they look very similar to me

[Auxin]

Firstly, NOT ME.

Next,

The inspectors clearly arent trained in this sort of thing, they are just laymen. When laymen hear Ephedra if they recognize the word at all they connect it to meth labs. They surely think they are doing the right thing, have pity on the poor ignorant fools.

Anyways, the reason I'm talkin' at all is I was wondering if there is a FAQ somewhere to tell over-seas people how to PROPERLY send stuff to the seed ring. I was thinkin' that if I EVER get Heimia to grow more than 1mm tall I could donate almost all the seed produced from the things. Also you said you want really good chilies, what main attributes are you looking for heat, flavor, odor (fruity, 'macho', vegetable, bland), species, size, rarity, or just anything that can be spared? I'm gonna grow lots in 2003 and I could toss some your way.

[DreamingNagual]

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[This message has been edited by MOJORISIN (edited 20 December 2002).]

[Guest reville]

OK First up

Im not pissed at whoever sent me seed, im as grateful as ever as i understand the context in which it was sent. I just need to know what it is - if it isnt P somniferum then i will definitely pursue AQIS to get it back.

In Hindsight i need more specific instructions for O/S people as to what, how and how much to send.

There is a lot you can send. But big packs are problematic as they tend to get me into this situation.Just a few seeds of permitted species in an envelope works much better. We grow them out here and by next season there are plenty to distribute in Australia.

I really didnt envisage the International interest in the AFSR, Id say about 15 to 20% are international these days. Great to source new seed, often from wild sources giving added diversity to the collections in Australia.

The Kinds of Chilli i was after were ones that people have used for particular types of cooking. We have the cayenne chilli sold here in every supermarket in punnets, and more recently some of the birds eye and Thai chillies, but i was thinking of chillies used in other styles, not just the heat but the complexity of flavour. For some dishes only a specific chilli will do.

Szechuan cooking, Mexican dishes,South West USA types, Good pickling Chilis,European paprika types, Highland Peruvian species things like that.

ICON says chilli seed is fine so long as its clean and labelled