No. 4026 — Growing Culinary Poppies
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 4026 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Among the many poppy varieties, the author distinguishes ordinary poppies with bluish-grey, white or dark seeds. She favours dark seeds for cooking and white seeds for oil.
Poppies prefer fertile well-worked ground. The source says little manure is needed, but sheep manure may be used; crops were planted after wheat, flax, peas, potatoes or turnips.
The field was ploughed in autumn, harrowed before winter and worked again, then sown very early in spring just after the ground thawed.
After six days it was harrowed again to distribute seeds more evenly in the soil. Because the seeds are so small, they were mixed with dry soil before sowing.
The historical rate is about 12 pounds seed per desyatina, mixed with two measures dry soil and sifted through a coarse screen two or three times.
For late sowing the author recommends first soaking seed for two or three days in river or rainwater, draining and airing on cloth away from sunshine, then mixing with soil.
The source says seedlings appear in three weeks. Weed and thin crowded plants; poppies may share ground with carrots for two crops.
Seed maturity is indicated by drying stems and seeds rattling or falling out when a capsule is shaken.
The author describes poppy-seed milk for porridge, tea and coffee, with 2 lots seed per pound water, and makes folk medicinal claims about urinary stones and gout.