Most people think nothing of it – spitting out a seed, flicking a discarded pip from a trouser leg, or squeezing a cherry stone between your fingers until it scoots into the distance are regarded as mundane activities. However in St Andrews in Fife they are celebrated in style at the annual seed sessions in the third week of August.
The term ‘seed’ is a generic term that covers pips, stones, and hulls from various fruits. Because of the different sizes of the seeds each of the contests is split into many categories. These categories are for apple seeds, orange pips, cherry stones, olive pitts, and water melon seeds.
The methods used to propel the various seeds are spitting, squeezing between two fingers, and flicking from a flat surface with a finger. There are accuracy tests as well as distance contests.
Extract from 40 Humourous British Traditions
Julian Worker Fiction Writing 