#seedsaving — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #seedsaving, aggregated by home.social.
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The few-flowered shooting stars (Primula pauciflora) appear to be setting seed-- step 3 in my plan to grow one million of them!
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@Broadfork Thanks for posting! 🌱
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🌱 Want to garden more sustainably? Saving your own seeds is a great way to close the loop and preserve local varieties! 🌻
Check out our latest guide on how to get started:
https://vegplotter.com/blog/saving-seeds-for-a-sustainable-future -
🌱 Want to garden more sustainably? Saving your own seeds is a great way to close the loop and preserve local varieties! 🌻 Check out our latest guide on how to get started: vegplotter.com/blog/saving-... #GrowYourOwn #Sustainability #GardeningTips #SeedSaving
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Tired of buying seeds every year? Start saving your own! 🌱 It's a powerful act of self-reliance, preserves unique family heirloom varieties, & connects you to generations of growers. Build food security, grow resilient plants, & nurture biodiversity right in your garden. #SeedSaving #HeirloomSeeds
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The other reason I'm growing those two varieties is that I have plenty of Golden Corn and Popcorn kernels that are dry and viable (I sprouted a couple of each last year). But I only have a few kernels of the Strawberry Popcorn and the Hopi Blue Corn.
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Dropping off seeds at the seed library, using seeds from native plants at the library. 😁 #seedsaving
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Way too hot outside. But more seedlings have been moved to larger pots (mostly basil) and more seeds have been started (white eggplant, white marigold, 2 kinds of cucumbers.) Only two boxes of seeds left to use up..... lol
Have I mentioned I'm giving away as much as possible of what I start, because I absolutely do not have room for twelve cucumber plants or fifty plus basil... and so. Many. Marigolds.... anyone local want free plants, yell out!
Especially if you want wormwood, because holy crap that stuff came back strong this year.
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A #botanist searches for the #seeds of the rare #DeathValleySage
April 2, 2026
"For more than 15 years, botanist Naomi Fraga of the #CaliforniaBotanicGarden has been trying to collect seeds from the rare Death Valley sage, for safekeeping in a vault of native California seeds. Each time, she's come home empty handed. But this year, with the desert in the midst of a big bloom, she's trying again.
" 'It's a little bit of a gamble,' she says. 'But, you know, the plant's having a really good year. I feel hopeful.' "
#SolarPunkSunday #California #RarePlants #SeedVaults #SeedSaving #RareSeeds #DesertBloom #DeathValley #SuperBloom #PlantPreservation
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Transport Evolved Chicken and Garden Update: Nikki’s Got A New Stash! https://www.allforgardening.com/1657173/transport-evolved-chicken-and-garden-update-nikkis-got-a-new-stash/ #abutilon #BackyardGarden #Baldur'sGate #BG3 #BroadBeans #Broccoli #CaliforniaBellPeppers #celery #DanversCarrots #FavaBeans #garden #geraniums #greenhouse #HickenAndGarden #Karlach #Parsnip #PortlandNursery #RaisedBeds #SeedPotatoes #SeedSaving #SnowPeas #squash #SweetCorn #TelegraphCucumber #VancouverCentennial #WinterGardening #zucchini
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Transport Evolved Chicken and Garden Update: Nikki’s Got A New Stash! https://www.allforgardening.com/1657173/transport-evolved-chicken-and-garden-update-nikkis-got-a-new-stash/ #abutilon #BackyardGarden #Baldur'sGate #BG3 #BroadBeans #Broccoli #CaliforniaBellPeppers #celery #DanversCarrots #FavaBeans #garden #geraniums #greenhouse #HickenAndGarden #Karlach #Parsnip #PortlandNursery #RaisedBeds #SeedPotatoes #SeedSaving #SnowPeas #squash #SweetCorn #TelegraphCucumber #VancouverCentennial #WinterGardening #zucchini
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What Your Grandmother Knew About Seeds That Most Gardeners Have Completely Forgotten https://www.allforgardening.com/1655203/what-your-grandmother-knew-about-seeds-that-most-gardeners-have-completely-forgotten/ #garden #gardeners #gardening #HybridSeeds #ImageCredit #plants #SeedSavers #SeedSaving #Shutterstock
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Save seeds from your garden's best veggies! 🌱🥕 Choose healthy, mature plants and dry seeds thoroughly. Store in labeled envelopes in a cool, dry place. It's a simple, sustainable way to preserve your favorite varieties and ensure a bountiful harvest next year! 🌿 #SeedSaving #GardeningTips
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Seeds are magic. Put a bag of compost with plum and damson stones in the bottom of the salad drawer in the fridge several weeks ago to stratify.. completely forgot about them. All the stones are now sprouting happily. These were just stones saved from fruit we got at the #CommunityFridge so will pot them up, keep an eye and pass them on when they get a bit bigger. #permaculture #SeedSaving #allotment #gardening
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#PortlandME - #MOFGA Gardener to Gardener Conference
February 8 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm$125 - $200 (see sliding scale below)
Registration is still open! Walk-ins also welcome.
"MOFGA is pleased to present Gardener to Gardener: our inaugural one-day conference for gardeners!
Connect with and learn from prominent university faculty, agricultural scientists, service providers, farmers, and fellow gardeners — through speaker sessions, activities, and shared meals. Gardeners of all levels of experience, in Maine or in the broader northeast region, will find content suited to their needs, gardening goals, and experiences.
Tickets include:
Access to all Gardener to Gardener sessions
Access to lunchtime keynote speaker, Assawaga Farm
Access to exhibitor booths featuring local service providers, suppliers, and more
A catered lunch and coffee/snack break, featuring products from local organic farms and food producers
Complimentary Gardener to Gardener mementos, to use in your gardening life and remember the conference byView the Schedule
Conference speaker and activity sessions include:
Planning & Mapping Your Garden | Ivonne Vazquez, Bas Rouge Farm & Forge
Soil Health 101 | Rebecca Long, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
YardScaping: Soak up the Rain | Ali Clift, Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District
Seed Saving Ethics & Practical Tips for Veggie and Native Plant Seed Savers | Emily Baisden, Wild Seed Project & Heron Breen, Fruits of Our Labors
Grow Your Own Apothecary Garden: An Introduction | Emily Springer, Meeting House Farm
Unusual Backyard Fruit Trees | Dr. Becky Sideman, University of New Hampshire
Raising Chickens for Fun and Food | Patty Duffy, Agricultural Banker & Veterinary Technician (Retired)
Gardening for Pollinators Across the Landscape: From Garden to Forest | Erin Cocca, The Xerces Society
Make Your Own Garden Tools | Jack Kertesz, Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association
Livestock First-Aid | Jacki Martinez-Perkins, Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association
Garden Art | Jaime Wing, Winged Prints
Ergonomic & Accessible Gardening | Caragh Fitzpatrick, Maine AgrAbility
Farm in the Spotlight: Assawaga FarmGardener to Gardener runs alongside MOFGA’s annual Farmer to Farmer Conference. The dual conferences will share in lunch and the presentation from Assawaga Farm. If you’re a farmer who’s interested in attending Farmer to Farmer, learn more here.
Registration details:
In addition to accessing the concurrent sessions listed above, tickets include a catered coffee/snack break and lunch, featuring products from local organic farms and food producers. Tickets do not include lodging at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. If you would like to secure lodging at the hotel, please do so through their booking website here.
Gardener to Gardener tickets are priced on a sliding scale in order to keep the event as accessible as possible while covering MOFGA’s costs. The recommended price for MOFGA members is $150. The recommended price for non-members is $175. Learn more about membership here.
A portion of proceeds from our “Bounty” ticket sales will go toward supporting “Scholarship” tickets (free/by donation tickets) for those for whom the full price of registration is a barrier to attending. To utilize a scholarship ticket, simply click on the “Scholarship” option at checkout. Scholarship tickets are first-come, first-served; and more tickets will be made available, dependent on “Bounty” ticket sales and sponsorships from community partners. To inquire about this option, email [email protected].
Registrants will receive email updates with the conference schedule, a list of ways to enjoy your time in Portland outside of the event, and other pertinent details about what to expect when attending Gardener to Gardener.
The Holiday Inn by the Bay’s conference space is ADA accessible. If you have any needs or questions related to accessibility, including interpretation or translation services, please email [email protected] and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Reach out to [email protected] with any general questions about the event."
To register:
https://www.mofga.org/event-calendar/gardener-to-gardener-2026/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineGardeners #MaineGrowers #SeedSaving #DIY #GardeningForPollinators #GardeningWorkshops
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Seed Protocol - from the #NashvillePublicLibrary !
"We ask that, when you bring seed to the Nashville Public Library Seed Exchange, you follow certain protocol. We want people who take seeds to get what is on the label, and we want to protect against passing on disease.
Basic Protocol
Adapted from the Seed Protocol from the West County Community Seed Exchange, Sonoma Co., California.
- Save seeds from healthy plants. Even if a disease does not get passed on through the seed, we do like to have some selection for disease resistance by only saving from healthy, strong plants.
- Save seeds from multiple plants so that the seed has some genetic diversity in it. The quantity of plants that is optimum depends on the type of plant. For self-pollinating plants a minimum of 6 plants is necessary. For cross-pollinating plants, you’ll want to save from a much larger population.
- If the plant cross-pollinates, you’ll want to make sure to keep it isolated so it stays 'true to type.' Check with a seed saving chart or book to get proper isolation distances.
- When you give seeds to the Seed Exchange, please label with as much information as you can.
- Many people like to save seeds from a favorite plant that might not be harvested from multiple plants or from a plant that isn’t super healthy. Some people like to save seeds from interesting crosses. You are welcome to bring those seeds. Just make sure you write that down on the label so others know they are participating in your experiment.Guidelines for Returning Seeds
- Dry: Make sure seeds are dry.
- Clean: Return reasonably clean seeds by removing as much of the chaff as possible.
- Properly saved: Only return seeds from plants that you know how to save properly.
~ Some seeds can be fairly reliably saved without cross-pollination (and unintentional hybridization). These include tomatoes, beans, peas, and lettuce.
~ Only return seeds from the brassica (ex. broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage) or cucurbit (ex. cucumbers, squash, melons) families if you have taken appropriate steps to prevent cross-pollination, such as hand-pollinating.
- Label! Label! Label! Give us as much information as possible (variety, location, year saved, helpful hints, etc.). Remember that people only have as much information about a seed as what you have written on the package in order to decide if it is a plant that they would like to grow. More information is better.
- Share the abundance: If you have lots of seeds, consider donating lots! We share with Seed Exchange locations across Davidson County.Thank you for saving seeds!"
Source:
https://library.nashville.gov/about/policies/seed-protocol#SolarPunkSunday #SeedSaving #SeedSwaps #LibrariesRule #GrowYourOwn #Gardening
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The seed potatoes I saved this year aren’t waiting for Spring. I discovered them in my dark closet fully sprouted
#gardening #seedsaving #seedpotatoes -
TY, @TheOneSwit ! Tagging for #SolarPunkSunday! @urbanmicrofarmer
Granulum -- Saaten für den Garten
"Die Förderung eines dezentralen und informellen Saatgutsystems in der Region ist dabei das Hauptziel von GRANULUM. Dazu benötigt es viele Menschen die an vielen Orten viele Körnchen vermehren. "
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#India - Seeds of #Resistance for #FoodSovereignty
April 2017
Excerpt: "Community action-reflection-action processes to identify and analyse the forces that obstruct food sovereignty, and evolve collective transformative actions for food sovereignty is a core practice of our movement. Community food sovereignty plans have emerged as a critical expression of political action.
"Life cycles amongst #adivasi communities, and agriculture cycles in small #farmer peasant and pastoralist communities, along with communities’ indigenous knowledge, provide a framework for the plans. The plans include: democratic governance of resources-land, water, forests, territories, biodiversity, seeds, breeds and knowledge; nurturing life in our soils and growing, consuming and sharing healthy diverse and culturally appropriate food agro-ecologically, asserting seed and animal breed sovereignty through saving and exchange of local seeds and breeds between food farmers; reciprocal systems of sharing labour, knowledge and produce; strengthening local food markets that connect producers and consumers, leading to the diversification and revival of food crops. The alliance enables members to share and exchange seeds across regions, particularly accessing seeds that have disappeared from their region, which they wish to revive. Social justice is central to the idea of food sovereignty, and hence breaking the unjust structures of caste, class and patriarchy are core elements of the movement.
"Intergenerational learning and sharing of knowledge between community elders and youth is an essential strategy. Youth learn from community elders, particularly women, accompanying them as they collect diverse tubers, herbs, fruits and seeds, learning about how to process and store produce, save seeds, establish community seed banks and learn to craft and use local agriculture implements.
"Celebrating the diversity of food, through local festivals, song, dance, theatre, community cooking and other cultural actions, linked to the life cycles and seasonal agricultural calendars, enhance our practice. Campaigns, jatras and food sovereignty summits, community action research on specific questions, sharing our experiences and concerns through mainstream media, popular and academic journals, are other critical strategies to nurture solidarity and collective actions for food sovereignty."
Read more:
https://www.leisaindia.org/seeds-of-resistance-for-food-sovereignty/#SolarPunkSunday #SeedsOfResistance #FoodSovereignty #GenerationalKnowledge #KnowledgeSharing #TraditionalAgriculture #CollectiveAction #CollectiveLearning #SeedBanks #SeedSaving #BioDiversity #FoodIsLife #Agroecology
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#Zuni Youth Enrichment Project
#FoodSovereignty Team Shares Knowledge, Nourishes Community This Fall
#CommunityGardening and #SeedSaving remain central to the team’s efforts, despite the challenges this year due to excessive summer heat, pervasive drought and a dwindling water supply. Fortunately, the garden at Ho’n A:wan Park is now thriving with the arrival of cooler fall temperatures and some rain.
Tue, October 7, 2025
Excerpt: "The food sovereignty team also recently hosted two workshops for the Zuni community. One was a virtual workshop on pickling, which #ZYEP recorded and uploaded to social media so it would always be accessible.
" 'Khass pickled cucumbers, chili peppers, onions and purslane, which grows abundantly here,' Seowtewa said, noting that purslane, a fleshy-leafed succulent plant, tastes a lot like artichoke hearts.
"ZYEP also hosted an in-person workshop in partnership with James and Joyce Skeets, owners of Vanderwagen, New Mexico-based Spirit Farm. Fifteen community members attended the workshop, which gave them opportunities to learn about—and taste—some of the plants grown at the farm, including basil, hyssop, chili peppers, mint, nasturtiums and Stevia leaf."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/zuni-youth-enrichment-project-food-173445353.html
#SolarPunkSunday #FoodSecurity #NewMexico #GrowYourOwn #PWNA #IndigenousFoodSovereignty #ClimateChange #ClimateResilience #ClimateChangeGardening
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Shop these PNW nurseries for the gardener in your life https://www.allforgardening.com/1539760/shop-these-pnw-nurseries-for-the-gardener-in-your-life-2/ #garden #GardenArt #gardening #gifts #Gloves #nurseries #PNW #SeedSaving #tools
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🌱🌍 Kuatro Marias Agroecology Farm in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, is a living example of integrated, chemical-free farming. Since 1998, it has combined crops, livestock, aquaculture, seed saving, and farmer education to build soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience—while empowering local communities 💚🐓🐟
👉 Find out more: https://agroecologymap.org/l/399
#Agroecology #OrganicFarming #IntegratedFarming #FoodForest #SeedSaving #ClimateResilience #CommunityFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture
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🌱🌍 Kuatro Marias Agroecology Farm in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, is a living example of integrated, chemical-free farming. Since 1998, it has combined crops, livestock, aquaculture, seed saving, and farmer education to build soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience—while empowering local communities 💚🐓🐟
👉 Find out more: https://agroecologymap.org/l/399
#Agroecology #OrganicFarming #IntegratedFarming #FoodForest #SeedSaving #ClimateResilience #CommunityFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture
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🌱🌍 Kuatro Marias Agroecology Farm in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, is a living example of integrated, chemical-free farming. Since 1998, it has combined crops, livestock, aquaculture, seed saving, and farmer education to build soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience—while empowering local communities 💚🐓🐟
👉 Find out more: https://agroecologymap.org/l/399
#Agroecology #OrganicFarming #IntegratedFarming #FoodForest #SeedSaving #ClimateResilience #CommunityFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture
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🌱🌍 Kuatro Marias Agroecology Farm in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, is a living example of integrated, chemical-free farming. Since 1998, it has combined crops, livestock, aquaculture, seed saving, and farmer education to build soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience—while empowering local communities 💚🐓🐟
👉 Find out more: https://agroecologymap.org/l/399
#Agroecology #OrganicFarming #IntegratedFarming #FoodForest #SeedSaving #ClimateResilience #CommunityFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture
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🌱🌍 Kuatro Marias Agroecology Farm in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, is a living example of integrated, chemical-free farming. Since 1998, it has combined crops, livestock, aquaculture, seed saving, and farmer education to build soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience—while empowering local communities 💚🐓🐟
👉 Find out more: https://agroecologymap.org/l/399
#Agroecology #OrganicFarming #IntegratedFarming #FoodForest #SeedSaving #ClimateResilience #CommunityFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture
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Doing a little course planning or looking for reading list additions? Revisit the Canadian Food Studies book reviews for some inspiration!
Start with Taarini Chopra’s review of Growing Resistance: Canadian Farmers and the Politics of Genetically Modified Wheat by Emily Eaton.
https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v1i1.38Then pair it with Annabel Soutar’s theatre play, Seeds, which brings genetically modified crops into the realm of documentary theatre.
https://porteparole.org/en/plays/seeds/#FoodStudies
#FoodBooks
#Theater
#DocumentaryTheatre
#GMOs
#GeneticallyModifiedFoods
#Wheat
#Farming
#Farmers
#Agriculture
#FoodPolitics
#SeedSaving -
One of the planters I've brought in for the winter. At the beginning of spring, there was a tub of previously-used potting soil that had a couple sprouts boosting out early. (1/2) #patiogarden #indoorgardening #spinach #seedStarting #espinaca #epinards #seedsaving #garden #semillas
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One of the planters I've brought in for the winter. At the beginning of spring, there was a tub of previously-used potting soil that had a couple sprouts boosting out early. (1/2) #patiogarden #indoorgardening #spinach #seedStarting #espinaca #epinards #seedsaving #garden #semillas
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One of the planters I've brought in for the winter. At the beginning of spring, there was a tub of previously-used potting soil that had a couple sprouts boosting out early. (1/2) #patiogarden #indoorgardening #spinach #seedStarting #espinaca #epinards #seedsaving #garden #semillas
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One of the planters I've brought in for the winter. At the beginning of spring, there was a tub of previously-used potting soil that had a couple sprouts boosting out early. We enjoyed some early spinach, and then I let it go to seed, to see if I could grow another round. These were planted late summer and have been going since.
#gardening #huerta #jardin #containergarden #patiogarden #indoorgardening #spinach #seedStarting #espinaca #epinards #seedsaving #garden #semillas
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One of the planters I've brought in for the winter. At the beginning of spring, there was a tub of previously-used potting soil that had a couple sprouts boosting out early. We enjoyed some early spinach, and then I let it go to seed, to see if I could grow another round. These were planted late summer and have been going since.
#gardening #huerta #jardin #containergarden #patiogarden #indoorgardening #spinach #seedStarting #espinaca #epinards #seedsaving #garden #semillas
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One of the planters I've brought in for the winter. At the beginning of spring, there was a tub of previously-used potting soil that had a couple sprouts boosting out early. We enjoyed some early spinach, and then I let it go to seed, to see if I could grow another round. These were planted late summer and have been going since.
#gardening #huerta #jardin #containergarden #patiogarden #indoorgardening #spinach #seedStarting #espinaca #epinards #seedsaving #garden #semillas
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One of the planters I've brought in for the winter. At the beginning of spring, there was a tub of previously-used potting soil that had a couple sprouts boosting out early. We enjoyed some early spinach, and then I let it go to seed, to see if I could grow another round. These were planted late summer and have been going since.
#gardening #huerta #jardin #containergarden #patiogarden #indoorgardening #spinach #seedStarting #espinaca #epinards #seedsaving #garden #semillas
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One of the planters I've brought in for the winter. At the beginning of spring, there was a tub of previously-used potting soil that had a couple sprouts boosting out early. We enjoyed some early spinach, and then I let it go to seed, to see if I could grow another round. These were planted late summer and have been going since.
#gardening #huerta #jardin #containergarden #patiogarden #indoorgardening #spinach #seedStarting #espinaca #epinards #seedsaving #garden #semillas
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Has anyone tried planting the seeds that fall from alstroemeria as the petals drop? They're such an enduring, vibrant arrangement in winter.
Hat schon mal jemand versucht, die Samen zu pflanzen, die von den Alstroemeria-Blüten abfallen, wenn die Blütenblätter verwelken? Sie sind im Winter eine so langlebige und farbenfrohe Dekoration.
#alstroemerias #flowerlovers #alstromeria #PlantLover #SeedStarting #bloomscrolling #blumenliebe #indoorgardening #blooms #floral #seedsaving #flowers #blumen
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Has anyone tried planting the seeds that fall from alstroemeria as the petals drop? They're such an enduring, vibrant arrangement in winter.
Hat schon mal jemand versucht, die Samen zu pflanzen, die von den Alstroemeria-Blüten abfallen, wenn die Blütenblätter verwelken? Sie sind im Winter eine so langlebige und farbenfrohe Dekoration.
#alstroemerias #flowerlovers #alstromeria #PlantLover #SeedStarting #bloomscrolling #blumenliebe #indoorgardening #blooms #floral #seedsaving #flowers #blumen
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Has anyone tried planting the seeds that fall from alstroemeria as the petals drop? They're such an enduring, vibrant arrangement in winter.
Hat schon mal jemand versucht, die Samen zu pflanzen, die von den Alstroemeria-Blüten abfallen, wenn die Blütenblätter verwelken? Sie sind im Winter eine so langlebige und farbenfrohe Dekoration.
#alstroemerias #flowerlovers #alstromeria #PlantLover #SeedStarting #bloomscrolling #blumenliebe #indoorgardening #blooms #floral #seedsaving #flowers #blumen
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Has anyone tried planting the seeds that fall from alstroemeria as the petals drop? They're such an enduring, vibrant arrangement in winter.
Hat schon mal jemand versucht, die Samen zu pflanzen, die von den Alstroemeria-Blüten abfallen, wenn die Blütenblätter verwelken? Sie sind im Winter eine so langlebige und farbenfrohe Dekoration.
#alstroemerias #flowerlovers #alstromeria #PlantLover #SeedStarting #bloomscrolling #blumenliebe #indoorgardening #blooms #floral #seedsaving #flowers #blumen
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Has anyone tried planting the seeds that fall from alstroemeria as the petals drop? They're such an enduring, vibrant arrangement in winter.
Hat schon mal jemand versucht, die Samen zu pflanzen, die von den Alstroemeria-Blüten abfallen, wenn die Blütenblätter verwelken? Sie sind im Winter eine so langlebige und farbenfrohe Dekoration.
#alstroemerias #flowerlovers #alstromeria #PlantLover #SeedStarting #bloomscrolling #blumenliebe #indoorgardening #blooms #floral #seedsaving #flowers #blumen
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Seed for Thought
Saturday’s mail brought the first of the season’s seed catalogs. And Saturday night it snowed. The snow was just a sugar coated dusting, but it was a reminder that winter is coming—eventually—because it is forecast to be as warm as 59F/15C by next Saturday.
But today is gray and very windy and below freezing, a perfect reason to lose myself for a little while in the seed catalog. Yes, yes, I know, the garden just finished up and James picked all the collards Friday and has them fermenting—collard kraut! It’s a thing!
My internet recipe searches told me collard kraut used to be very popular across the southern United States and some people say it is even better than sauerkraut. James has ours fermenting with some garlic and crushed red pepper. I’ll let you know how it comes out.
This is the first year I’ve ever grown collards in the garden, and they’ve been a great success. Not only did they grow well, but we enjoyed eating them too. The small leaves made it fresh into salads and as they got bigger they’d get sautéed with onions and eaten as a side dish or combined with other things like tofu scramble, lentil eggs, curry, or soup. The variety I grew was “yellow cabbage” and came from a Minnesota seed company called North Circle Seeds. I asked James whether he liked the collards enough to grow them again next year, and he said that while it took him a little while to figure out how to use them and get used to cooking with them, he did indeed like them and we should definitely grow them again. Noted!
I also grew Swiss chard for the first time this year and we liked that too. I grew “bright lights” and the plant stalks and leaf vein colors ranged from golden yellow to bright red. We generally ate the leaves while they were small, chopped up in salads, which added some lovely color. The bigger leaves sometimes ended up in a stir fry. This will also make it into next year’s garden. Yum!
Tasty and nutritious!It’s sunchoke digging time! I dug up the first bowl Saturday afternoon just from one small area in the chicken garden. There are sunchokes in the chicken garden because last year I was silly enough to plant two roots along the outside of the chain link fence thinking—actually I don’t know what I was thinking. At the end of last season I dug up half a bowl of huge roots and thought, there, I’ve got them all. Yeah, right.
This year I had even more sunchokes growing along the fence outside and inside the chicken garden. So I dug and I dug and I didn’t worry about pulling out runner roots I came across because I am sure in spring I will discover that they have spread even more.
The sunchoke patch in the main garden is enormous. There will be more bowls to come as James has time to preserve them and I have time to dig and as long as the ground is not frozen. In spring when the ground thaws I will be able to dig up more, and there will be more, because I will find out as they pop up where all the runner roots have gone to this growing season. It’s a good thing we like them.
My turn for Reaping What She Sows: How Women are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System by Nancy Matsumoto came up on Friday. So far I’ve read the first chapter, “Black Mutual Aid, From the Rural South the Urban Northeast,” and it is fantastic.
As with everything in U.S. history, Black farmers have been, and continue to be, discriminated against. You can read a very good and succinct history in this September 2019 Atlantic article (gift link), The Great Land Robbery: The shameful story of how 1 million black families have been ripped from their farms.
Matsumoto tells pieces of this history in her storytelling about a number of women farmers who have created cooperatives, training and helping Black farmers acquire land, seed, and fair prices through a cooperative distribution network. The women and their stories are inspiring and full of lessons on how to support regenerative farming outside a white-supremacist agri-capitalist system.
Matsumoto is familiar with cooperatives. Her Japanese grandparents were interred during World War II and her grandfather helped create a cooperative network in the internment camps. This network became the second largest consumer co-op in the United States. Given the political and economic situation in the United States currently, I suspect we will be seeing more cooperatives and mutual aid societies popping up all over the country in the coming years.
Throughout history women have been the seed keepers, carefully saving and preserving seeds from season to season and generation to generation. A few years ago I read a wonderful novel called The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. It is the story of a current day Dakota woman who is gifted a cache of seeds saved by her ancestors when they ran from being attacked by U.S. troops. It is a story of healing and renewal. I was reminded of this novel while reading the first chapter of Reaping What She Sows because one of the women she profiles is a seed keeper and works for Truelove Seeds, an heirloom seed company that offers culturally important seeds.
Of course I had to look at their offerings, and wow! If you want to read more about the company, The Sierra Club has a great article about them, The Preservation of Culture Begins With a Seed I am definitely going to try and grow green striped cushaw squash! And they also have Korean hong-gochu peppers so I can make kimchi and even collard-chi next year.
The next chapter of the book is about rebuilding the grain economy. Looking forward to learning even more!
While I am on the subject of seeds, I have been a fan of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and bought seeds from them many times through the years. But in the last few months I’ve found out that as wholesome as they advertise themselves to be, this is not the case. In 2019 they invited a white supremacist to speak at their spring planting festival. After much uproar, they uninvited him, but issued no statement of apology or anything that I was able to discover. I have also heard that they steal seeds from indigenous peoples and then rename them and don’t acknowledge where they really came from, though I am unable to find direct confirmation of that. However, just last year the tomato they had on the cover of their catalog turned out to be a recently released GMO variety they sold as non-GMO. They said their seed came from France and they tested it and the results were inconclusive. Nonetheless, they pulled it from their stock and destroyed all the seeds.
Along with just discovering Truelove Seeds, I learned a few months ago about Native Seed Search and there is also Bertie County Seeds I just found out about. I generally buy seeds from Fedco who tell you exactly where the seeds come from (corporate grower, independent farmer, etc) and also credit and pay indigenous communities for their seeds. There is also Seed Savers Exchange. And then, as I mentioned earlier, North Circle Seeds, a small independent Minnesota seed company that sells varieties that will grow in my climate.
I guess I am getting a lesson in seed keeping and seed companies that I hadn’t thought much about before. Seeds are more than hybrid, open-pollinated, heirloom, GMO, organic. It’s important to know their origins and to make sure the people who have stewarded them are acknowledged and compensated. For some reason I always believed this was the case, but it turns out to be otherwise.
#collardKraut #collards #cooperatives #firstSnow #NorthCircleSeeds #seedCatalogs #seedKeepers #seedSaving #seeds #sunchokes #swissChard #TrueloveSeeds
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#Canadians - Please sign this #petition & share it widely!
A proposed federal rule would remove #farmers right to save #seeds from new fruit, vegetable, ornamental and hybrid #plants - raising costs, and limiting local #climate adaptation. Tell our Government to defend seed-saving rights.
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-6778
#FoodSecurity #SeedsOfLife #SeedsPreservation #SeedSavers #SeedsSovereignty #SeedCollectors #SeedSharing #Gardeners #Botanical #SaveOurSeeds #SignPetition #CDNpoli #BCpoli #TakeAction #SupportSmallFarmers #FreeTheSeeds #HandsOffOurSeeds #SeedsAreSacred #Canada
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#Canadians - Please sign this #petition & share it widely!
A proposed federal rule would remove #farmers right to save #seeds from new fruit, vegetable, ornamental and hybrid #plants - raising costs, and limiting local #climate adaptation. Tell our Government to defend seed-saving rights.
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-6778
#FoodSecurity #SeedsOfLife #SeedsPreservation #SeedSavers #SeedsSovereignty #SeedCollectors #SeedSharing #Gardeners #Botanical #SaveOurSeeds #SignPetition #CDNpoli #BCpoli #TakeAction #SupportSmallFarmers #FreeTheSeeds #HandsOffOurSeeds #SeedsAreSacred #Canada
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#Canadians - Please sign this #petition & share it widely!
A proposed federal rule would remove #farmers right to save #seeds from new fruit, vegetable, ornamental and hybrid #plants - raising costs, and limiting local #climate adaptation. Tell our Government to defend seed-saving rights.
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-6778
#FoodSecurity #SeedsOfLife #SeedsPreservation #SeedSavers #SeedsSovereignty #SeedCollectors #SeedSharing #Gardeners #Botanical #SaveOurSeeds #SignPetition #CDNpoli #BCpoli #TakeAction #SupportSmallFarmers #FreeTheSeeds #HandsOffOurSeeds #SeedsAreSacred #Canada
