Seed Stories from Mora, New Mexico

Here are Seed Stories from some of the amazing folks we met at the Mora Grows Seed Exchange and Seed Library kickoff. Along with these, there were many other stories germinating! We hope to return to Mora soon and spend more time in the brilliant company of this resilient community.


Ella Arellano shares a story about nurturing the knowledge and passion for growing food and sharing seeds, which her grandmother and home of Agua Negra (Holman), New Mexico instilled in her.


Joseph Griego is a 5th generation resident of Mora, New Mexico. He talks about his small organic farm and the importance of traditional farming practices.


Nicholas Morrow talks about the relationship between cultivating a garden and building possibility through healing, education, and the arts, to meet the future and support a growing community.


Marleny Alfaro, originally from the island of Cuba and now a resident of Mora, New Mexico talks about the inspiration behind the Mora Grows seed library.


Roger Gonzales talks about the connection between preserving community traditions through saving and sharing seeds, as well as his personal efforts on his farm to grow local agriculture.


Alima Fairchild talks about saving and sharing seeds in the dry climate of Northern New Mexico and about her favorite seed from the madder plant.


Marianna Lands talks about her family farm, La Sierra, in Cleveland, New Mexico, and the community project, Collaborative Vision, both of which share the common goal of working towards a healthy, vibrant, and supportive community and environment.


Lucille Joseph talks about her forty years of subsistence farming in the Mora valley


Denise and Mohamad share their desire to learn how to grow healthy food in Cleveland New Mexico. Mohamad tells of the times he would visit Denise's family farm and how much those times have influenced him.

Mora Grows Seed Library Kickoff!

SeedBroadcast and the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station, joined the newly formed Mora Grows Seed Library, seed savers, gardeners, and farmers from the Mora Valley, for the 1st annual seed exchange and seed library kickoff. This event was organized by Marleny Alfaro, a recent transplant to Mora, who is working with her family to create a high-mountain, regenerative, DO-IT-TOGETHER farm. After moving to Mora this winter, she felt inspired to get the seed library underway!

The seed exchange was held at Tapetes de Lana, an amazing cooperative weaver center in Mora, where the Mora Grows Seed Library will be generously housed.

Seed swappers check out all the seeds while spending time with neighbors to talk seed.

The seed exchange began early in the morning: setting up tables, organizing seeds into botanical groups, making labels, and greeting friends.  While SeedBroadcast helped with set up, we also got to look around at the variety of seeds brought in to share, while meeting an amazing group of dedicated and seedy folks.

 Chacon Pintos and original Bolitas found in an old adobe by photographer Sharon Stewart

Along with the exchange, time was spent discussing the importance of local non-gmo seeds, biodynamic gardening, labor exchange, networking, and permaculture. Everyone was then invited to participate in a hands-on experiment: filling a small dixie cup with potting soil, taking two pea seeds (untreated of course) and putting these into the mouth for several minutes, then planting these into the cup.....but wait don't water these for 72 hours...then, emergence.

Ancient planting technique of sharing DNA with seeds, via saliva, then planting the seed.

This agri-cultural technique has been used by many people throughout history to encourage human - plant relationships based on bio-feedback and DNA sharing. Plants grown with this process are known to provide essential nutrients and medicine for people planting these seeds.

SeedBroadcast at the Mora Grows Seed Library Kickoff and Seed Exchange

SeedBroadcast will be at the Mora Grows Seed Library Kickoff and Seed Exchange! Come join us for a day of SeedBroadcasting, seed swapping, learning, and sharing.

March 23, 2013

Mora Grows Seed Library

Tapetes de Lana

Hwy 518 and Hwy 434

Mora, New Mexico

Time: 900am - 1230pm

This event is hosted by:

Mora Grows Seed Library and Tapetes de Lana

For more information:

http://moragrows.wordpress.com/

Click here for a flier to share

2nd Annual Seed Exchange, Santa Fe, New Mexico

One of the many seed tables.

There were people of all ages arriving with their special blue corn, chile, and squash seeds way before the official opening time of the 2nd Annual Seed Exchange. The seeds carefully stored in small envelopes, plastic bags, unusual tins, old envelops and paper bags. Some containers marked with the name of the seed and the history of its origin, some remained mysterious, all as individually unique as the seeds held within.  There were many different varieties of vegetable and flower seeds, from the tiny pink strawberry popcorn to Northern New Mexico calabazas, rouge de grenoble lettuce and Indian Woman dry bean. Everyone excited to see what new seeds they might find.

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Strawberry Popocorn seeds.

The Santa Fe Seed Exchange was held at Frenchy's Barn in Frenchy's park near the community gardens and was hosted by Home Grown New Mexico http://homegrownnewmexico.org/  and the City of Santa Fe Parks and Division http://www.santafenm.gov/index.aspx?NID=240.  Home Grown New Mexico is dedicated to producing events that educate and promote the awareness of nutritious, home grown food. They have many classes and activities during the year and often have seeds to exchange at these events.
SeedBroadcast was delighted to participate in this wonderful community event and even more delighted to find some seed enthusiasts who were willing to spare some of their valuable time to share their seed stories with us.
Check out these stories below:
Amy Hetager from Home Grown New Mexico shares the inspiration behind the seed exchange that was sparked from the memories of her grandmother gifting seeds.
Jannine Cabossel talks about her passion for cooking, seed saving and the growing of giant veggies. She was the state champion in 2011 for her giant pumpkin, " Mad Max" at 448 pounds and her giant  green winter squash at 340 pounds! http://giantveggiegardener.com/
Lynn Hathaway a Santa Fe master gardener http://sfmga.org/ shares her love of collecting different colored hollyhock seeds from around town and her memories of making hollyhock dolls as a child.
Seed exchanges are wonderful community events and what could be better than sharing your seeds with your neighbors.  If you have not been to one yet we recommend that you find one in your community and, if there is not one to find, perhaps bring some fellow seeders together to imagine initiating one!

SeedBroadcast table with corn from Fodder Farm.

SeedBroadcast at the Santa Fe Seed Exchange

SeedBroadcast will be at the Santa Fe Seed Exchange! We invite you to join us in SeedBroadcasting and celebrate the local genius of seeds. Share and listen to stories about seed saving, gardening, farming, and local food passions. Explore the Seed Resources bulletin board, copy center, library, and interactive multimedia workstation, free and available for everyone to use. We will be recording seed stories, so bring your personal stories to share.

March 20, 2013

Santa Fe Seed Exchange Frenchy’s Barn

Aqua Fria and Osage St.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Time: 4pm - 7pm

This event is hosted by Home Grown New Mexico and The City Parks Division

For more information contact:

homegrownnewmexico@gmail.com

505-473-1403

Click here for a flier to share

The Culture of Seed Saving and Backyard Gardening with Paul Navrot.

Paul is a Santa Fe native who still lives in the house where he was born. He remembers the first set of small gardening tools that his father gave him and digging around the huge tree in the front yard. The tree is still there guarding the entrance to the house and holding those memories.

Paul contacted SeedBroadcast a couple of months back to share some of his passion for backyard gardening and seed saving so we made a plan to visit his Santa Fe garden to share our stories.
The morning we spent together was clear and bright, the birds where in full song and the bells from the local church resonated throughout our conversation.

Paul is an environmental architect, he gardens for the kitchen, he saves seeds as he saves cultural memories and his eyes light up when he talk about working with adobe. His garden is divided into various areas of container gardens and a small hand built waffle garden. The smaller container gardens help to conserve water, one of the biggest challenges to growers in this area. He places a smaller container in a large one and packs in between with leaves and mulch.

He has just finished planting some cold weather crops and is still harvesting seeds from the basil he grew last year.  He stores his seeds in a  dark storage shed at the edge of the garden. He proudly opens the door to the shed and pulls from the darkness boxes full of seeds that he has saved over the years.  He carefully lifts the lids off the old worn shoe boxes to reveal rows of exquisitely made earthen containers each holding a different type of seed. Some hold seeds from last year's garden, some hold those from his neighbor that recently passed and some hold the cosmos that his Great Aunt had given him over twenty- four years ago.

For Paul seeds are cultural and historical currency, they hold memory as Paul's family garden holds the cultural memory for him. He invites us all to reignite the ancient wonder and reference of seeds.  Lets listen to this call.

Here is the link to Paul's recent TEDx Talk on nurturing agricultural diversity through backyard seed saving. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmTKSNeLz4M

Save the Seeds - Chicago

For all you seedy folks out Chicago way, check it out...

Jane Addams Hull-House Museum | 800 S. Halsted
Sunday, March 10 | 1-4pm

Join other green thumbs from across the city for an afternoon of seed inspired fun. Discover new ways to nourish a sustainable food system through demonstrations, workshops and conversations. Sharpen your seed skills in cleaning, swapping, making and cooking sessions. Beginning seed lovers are encouraged to participate.

SEED CLEANING DEMONSTRATION, SEED SWAPPING & SEED PACKET ART
Ongoing 1:00-4:00 | Residents' Dining Hall

BUILD YOUR OWN SEED CLEANING SCREEN
1:00-1:30, 3:00-3:30 | Hull-House Courtyard

INTRODUCTION TO THE COOK COUNTY SEED EXCHANGE AND HULL-HOUSE SEED LIBRARY 
2:00-2:30, 3:30-4:00 | Hull-House office (2nd floor of RDH)

 COOKING WITH SEEDS, NUTS, AND LEGUMES 
 1:30-2:00, 2:30-3:00 | Hull-House Kitchen

Participating organizations: Chicago Honey Co-op, Chicago Seed Library, Green Corps, Lurie Garden, Breslin Farms, Slow Food Chicago, Bread From the Heart, Growing Home, Greater Englewood Gardening Association, Cook County Seed Exchange, preSERVE Garden and Marwen.

*This is an indoor/outdoor event, weather permitting.