Seed Stories from the folks in and around Accord, NY

The Hudson Valley Seed Library invited neighbors and people interested in saving seed to the July 16th Seed Broadcast event in Accord, NY. These stories are posted below.
You can find these seed stories and more at the Seed Story Broadcast Page.
Peggy is a retired librarian and the past director at the local library where Ken Greene (founder of Hudson Valley Seed Library) began a seed library years ago. They worked together to learn about seed saving and re-grow their local gardens. This seed saving effort encouraged Peggy to find her father's long time saved seed, producing the most delicious baked beans in the area. Peggy shares this story of Hank's Extra Special Baking Bean here...
Doug Muller shares a seed story about a particular tomato seed that was shared with the Hudson Valley Seed Library.

Nicci Hagan shares a seed story about her own beginnings as a seed saver.

Laura Wyeth, a local resident from the area of Accord, NY, shares her thoughts about feeding her family in the future and concerns she has about food security and seed availability. She is active as a forager and wanting to learn more about seed saving.

Ken Greene from the Hudson Valley Seed Library shares a Seed Story about lettuce seed and the NYC pickle festival.

Hudson Valley Seed Library Broadcast from July 16

Ken Greene and Doug Muller from the Hudson Valley Seed Library discuss how their library operates, challenges that seed libraries face, and reasons why this work is so important to the livelihood of us all.

Ken Greene takes visitors on a tour of the Hudson Valley Seed Library farm.

Ken Greene and Doug Muller of the Hudson Valley Seed Library partnered up to host a Seed Broadcast event with local Accord folks. It was a great opportunity for visitors to check out the seed production gardens, learn about seed saving, and discuss critical issues surrounding seed biodiversity and the cultural importance of this practice.

Ken shows neighbors the original design for a new art pack.

The Hudson Valley Seed Library functions as a seed library in several ways. People can purchase a membership, receive a yearly supply of seeds and return saved seeds at the end of the year for reduced membership fees the next year. Or folks can buy regionally adapted seeds directly from the small scale farm, which come in thoughtfully articulated "art packs." The art packs are collaborative ventures, executed by artists, and encouraged by the compassionate, and intimate relationship that Ken and Doug have to the seeds they grow.

Hudson Valley Seed Library Art packs along with an inspiring collection of old seed catalogs filled with the forgotten history of seeds, plants, and food.

Both Doug and Ken have questions about how they will keep this local, small scale venture running and they also wonder how people adopting the strategy of seed libraries will encourage them to prosper in their communities. They cite something we have heard repeatedly from other seed sharing projects across the country.... It is relatively easy to get people to participate in the seed libraries, by taking seeds home to be planted. But when it comes to saving seeds and returning these to the library, very few people actually participate. It seems that most people do not know how to save seeds and they are afraid to try in the face of a community commitment to seed sharing. Ken and Doug ask, how do popular expectations of producing glossy, perfect vegetables and gardens keep people from formulating their own seed stories out of the not-so-perfect home garden that is squeezed amidst the domestic everyday obligations of so many busy people. Ken shared his blog writing on this exact topic titled, Garden Porn...."Every year when the new seed catalogs come out, someone invariably refers to their pile of glossy catalogs as “garden porn”."

Doug questions the evolutionary impact of industrial seed production practices, which typically occur in warm, arid climates, for the purpose of production efficiency. He asks, how does this influence the way that seeds and plants are capable of surviving and adapting in humid, cold climates such as the northeast? How do we promote regionally adapted, place specific, viability in the seeds, plants, and foods we grow?
Listen to the above audio feed, to hear more on these thoughts and questions.

You can meet up with Ken and Doug at the Seed Savers Exchange annual conference on July 20-22, in Decorah, Iowa, where Ken will be giving a talk titled, "The Art of Heirlooms."  They will also be attending the National Heirloom Expo in September, in Santa Rosa, California, where they have found an excellent community to discuss seed saving, seed libraries, and forums for best practices.

Thank you Doug and Ken for sharing all your thoughts about seeds, community, and the future of seed. And thank you for all your generosity!

One20 Farm and Friends Seed Broadcast in Columbus, Ohio

The Seed Broadcast Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station stopped by the One20 Farm in Columbus, Ohio to catch up with old friends, Kellie and Jeromy Gedert.

Here at their urban homestead, they raise chickens, grow fruits and vegetables in a permaculture garden, and raise compost worms, while championing the cause of local, slow food.
We were also joined by Shawn and Gerry who run the City Folk's Farm Shop – providing urban homesteading tools and education for city gardeners and farmers.

Jeromy and Kellie talked about their desire to grow as an urban farm under the limitations of space and the constraints of city ordinances, which prohibit them from having livestock, such as milk goats and ducks.  They would also like to continue experimenting with edible forest gardens by planting more perennial tree/shrub crops such as pawpaws and olallieberies. But, they have to do this strategically, due to the size of their yard. They are struggling with popular expectations that farms are supposed to be rural, large scale operations, instead of inhabiting the yards of urban spaces within walking distances to other amenities such as schools, shops, libraries, and parks. One project they are discussing with neighbors is establishing a local, community garden, which means taking back a public space that has been appropriated by privatized interests.

Worms make..,..

delicioso food

While enjoying  a wonderful feast of flat bread, roasted veggies, pesto and white bean spread – all beautifully prepared by Jeremy, chef extraordinaire - Kellie, Jeromy, Shawn and Gerry all shared some great seed stories with us. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, we didn't actually manage to record them. We are going to try to collect their stories over the phone, so please keep posted for story updates from Columbus....

Casie adds some beans to the mural

The whole family joined in the fun, wheat pasting seed pictures to the van. The kids, Milo and Casie, not only plastered the van with seeds, they also shared their seedy drawings of sprout, plants, and a bee on the van's dry erase board.

Thank you One20 Farm and friends for a lovely evening of seed stories!

Seed Story Broadcast from Chicago

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On July 12th, Seed Broadcast stopped by the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, at the University of Illinois, Chicago to collaborate on a Seed Story Broadcasting event with the museum, the Hull-House urban farm, and a local farm, Raise the Roof.

While the Hull-House educator and seed librarian, Christian Alfaro discussed the Hull-House seed library and Breanne Heath, of Raise the Roof farm, conducted a seed cleaning workshop, we invited visitors to explore the broadcasting station, copy information from the bulletin board, help wheat paste seeds on the van, and share seed stories. We met a handful of people who were bold characters grounded in an urban uprising of seed saving, community organizing, and broadcast actions. 

Christian Alfaro shows us the seed library which is housed in the Museum gift shop.

The Jane Addams Hull-House seed library includes a catalog of historical seed stories.

These seed stories present multiple perspectives surrounding motivations and desires for seed and food access across a desertified landscape called Chicago. With intentions to rejuvenate the ecology of place and encourage the growth of edible landscapes, each person describes how seeds play a central role in making all this possible. But with one catch...it does not happen by simply talking about it. It only happens through the process of action, learning, and experimentation -  through a commitment to the cycles of seed sharing, planting, growing, eating, collection, and dispersal.  

Potatoes growing at the Hull-House Urban Farm.

Chicago-based garden blogger and seed saver Ramon Gonzalez (aka Mr Brown Thumb) with seeds from his collection which he shares with others via the internet. Pictured here are Nasturtium and Poppy seeds. Ramon is also involved with One Seed Chicago, a not-for-profit project of NeighborSpace, Chicago's land trust for community gardens.

Entangled in these personal perspectives are questions about how to engage in the process of the social - that is a social which is ecological and realized as an ongoing praxis, a process of people, seeds, and place.

We talked to Nancy Klhem, urban forager, freelance seed archivist and ecological systems designer about the importance of education and practical, hands-on seed action.

Nancy's Kentucky Coffee Tree seeds and American Persimmon seeds.

Bellow, you will find all the personal seed stories shared by folks from Chicago:

See all seed stories here.

Seed Stories from Don Hirsch, Du Quoin, Illinois

After our broadcast with the Du Quoin Seed Library, Mary Jo and Jane sent us down the road to find some local fresh vegetables at Don Hirsch's farm on Sesser Blacktop. He sells local produce and eggs from his farm and also resells from other local farms.  We picked up delicious peaches, tomatoes, and farm fresh eggs.

Don talked about losing his first and second crop of sweet corn due to the drought.  He said that the soil is cracked so far open from the lack of moisture that you can stick you whole hand in the earth. But despite these hard times his optimism prevails.

There is something about farmers and their desire for growing and being with the land that carries them through the most difficult times. We can learn a lot from listening to their stories.

Thank you Don for sharing you passion for farming and your seed stories.

See all seed stories here.