Compartiendo Semillas en Anton Chico

SeedBroadcast and the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station participated in the 1st annual Compartiendo Semillas en Anton Chico, New Mexico last Saturday, April 6.

Pat Miner sharing seeds with local families

Many people from throughout the valley attended to listen to presentations about gardening, hoop houses, bee keeping, seed saving, and the local farmers' market, eat lunch together, and swap seeds. Presentations were given by local community members Paul Sandaval, Rodney Loewen, Nick Maestas, Fodder Project/SeedBroadcast, and Roxanne Despain.

Hoop house plans and information from Nick Maestas

A fantastic lunch of beans, red chile, chicos, blue corn tortillas, and sopa, was organized and cooked in the home kitchens of Marietta Sullivan, Terry Romero, Belle Sullivan, and Elaine Montano. Everyone greatly appreciated this local and delicious food. Terry also contributed several of her home cooked recipes, giving copies away to everyone.

Richard Montano could not attend the event, but created this visual example of his 2012 garden and the seeds he saved.

Many participants discussed the importance of growing local food and saving seeds. Delfinio and Marienetta Valesquez talked about personal and community connections to gardening and the importance for health and deep relations with the land. Delfinio pointed to the concha corn, a long season, stout white corn used for chicos and declared its essential relationship to local cultural heritage.

Belle Sullivan's Torpedo Winter Squash Seeds

This event brought together an inspiring group of people sharing stories and a desire to keep growing...food, seeds, and community.

Anton Chico is the home-base for SeedBroadcast and we look forward to supporting the farms and gardens of all the folks we met.  Have a tremendous year of gardening, farming, and sharing food and seeds. Keep the water dreams alive, and we will see you all soon!

Thank you to Pearl Maestas, Guadalupe Soil and Water Conservation District and Guadalupe Extension Service for organizing and supporting this community effort!

Compartiendo Semillas en Anton Chico

The first annual seed exchange is coming up this Saturday, April 6, in the vibrant agricultural community of Anton Chico, New Mexico. SeedBroadcast will be there with the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station to share our seedy activity, while broadcasting and listening to Seed Stories.

Corn varieties from Fodder Project Collaborative Research Farm, Anton Chico, New Mexico

Here is the schedule for this event and we hope to see everyone there!

Saturday, April 6, 2013 from 9am - 2pm
Anton Chico Community Center

Schedule
730am - 900am - Seed Packaging - bring your seeds to package in envelopes
900am - Noon - Workshops
Break for lunch - Home cooked lunch provided
100pm - 200pm - Seed Exchange

Workshops include

• Hoop Houses (including plans)
• Water Harvesting
• Composting
• Seed Saving
• Starting a small garden in drought times
• Bee Keeping
• Farmers' Market
• Sustaining foods from the home garden (including local recipes)
• Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station

Everyone is welcome....event is free to all!
It is not necessary to bring seeds to participate
Questions and RSVP - call Jeanette Hart-Mann at 575-427-0037 or Pearl Maestas at 575-512-5100

Sponsored by Guadalupe SWCD and Guadalupe County Extension Office

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/

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