Seed Teachings! Native Seed/SEARCH Seed School.

 A collection of Native Seed/ SEARCH seeds

If you have not heard of Seed School http://www.nativeseeds.org/events/seed-school then we encourage you to listen to what the seeds at Native Seed/ SEARCH have to share. 

"Seed School is a groundbreaking, six-day educational course that trains people from all walks of life to build local seed systems rooted in the ancient tradition of seed saving. Practiced by farmers and gardeners for thousands of years, seed saving strengthens food security at the community level, empowering people to reclaim control over their food supply. Students walk away from this innovative learning experience with the knowledge and inspiration to start their own independent seed initiatives, such as community seed libraries and exchanges, seed growers cooperatives, heirloom seed businesses, and participatory plant breeding projects."

 Seed School is a rare and wonderful experience where seeds are the teachers and guides that transport everyone into a shared sense of wonder, longing and seed action. Seed school is held at the Native Seed /SEARCH Conservation Center where over 2,000 varieties of arid-land adapted seeds are stored, packaged, held, honored, listened to and kept in circulation.

The seeds encase the learning. 

The recent gathering, held in April, brought people together from all over the world.  At the opening seed circle students spoke to the reasons for committing their time and energy to seed school, from feeling the necessity to change life styles, to the need to revive local food practices, wanting to pass on seed knowledge to grandchildren and a deep longing to find community.

Joy Hought, who has a  diverse background in public broadcasting, seed science, crop genetic conservation and food systems, and Rowen White, who is a seed saver, educator and co founder of Sierra Seed Cooperative http://sierraseeds.org/  were the main facilitators during the six day intensive. Guided by the seeds that surrounded the gathering space, Joy and Rowen introduced the seed school investigators to the magic of seeds, the science and genetics, pollination and breeding, the practice of seed saving, how to take this information back to their communities and the importance of the story that is held in each seed.

Learning how to save tomato seeds

The following is a poem written by Joy during the SeedBroadcast workshop on Seed Story

                                     I offer a string of seed word beads.

 Peel   treasure   secret   stowaway   traveler   message   solace   pocket
 Held close intimacy min
 Small sweaty hands                    
 A record of places, memory
 My private memory of times spent with earth.
 Messages   totems   gems   clatter   click   tumble 
 Pocket lint
 I shaped this                   
We made this 
We send this into the future
Words from then contained in now                 
To another then and then and then
Traveler   message   pocket   private
 Move across distances across time
 The seed is the traveler and I am the stowaway
 I am the donkey the seed on my back.


Rowen White sharing with students :

Listen to the seed stories shared during this years seed school:

SeedBroadcasting from Lobo Growers Market and UNM Sustainability Expo

UNM Cornell Mall on Earth Day

SeedBroadcast partnered up with University of New Mexico Lobo Growers Market and Sustainability Expo for a celebration of Earth Day and the seeds that grow Earth. Located on Cornell Mall on the main campus of University of New Mexico, this gathering was organized by the Sustainability Studies Program and brought together the Lobo Growers Market, food trucks, and a variety of local organizations dedicated to healthy and vibrant communities in common with resilient environments.

Spring greens and beets

Farmers and gardeners are just beginning spring harvest and they were at the Lobo Growers Market selling salad and braising greens along with root crops and summer transplants. There was much talk of the season ahead and the gardening optimism for an abundant and successful year to come.

Red Tractor Farm had a dozen varieties of tomatoes for sale

Juan selling greens at Los Jardines Institute growers stand.

Diverse organizations were present to inspire ecologic and caring relationships among people, plants, animals, resources, and wisdom. Implementing art and creativity, healing and learning, empowerment and action, good food and community the Sustainability Expo offered a truly public space for the celebration of Earth Day. As the University commons demonstrated people from all walks of life participated.

Seed Balls

RAICES Remembering Ancestors-Inspiring Culture-Empowering Self

SEEDS: A Collective Voice, Communty Seed Mural

At the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station folks came by to listen to seed stories, copy seed saving information, pick up seeds from our seed library, and talk about seeds and why they matter so much.

A group of elementary students from Monte Vista Elementary showed up to take a closer look at seeds and help draw pictures to add to the seed story bulletin board. One young student demonstrated the goggled eye approach to having fun while learning.

Here are several seed stories from some awesome, inspiring, and gracious growers of the seed revolution.

Evening Seed Stories at Native Seed/SEARCH

SeedBroadcast met up with some Tucson seed savers at Native Seed/SEARCH retail store in Tucson, Arizona on April 14th.

NS/S
"Since its founding, Native Seeds/SEARCH has been dedicated to this calling to conserve the rich agro-biodiversity of the arid Southwest because of its genetic and cultural importance. What began as a humble operation with seeds stored in chest freezers has grown to a state-of-the art conservation facility, a host of innovative programs and educational initiatives, and an organization recognized as a leader in the heirloom seed movement. Preserved in our seed bank are nearly 2,000 varieties of aridlands-adapted seeds, many of them rare or endangered. We promote the use of these ancient crops and their wild relatives by distributing seeds to traditional communities and to gardeners worldwide. Currently we offer over 500 varieties from the NS/S collection (which we grow out at our Conservation Farm in Patagonia, Arizona) alongside native crafts, gifts, foods, and more. These one-of-a-kind seeds and items are available through our online store, annual seedlisting, and at our retail store in central Tucson."

NS/S Library housed at the retail store in Tucson

NS/S also has a Seed Library at the retail store that anyone can sign up to use with the agreement that borrowers will return their collected seeds to the Pima County Seed Library, the NS/S library, or a local seed library in other parts of the country.

This is not the only way that seeds can be shared. Local gardeners have also organized several seed swaps in the area along with a social media network called Tucson Backyard Gardening on facebook to share local gardening information. Chad and Diana are administrators for this group and said that requests keep pouring in to get involved.

Chad and Diana are local gardeners and administrators for Tucson Backyard Gardening

Several folks brought seeds to share and it seemed appropriate to use the trunk of a car to engage in this seedy business, which made everyone laugh.

Chad names 10 different varieties of beans.

A sunny look at Trumpet Vine seeds

From discussions about breeding frost tolerant sunflowers to picking out the names of different beans to sharing personal stories, the evening was serious fun and a celebration of local seeds. Here are some of the seed stories that were shared with us.

UNM EarthDay

EarthDay SeedBroadcasting
Come by SWAP seeds and share your seed stories!

Sustainability Expo and Growers Market
April 22, 2014
10 am - 2pm
UNM Cornell Mall
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Don't Forget the wild and native seeds and plants!

Tory Taylor from Montezuma, New Mexico and Dubois, Wyoming gave us this seed story to remember:

Don't forget the wild and native seeds and plants! Domestic plants are fine, but there are many wild plants which can compliment and suppliment your diet. The wild plants often grow themselves; people don't need to till, weed, and water - just harvest in season! Wild Rose Hip Tea, Dandelion, Lamb's Quarter, Cota, Dock, and many, many other wild plants grow themselves.

My favorite salad green, wild or domestic, is mountain sorrel.  To me a dandelion in not a weed to be dug out or sprayed with poison, but is a wonderful salad green and roasted root coffee.

Consider educating yourself about wild and native plants. This will broaden your eating and harvesting experience and make you a better gardener.