Saving Seed for Future Generations

Author: Meera, November 7, 2013

I spent the morning looking through Seed Savers Exchange’s online offerings. If you haven’t heard of the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE), the nonprofit organization based in Decorah, Iowa that works to preserve “our gardening heritage,” then I urge you to check it out. See http://www.seedsavers.org/About-Us/Mission/

 

 

What really got me excited was SSE’s “Slow Food U.S. Ark of Taste.” It’s a catalog listing over 200 foods in danger of becoming extinct, including varieties of beans, tomatoes, lettuces, squash, corn, and peppers.

 

 

I’m interested in growing some of the old varieties of heirloom beans, for example, the Turkey Craw bean, from Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The original bean seed was said to have been discovered in that part of the United States in a turkey’s craw.

 

 

I also want to plant the bean known as Jacob’s Cattle. Originally the Passamaquoddy Indians in Maine grew this bean. Apparently once New Englanders discovered its excellent taste, the bean became a favorite in their baked beans and chili dishes.

 

 

We live in an age when our culture’s emphasis is on fast and faster. But we’ve seen the consequences of fast food on our country’s obesity epidemic. When it comes to delicious, wholesome, and healthy, fast food may  not be so good for us and our children.

 

 

The seeds from Seed Savers Slow Food U.S. Ark deserve to be saved. What we save now can be passed to the next generation for safekeeping, ensuring, among other things, that Earth’s biodiversity is preserved for all generations. See, http://www.seedsavers.org/

 

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