We also like stories about the seeds that have left our warehouse and have gone out into the hands and gardens of our customers. When this photo of the Pink Brandywine came across my desk, I was astonished at how much it looked so much like the one on our 2011 catalog cover, also depicted in the photograph sent in by a customer. I went searching for the story that would go with it.

Kirby and Dee Stafford of Brooksville, Florida, are dedicated backyard gardeners that grow plants in raised beds and a few 40-feet rows along the fence lines. That is impressive coming from someone who says, “Our garden size is limited to our hectic work schedules, and lots of deer/rabbits.”

The Staffords garden because they get a lot of satisfaction when they grow, cook, eat, and share the products of their garden. They both grew up with families who had gardens, and they remember that the best meals had fresh veggies in them. They also recognize that gardening helps them save on grocery bills and keeps them active as they get a bit older. When asked for their favorite tomato recipe, Dee answered, “Nothing beats a fresh tomato sandwich! White bread, Dukes Mayo, salt, pepper, and a fresh piece of lettuce! UMMM!”

Dee and Kirby turned to Baker Creek Seeds a couple of years ago when they read an article in their local newspaper about the “absolutely dysfunctional” tomato-growing business in Florida: poor soil being pumped with chemical fertilizers, gassing to create color, etc. The author of the article recommended Baker Creek Seeds as a real alternative source for Floridians who wanted to grow tomatoes the old-fashioned way and get a better product. The Staffords promptly went online, ordered a catalog, and the accompanying photo is the result of their first test of Baker Creek seeds.

The Staffords normally grow two or three varieties of tomatoes, always including at least one cherry tomato plant. In fact, they share their favorite gardening story that involves cherry tomatoes: “About 10 years ago, we planted a 10-feet by 20-feet stand of cherry tomatoes—fortifying the soil with donkey manure—and these plants just took off! By the time they finally quit producing, they were over 10 feet tall. The only thing that was unusual was that these particular plants seemed to not have any tomatoes for the first three or four feet of growth. We chalked it up to the fact that they were so tall, and so healthy, all the blooms were high up. Besides, we were getting hundreds of tomatoes, so it wasn’t a ‘problem.’ Then one day, looking out our window, we discovered why this was happening. Our dog, a 100-pound Labrador retriever, was weaving her way around the plants, gracefully pulling off all the red, ripe cherries she could reach! Following behind her was our German shepherd, getting the ones she would reach! Mystery solved!”

Kirby and Dee Stafford are typical examples of gardeners who use Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and have a story to tell. We appreciate their sharing their story.

Kathy McFarland is a Baker Creek employee and a life-long gardener.

Now that we truly are into our busiest season of the year, we are working long days to fill the many hundreds to thousands of orders that come in daily and get them out to our customers as quickly as possible. In fact, our goal is to fill orders the same day received, and we can usually accomplish that. Here is a little insight into the process of filling a seed order at Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company.

First of all, we have two warehouses, both managed by Chris. The first is where the seeds are extracted, sorted, and processed during our harvest season. It is also where we receive seeds from our contracted growers. Chris’s competent staff packs the seeds into their respective packets, either by hand or with our one seed packing machine. We now have about 85 percent of our seeds packed into colorful custom packets, with only a few still being placed into generic seed envelopes. Once the seeds are packed for sale, they are either stored in the second warehouse till they are needed or are taken immediately to the seed store where they are sold directly to walk-in customers or pulled to fill orders.

The order-processing part of the procedure begins with our customer service department. Headed by Lisa, this fine group of employees does more than just answer the telephones. Though the bulk of our orders are computer-generated and are electronically transmitted to the system for printing, we still have a surprising number of folks who prefer to send orders via postal mail. Lisa’s team inputs all of the mail orders into the computer system. They do that in the rare slow moments that they have between answering the phones to take orders, dispense growing advice, or to deal with a multitude of customer needs and requests.

Orders are then printed and filled by Angie’s floor crew. Our order fulfillment process requires a triple check for quality. Each order is first checked for accuracy of billing vs. shipping address and any special request notes by the customer before being filled. The “picker” then marks off each invoice item as he/she pulls the packet(s) from the shelf. Once the seeds are picked, a “checker” double checks to affirm that the quantity and variety of all packs is correct before sending the filled (but still unclosed) orders to the shipping department.

Danielle and her shippers take a final look at the filled orders. While they don’t verify each seed packet enclosed, they do look for special circumstances such as any refunds that are owed, invoices that need to be sent separately from the billing address, and any special shipping instructions from the customer. They take great care to bubble wrap books that are ordered and to secure the packages for transit. They are responsible for enclosing the invoice, sealing the packages, and printing shipping labels.

Seed orders under 14 ounces are put into padded envelopes and mailed first class. The USPS requires anything over 13 ounces to mailed Priority. Danielle’s crew determines if those Priority orders are better packaged in the bubble mailers, USPS Priority boxes, or in some cases for very large orders—packed in boxes and shipped by FedEx. Our domestic shipping fees are very simple. We charge the customer one price: $3.50! In most cases that is a real bargain because the very least that we can ship a priority package is $4.95, and we ship a lot of packages over 13 ounces! Shipping costs for international orders are automatically calculated by the on-line ordering system.

Finally, our huge canvas mail carts are filled with mailer envelopes and boxes. We have four daily scheduled package pickups during the busy season The USPS regular mail route carrier brings the daily mail from the post office and picks up the regular out-going mail. Toward the end of the day, the contracted USPS truck comes to pick up our multiple carts of packages. The FedEx ground driver comes around noon to pick up the packages being shipped by that company, while the FedEx Express driver comes in the later afternoon to pick any express packages. In addition, we occasionally have packages for the UPS driver to pick up.

In most cases, this entire process is completed during the course of one day—barring snow or ice storms, electric or electronic outages, postal holidays, or other unforeseen circumstances—and our customers get their seeds in a timely manner.

Kathy McFarland is a Baker Creek employee and a life-long gardener.

The labeling of foods containing GMOs (genetically modified organisms) is a wish of 93 percent of Americans who believe they have a right to know if the food they are purchasing contains GMOs. GMO labeling is also a top concern for organic farmers and food producers across the nation, and getting GMOs out of our food supply is a passionate cause lead by non-GMO advocates throughout the world.

“The best effort today for regulation (of GMOs) is the California Ballot Initiative, which bypasses the corporate driven politics and legislators, giving consumers the direct ability to require mandatory labeling of GMOs,” says Jeffrey Smith, America’s most prominent non-GMO advocate, GMO expert, and author of The Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating.

At the national level, there is the opportunity to support the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act (H.R. 3553) introduced by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich by writing to your state representative. The act is currently sitting in two committees—the House of Agriculture committee and the House of Energy and Commerce committee.

What You Can Do As a Consumer

The top three things we as consumers can do in the push to stop the use of GMOs in our foods is to learn more about them, avoid them, and get involved in helping others become aware of them, says Smith.

A great way to get involved in California is to volunteer to gather signatures on petitions to get the California Label GMOs Initiative on this November’s ballot. Volunteers are needed to gather petition signatures now through April. (Visit www.labelgmos.org to see how you can help.)

At the national level, visit http://www.opencongress.org/people/representatives to find contact information for your local congressman or congresswoman to urge their support of the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act (H.R. 3553). The passing of this bill would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Meat Inspection Act, and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to require that food that contains a genetically engineered material or that is produced with a genetically engineered material, be labeled accordingly.

Jeffrey Smith also urges concerned consumers to visit www.responsibletechnology.org (the Website for The Institute for Responsible Technology of which Smith is executive director) and sign up for a free Spilling the Beans newsletter and join The Tipping Point Network, which provides the opportunity to connect with others, locally or nationally, interested in doing outreach for the cause.

“The FDA does not actually approve any GMOs,” says Smith. “In 1992, their policy claimed that they were not aware of any information showing that GMOs were substantially different, and therefore, they said no testing was necessary, no labeling was necessary. In fact, companies like Monsanto, who told us that PCBs, Agent Orange, and DDT were safe, can make the full determination that their own GMOs are safe and put them on the market without telling consumers or the FDA.

“The policy turned out to be a lie,” stresses Smith. “In fact, the overwhelming consensus among the FDA’s own scientists was that GMOs were not only different but inherently dangerous and could lead to toxins, allergies, diseases and nutritional problems.”

These same FDA scientists have been urging their superiors to do something about this, but have been ignored, partly, according to Smith, because higher ups in the administration are former Monsanto employees. These scientists’ findings have even been validated by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, adds Smith, with the outcome being a recommendation to doctors that they should prescribe non-GMO diets to every patient.

The bottom line, Smith stresses, is that we should not trust the powers that be to safeguard us from the ill effects of GMOs.

Some Background on GMO’s

The Institute for Responsible Technology provides the following information on foods containing GMOs: “GM foods were made possible by a technology developed in the 1970s whereby genes from one species are forced into the DNA of other species. Genes produce proteins, which in turn can generate characteristics or traits. The promised traits associated with GMOs have been sky high—vegetables growing in the desert, Vitamin-fortified grains, and highly productive crops feeding the starving millions. None of these are available. In fact, the only two traits that are found in nearly all commercialized GM plants are herbicide tolerance and/or pesticide production.”

What has also been found in many studies done over the years are adverse health effects in animals, and this past summer, in pregnant women and their fetuses. Animal studies have shown a five-fold increase in infant mortality, says Smith, as well as smaller babies and sterile babies. This is information that has been available for awhile, yet more recently in humans, a study conducted in Canada revealed that BT toxin, the insecticide produced from Monsanto BT Mon810 corn (which is genetically modified to resist corn borers by producing its own insecticide) was found in 93 percent of the pregnant women tested and 80 percent of their unborn fetuses, according to Smith. This nullifies the claim by regulators that BT toxin was destroyed in the digestive process, he adds.

Those doing the study proposed that the BT toxin, the protein, may have come from milk and meat from animals fed the corn. However, another theory with a more direct correlation, which Smith feels carries more weight, comes from the only human feeding study ever published, which shows that genes inserted into soybeans to make the soy Roundup-ready transferred into the DNA of bacteria living inside of our intestines and probably continued to function.

“If the same transfer were to occur from corn by eating, for example, corn chips or tortillas,” says Smith, “then it may turn our intestinal floor into living pesticide factories where our own gut bacteria produces the BT toxin on a continuous basis.”

Non-GMO Project Verification in Action

In October, Northern California dairyman Albert Straus participated and spoke before hundreds of attendants from throughout the world at the Right2Know Rally in Washington D.C., spreading the word on the importance of labeling genetically modified foods on behalf of the national Just Label It: We Have a Right to Know campaign, which his dairy sponsors.

As an organic farmer, Straus favors a “proactive versus a reactive” stance in the push to get foods containing GMOs labeled, and he has been very proactive in preserving the “organic integrity” of his certified organic dairy farm on the coast of West Marin, raising his dairy herd without antibiotics, hormones or pesticides. To ensure that the feed he gives his cows and the ingredients he uses in his products are GMO-free, Straus and his suppliers test all the ingredients in their products, including the feeds for his dairy cows and the seeds he uses to grow his forage crops.

“We have a verification system,” explains Straus, who began testing for GMOs in 2006. “We use a PCR (Protein Chain Reaction) test to test for GMOs in our products.” In April 2010, Straus Family Creamery became the first creamery to achieve Non-GMO Project Verification for all its products. (Albert Straus also offers information on the running of his certified organic farm and on his GMO testing process to interested organic farmers. He can be reached at family@strausmilk.com.)

Albert and other organic farmers are disheartened by the USDA’s full deregulation of genetically modified alfalfa last January, which allows unrestricted planting of Roundup Ready crop. Alfalfa is an essential feed for his dairy cows, and the potential contamination of organic alfalfa from genetically modified alfalfa poses a significant threat to his company and the organic dairy industry. The organic alfalfa growing industry needs to start testing and verifying its crops are GMO-free, he adds.

“Consumers need to be aware,” he stresses. “They need to get information and educated about the effects of GMOs on the environment and our food supply.” Straus also urges consumers to share their GMO knowledge with others and to get involved in GMO labeling initiatives both locally and federally.

“Sustainability, family farms, organic, non-GMO are the future,” says Straus, “and GMOs cannot be in our food system.” Currently, he adds, “70 to 80 percent of our food is contaminated with GMOs. We’re just the guinea pigs.”

Baker Creek co-owner and heirloom girl Emilee Gettle is featured on the front cover of Country Woman magazine. Check out the February/March issue published by Reiman Publications.

Visit Emilee’s blog at www.heirloomgirl.com

At Baker Creek, we’re always on the lookout for interesting “new” varieties, meaning not new breeding, but old varieties that may not have received the attention they deserve in today’s heirloom- and pure-foods community. These varieties turn up just about anywhere: in the annual Seed Savers’ Yearbook, in the commercial listings from foreign countries, and quite often, proudly sent in as donations from our customers’ own gardens and seed collections!

Once suitable candidates are located and foundation seed obtained, it then becomes a matter of getting the varieties grown, either on our own farm or within our ever-widening network of contract growers. Crops don’t always succeed; the seed we receive might be crossed (not true-to-type) or it might prove to be non-viable. And of course, all the usual problems of pests and poor weather may take their toll. So sometimes it takes several years from the time we first identify a promising variety until it actually appears in our catalog!

The 2011 season saw some successful pepper grow-outs, and we’re proud to be offering several new varieties in the 2012 listings:

Sweet Peppers:

Criolla de Cocina–Here is one we have been trying to include for a number of years. Of the type generally known as “seasoning peppers” and used throughout the Caribbean region, this great little sweet pepper hails from Nicaragua. Criolla de Cocina is long on rich, complex pepper flavor and especially aroma, but without any heat. The four-inch fruits ripen from green to a final rich red color. Their name refers, in Spanish, to the peppers’ widespread use in “Creole” cooking.

White Lakes--Russian varieties are usually quite productive and hardy, and due to the idiosyncracies of the often brutal climate there, these varieties are frequently rather early as well. White Lakes lives up to all these expectations. The variety produces loads of dainty, somewhat pointed fruits. These abundant gems early take on an antique ivory or cream color, and ripen quickly to a rich, intense reddish orange. Suitable for any typical sweet-pepper use, we favor them for use in stuffed peppers, where, stuffed with your family’s favorite savory stuffing recipe, their smallish size makes them a charmer on hors-d’oeuvres trays.

Hot Peppers:

Mustard Habanero–This is a typical habanero with the exception of its color: the pleated, lantern-shaped fruits run the full pepper spectrum, from green blushed with purple, through yellow, orange and an intriguing gold color reminscent of the color of brown prepared mustard. James Weaver originally found this one growing in a field of regular habaneros, and selected and stabilized it into a fascinating new variety.

Lemon Drop– Another seasoning pepper that comes from the South American country of Peru. This little pepper ripens to a bright lemon yellow and may sometimes have a purplish blush later in the season. The flavor is a very clean, uncomplicated, slightly citrus-y heat. Two-foot-tall plants are rather bushy and covered with the thin-walled, conical fruits which reach two to three inches in length and have very few seeds.

Growing Peppers:

Peppers are easy to grow and reliable in most areas of the country, provided the seeds are started early enough to allow time for a harvest. In most of the country (except in the Deep South, Zones 8 and 9, where peppers may be direct-seeded outdoors after frost) the seeds are started indoors 10 to 12 weeks before the last frost date of spring. Pepper seeds usually sprout within about a week to 10 days when they are kept moist and held at a temperature around 85 degrees. At ordinary room temperature, sprouting takes longer, and at temps below 70 degrees the seeds sprout sporadically, if at all.

Any ordinary seed-starting medium suits peppers, to minimize disease problems (like damping-off disease, which causes tender young seedlings to topple over and die), it’s best to use a mix that has been pasteurized and to soak any recycled pots in a 10 percent solution of bleach for 15 minutes. The seeds may be sprinkled right on the surface or planted no more than 1/4 inch deep and kept moist and warm until sprouting occurs.

Once the plants are growing, they need adequate light, at least 6 hours of bright sunshine per day; artificial lights may also be used. An occasional feeding of dilute organic fertilizer helps the plants grow.

Set sturdy young transplants outdoors after last frost of spring. Amend soil for peppers, but go easy on the nitrogen, as the plants produce more flowers, and therefore more fruit, when the soil isn’t super high in nitrogen. Mature compost is a fine amendment. A mulch of hay or grass clippings can be spread at the base of the plants to discourage weeds and stabilize soil moisture.

The plants begin to bloom and set on fruits, sometimes at quite a small size. Around 70 days or so from transplanting, the first fruits begin to ripen. Most peppers, whether of the sweet or the hot variety, may be used either immature (which usually means green) or fully ripe, which usually means red but may be yellow or orange as well.Except in the hottest regions, the pepper plants will yield all summer long, and into the autumn as well, until hard frost destroys the plants.

The Christmas season typically provides a chance for folks to reflect on the happenings of the year just past and and to dream of things to come in the new year ahead. As Christmas quickly approaches, the staff at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds hopes that all of you can look back with satisfaction over the past year and can look forward to the new year with hopes and dreams of something even better. As for us here at Bakersville, we are thankful for the good year that we have had. We continued to expand on the farm, having added even more gardens, a new machine shop, and a new media center. While we never know exactly what to expect in any given year, the quest is always on to find and preserve even more rare heirloom seeds. Jere and Emilee Gettle are planning a trip abroad next year to do just that.

The National Heirloom Festival that we planned and sponsored in Santa Rosa, California, gives us cause to both look back with satisfaction at having created a successful event, and to look forward to making the 2^nd National Heirloom Festival even bigger and better in 2012.

Christmas time in the Ozarks means that it is also winter time. For many people, that means it is time to kick back by the fire and take things easy while the weather rages outside. For the staff here at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, it means it is time to kick into high gear for the next several months. Most customers have had the 2012 catalog for 2-3 weeks by now and are already placing their seed orders. The staff has been busy, as apparently there are lots of lucky folks out there who will receive Baker Creek seed assortments or gift certificates for Christmas. Once the holiday season winds down, the seed orders will pour in as you at home begin to take action to bring those garden dreams to fruition.

We don’t entirely give up gardening during the winter time, though. Our green house provides at least a little taste of freshness during the winter months. What a treat it is to still enjoy figs, pink bananas, guava, and papaya growing right here.

Jere, Emilee, and Sasha Gettle, along with the entire Baker Creek staff, wishes all of you happy holidays followed by a new year filled with many blessings and successful gardening.

Little Green Eggplant–One of our new favorites!

First and foremost is our new and improved 2012 Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog. It is now a whopping 196 pages and printed on recycled paper to help save our Earth. The catalog contains lots more photos of beautiful flowers and vegetables, as well as many additional interesting and informative articles and narratives. We have also included more planting and growing tips to help make your garden successful. For those wanting to view the catalog online, it is now available in flip format  No more scrolling down the pages to find what you want—just flip through the pages!

Most significantly, though, is that our 2012 catalog contains more than 120 “new” varieties of of heirloom seeds. One of Jere’s favorite new offerings is the Little Green Eggplant, an abundant producer of brilliant, neon-green fruits that are sweet and mild. He also really likes the Ivory Pear Tomato which produces cute little 1-ounce fruits that are ivory-cream in color and shaped like little pears on high-yielding plants. Jere is excited to offer the Bhut Jolokia Pepper, a legendary variety that is one of the world’s hottest peppers, if not the hottest, with readings in excess of 1,000,000 Scoville units.

Ivory Pear Tomato

We have also added new flower varieties to our offerings this year. Two favorites are the Chocolate Streamer Sweet Peas that produce gorgeous rare and unusual blossoms that are chocolate speckled and will steal the show in your home or market garden, and the outstanding Spun Gold Marigold that boasts fully-double pale gold flowers blooming all summer long.  With additional varieties listed online, we offer more than 1,400 varieties of heirloom seeds that are pure and free of GMO’s.  View our online catalog to read helpful customer reviews of specific varieties.  Also check out our online forums at iDigmyGarden.comthat recently have been redesigned with new features added and a colorful interface.  We currently have 850,000 posts!

We are thrilled to introduce even more of our new and improved colored seed packets.  So far, we have about 1,000 of our varieties in these new packets that feature color photos or drawings of the mature fruits.  We will continue to develop more of these custom-colored packets throughout the year.

In keeping up with the electronic age, we are excited that you can now read our magazine, catalog and other publications on your iPad.  We further plan to have our publications available on other devices in the near future.

Our Heirloom Gardener magazine continues to grow.  It is now 84 colorful pages and is on the newsstands at Barnes and Noble, Tractor Supply Company, Whole Foods Markets, and other regional outlets across the US.  Each issue is filled with mouth-watering images, educational articles and delicious recipes.  We cover everything from seed starting to vegan cooking.  Read further down to learn how to get a free subscription!

We now have THREE retail outlets.  In addition to our Baker Creek Headquarters at Mansfield, Missouri, we invite our friends on the West Coast to visit the Seed Bank in Petaluma, California.  Occupying the beautiful and ornate Sonoma County National Bank Building that was constructed in the 1920′s, the Seed Bank attracts gardeners, foodies, shoppers, and tourists alike.    Our friends on the East Coast will enjoy visiting Comstock Ferre, and Company in Wethersfield, Connecticut, where we carry a full line of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  We acquired this 201-year old seed company in 2010 and are currently restoring its store, barn, and grounds.

We were thrilled to help host The National Heirloom Exposition in Sonoma County, California, last September.  This event was sometimes called the world’s fair of pure food and attracted more than 11,000 people.  Visitors begged for more, so we are now planning the 2012 expo for September 11,12, and 13.  With more internationally acclaimed speakers, vendors, chefs, etc., we expect this National Heirloom Exposition to greatly surpass last year’s in attendance and participation.

Squash Tower at The National Heirloom Exposition

We are very excited that our first book is receiving such enthusiastic response! Written by Jere and Emilee Gettle and published by Hyperion, a division of ABC/Disney, The Heirloom Life Gardener is a book for a new generation of gardeners and not just another how-to-garden book.  This full-color, 228-page book tells the story of Jere Gettle’s very early interest in gardening and how that interest evolved into Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company.  Read about the Gettles’ travels, philosophy on food, seed saving, and much more.  Best of all, when you order the book from us for $29.95, you will also receive a FREE one-year subscription to the Heirloom Gardener magazine.

While the 2011 calendar year may be winding down, the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company is gearing up for a busy 2012. With the holiday season upon us, we have some great gift ideas for the gardening enthusiasts on your list.

No one will be able to resist keeping track of important dates with our beautiful 2012 Calendar featuring the glories of traditional varieties of vegetables, fruits and flowers in pastels by artist Ginger Irwin. Dates for all of the 2012 Baker Creek, Seed Bank, Comstock festivals are noted, as well as the traditional and garden holidays. Its large 12X12-inch size makes the monthly artwork with garden-related quotations suitable for framing. Electronic date organizers have little appeal in comparison to the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Calendar. Order yours today. Only $9.95.

Sit back and enjoy a nice cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate while indulging in our 2012 Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Catalog filled with more than 1,300 varieties of pure non-GMO seeds. What better way to enjoy the warm beverage than to drink it from our collectible 12-ounce mug decorated with an original print by Ginger Irwin of Petaluma, California. The mug also has “Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds” on one side, and “rareseeds.com” on the other. Another great gift idea. $9.95. Pair it up with our 2012 heirloom art calendar.

As much of our population continues to move in the direction of synthetics, you still have the option of giving a gift of clothing that is organic. Check out our 100% Pre-shrunk Organic Cotton Shirt with an original tomato print on the back by Ginger Irwin. Who wouldn’t want to sport our cool shirt in the garden, farmer’s market or simply at home checking dates on our Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Calendar. Available in a variety of sizes. $16.95.

Few gifts are better than the gift of words. Any enthusiastic gardener would be delighted to receive a signed copy of The Heirloom Life Gardener By Baker Cree Heirloom Seed Company co-owners Jere and Emilee Gettle. Its down home, narrative style makes it a joy to read about the Gettles’ passion for growing pure food and preserving pure seeds, as well as practical tips for organic gardening. Order a signed copy of their first book just published in October and receive a FREE one-year subscription to our quarterly magazine, Heirloom Gardener. A real bargain when you can get two gifts for the one price of $29.95. Add a Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Calendar filled with heirloom art to your order for an additional $9.95.

Check out our catalog for heirloom seeds, additional books, tools, and more. Happy shopping!

“As an avid gardener, I always enjoy perusing The Baker Creek Seed Company’s catalogue and have had great success growing the excellent rare seeds I order from it. Now Baker Creek’s Jere and Emilee Gettle have written a book that is sure to inspire, educate and inform new gardeners eager to cultivate their understanding of heirloom seeds, the land, and the sustainable good foods we derive from it.”       —Martha Stewart

“These are the people on the cutting edge of food culture.”

—O, The Oprah Magazine

Order your copy today

Plump tomatoes, luscious strawberries, hearty squash — more and more Americans are flocking to green markets for abundant fresh produce, enjoying harvests from their gardens and pots, and eagerly scanning seed catalogues to plan next year’s plantings. The number of households growing food crops increased 20% between 2008 and 2009. By 2010, there were four times as many farmers’ markets in American than in 1994.

Now, the man the New York Times calls “the Indiana Jones of seeds,” Jere Gettle , and his wife, Emilee — key participants in the grow-your-own-food revolution happening in America — have written THE HEIRLOOM LIFE GARDENER: The Baker Creek Way of Growing Your Own Food Easily and Naturally (Hyperion; October 2011; $29.99), a cornucopia of their knowledge and experience and the first comprehensive guide to heirloom gardening. Whether your growing space is five feet or five hundred feet, THE HEIRLOOM LIFE GARDENER is an invaluable resource of planting, growing, harvesting, and preparation tips on 50 amazing heirloom varieties, plus a primer on the centuries-old practice of seed saving.

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Why heirloom seeds? Because heirlooms are “pure” seeds, passed down through the generations, which haven’t been genetically modified. They taste better and contain more nutrients than genetically modified, mega “hybrid” varieties and — importantly — reproduce properly, which many genetically modified and hybrid plants can not do, forcing farmers to buy new seed every year.

Jere and Emilee Gettle run the nationally renowned Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, helping to save flavorful and nutrient-rich heirloom varieties — some that have been grown for thousands of years — from extinction. Gardeners from around the world send them seeds they feel are endangered, like the Iraqi man concerned that varieties would be lost in the upheaval of war, and the olive-green Malakhitovaya Shkatulka tomato secured from a remote corner of Siberia in Russia . The Gettles sell more than 2 million seed packets a year, promoting pure, healthy food that is free from genetic modification and toxic chemicals.

Raised by homesteaders who lived off the land, almost entirely self-sufficiently in eastern Oregon , Montana and Missouri , Jere became fascinated with seeds, sunshine, and soil. He learned to read from gazing at seed catalogs for hours with his parents. At 13, Jere noticed that nearly 15% of his favorite seeds were disappearing. By age 17, he was in business, creating a handwritten price list of unique heirloom seeds and selling them from his bedroom. Emilee was in the garden when she was two years old, learning a love of growing vegetables from her grandparents and parents. Today, they share a passion for getting America ’s food supply back to its wholesome roots.

In THE HEIRLOOM LIFE GARDENER, written with Meghan Sutherland, Jere and Emilee provide seed sources, history, and fascinating stories, too, like where the Mortgage Lifter Tomato got its name, how broccoli became popular in America after World War I, and how potatoes originated in Peru thousands of years ago and were introduced to Europe after the Spaniards conquered the country. They also offer:

· An A-Z guide to growing 50 heirloom vegetables, from the superfood grain Amaranth to Watermelon, with growing tips, seed saving, uses in the kitchen, and pest and disease control for each

· Suggestions for varieties that will thrive and surprise, like the Winged Bean, stunning striped Chioggia beets from Italy, the tasty giant Cape Gooseberry ground cherry, Chocolate Habanero peppers, Japanese Giant Red mustard greens, Blue Hubbard squash, Red Bartender radishes, and much more

· Gardening tips for country and city and how to use traditional methods such as mulching, irrigation, nontoxic organic sprays, plus crop-by-crop guidelines for picking and winter storage

· Jere’s early searches for “new” old varieties of tasty heirlooms in Mexico , Thailand , and Guatemala , where he found a favorite tomatillo, the Purple from Cobán

· Preparation and meal-usage ideas, plus nutrition information on the heirloom varieties, and more

Gorgeously illustrated and a captivating and informative guide, THE HEIRLOOM LIFE GARDENER is Jere and Emilee Gettle’s invitation for you to join them in living a sustainable, delicious, and health heirloom life.

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About the Authors

Jere and Emilee Gettle run the nationally renowned Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, selling more than 2 million seed packets a year, and offering more than 1,300 different varieties of seeds from more than 70 different countries. Their Baker Creek headquarters, located in the Ozark Mountains in Missouri , includes 176 acres and six gardens. They employ over 50 people full time, and oversee two other retail operations—a seed bank in Petaluma, CA, and the oldest continually operating seed catalog company in New England, based in Connecticut —key participants in the grow-your-own-food revolution happening in America. The Heirloom Life Gardener is their first book. For more information, visit their web site, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed, or follow Jere on Facebook and Twitter.

Order your copy today