Post by Susan Audrey

Gary Paul Nabhan has been called “the father of the local food movement” by Mother Earth News, yet he’s referred to himself as being more of a “weird uncle.” Perhaps he’s both, and after talking with Gary and visiting his Website, one may also conclude that he’s a “best friend” to endangered seeds and foods, from grains to heritage livestock, although you’d still only have a fraction of the story.
Gary is an internationally celebrated nature writer, seed saver, conservation biologist, sustainable agriculture activist, orchard-keeper, wild forager and Ecumenical Franciscan brother in his hometown of Patagonia, Arizona near the Mexican border. And, he is author or editor of 24 books, many translated into other languages. Also, for his writing and collaborative conservation work, he has been honored with a MacArthur genius award, a Southwest Book Award, the John Burroughs Medal for nature writing, The Vavilov Medal, and lifetime achievement awards from the Quivira Coalition and Society for Ethnobiology.
Gary works most of the year as a research scientist at the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona, and the rest of his time goes to serving as co-founder-facilitator of several food and farming alliances, including Renewing America’s Food Traditional (RAFT) and Flavors Without Borders.

If you’re lucky enough to catch up with Gary, you’ll learn that his current focuses read like his list of accomplishments—there are many and they’re all important in preserving the earth and our pure food sources. There is also a strong emphasis on collaboration in the conservation of heirloom seeds, produce and heritage livestock breeds, bringing together seed savers, growers, farmers, ranchers and chefs who work together to bring these pure, non-GMO, nutrition-rich, flavorful foods to public attention.
“Saving heirloom seeds is one of the many steps in getting those foods back on our tables,” says Gary.
Heritage grains are a current focus of RAFT. White Sonora Wheat, introduced to Arizona in 1690, is at the top of the list and is currently being raised on conservation farms from seeds Gary received from a Southwest farmer and saved for years. And true to RAFT’s collaborative approach, these farmers are communicating with growers of our oldest flours; the crops will be milled at a historic mill; and the resulting heritage wheat flour will be used by chefs in recipes that preserve the original flavors and uses of the grain. Throughout this conservation process, information will be exchanged, stories of this regional food and its food producers will be shared, and publications will be created to document all. Also to be conserved in a similar way is the oldest corn variety in the U.S.
An important belief behind RAFT’s mission is that “the best assurance for continued diversity in our food supply lies in connecting the stories, flavors, fragrances and textures of these foods to larger audiences, so their eating, purchasing, and recreation habits once again support the food’s producers.”

Gary also stresses our collaboration with the land, adapting to climate and land availability. He farms an heirloom orchard with 50 varieties of rare fruits and nuts evaluating them for climate change, global warming and other erratic weather as well as for bugs and disease.
“With climate change, we’re going to see crops diminishing,” he says. “More and more, we will be emphasizing drought tolerance and ‘place-based’ seeds.”
One such focus is on place-based seeds of desert terroirs and the foods that grow in these hot, dry climates. Desert foods actually taste stronger and have more pungent flavors, Gary shares.
Another area of focus is the well-being of the insects and animals that aid in the growing of our food crops. It’s estimated that “pollination services” provided to our crops and rangeland forages by bees and other animals is valued at no less than $15-20 billion a year in the United States—at one time provided to us “for free.” Recent studies show that these valuable services need our help in the form of providing pollinators with food, sheltered nesting areas and pesticide-free habitats.
Gary invites everyone to be a co-designer of our food systems, to plant aesthetically and grow nutritionally potent foods. “We all need to redesign with the climate change, join groups, collaborate; and each of us needs to be plant introducers and promoters.”
Find out more about Gary Paul Nabhan, RAFT, and what is being done to preserve our heritage foods as well as how to farm in collaboration with the land and changing climates at http://garynabhan.com/i/
and http://www.vaviblog.com/about-2/gary/

Susan Audrey is a Northern California writer, editor, photographer and artist. She can be reached at tosusanaudrey@gmail.com

“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

Post by GreenZone

By Kathy McFarland

There is no doubt that everyone who attended the National Heirloom Expo is a winner! We so much appreciate all of our sponsors who helped to make this dream come true. And what a dream it was! More than 10,000 people came together to celebrate pure and non-GMO food.

With more than 70 speakers, including internationally acclaimed speakers each evening, audiences had many choices of topics to hear. Many presenters were speaking to standing-room-only crowds.

Children’s Education Day was filled with all kinds of activities for the kids: everything from potato sack races to fun and games and contests and freebies. Schools were invited to enter produce displays into competition. Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist Elizabeth Olson and Urban Oaks Organic Farm General Manager Michael Kandifer of New Britain, Connecticut, who judged the school displays, were more than pleased with their quality. School winners were Northwest Prep School, taking 3rd place and Salmon Creek School, receiving 2nd place. Two schools representing different age groups each received 1st place ratings: Cesar Chavez Middle School and Tennyson High School. Teachers, parents, and students are to be commended for their good work.

In addition to the school displays, the Hall of Flowers was filled with many more displays to be admired and judged. The following winners indicate the quality of those displays: Best of show prizes were awarded to The Great Pumpkin Patch, Redwood Empire, and Soda Rock Farm. Farm booth winners were Quetzal Farm, Cedars of Marin, and Green String Farm. Tomato honors were awarded to Soda Rock Farm, Wild Boar Farms, and Volkerts Ranch. Winners in the squash category were The Great Pumpkin Patch, Bear Creek Pumpkin Patch, and Levi Zook of Pennsylvania.

In the General Vegetables category, honors went to Early Bird Place, Oak Hill Farm and Indian Valley. Fruit category winners were Redwood Empire California Rare Fruit Growers, Monterey Rare Fruit Growers, and Durst Organic Growers. Educational Farms receiving honors were Bio Tierra Biodiversity Research Gardens, Summerfield-Waldorf School and Farm, and Growing Your Greens. Landscaping winners were Dan Pozzi, Daniel R. Gibbs, and Sonoma Compost. Exceptional category winners were Hector’s Honeybees, Bloomfield Farms, and Marans Chicken Club.

Individual winners were chef Ray Duey, Los Olivo’s Homegrown Garlic, and Early Bird Place. The Diversity of Products winners were Southern Exposure–Seed Exchange, Dean York Gardens, and Tierra Vegetables. Finally, the Worth Mentioning category honored Elizabeth’s Finest, Guy Family Farms, and Tristano’s Tolay Twisted. All winners are congratulated and recognized for their fine work.

No exposition celebrating food would be complete without the traditional judging of jams and jellies–and that includes the National Heirloom Exposition. Judges Emilee Gettle, Kathy McFarland, and Debbie Gettle had a difficult time determining winners of the many jams, jellies, sauces, etc. entered for competition. They finally awarded the Grand Champion rosette to Jessica Walsh of Staley Mound Farm in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, for her Basil Banana Pepper Jelly. Reserve Grand Champion honors went to Catherine Thode of Sebastobol, California, for her Pink Pearl Applesauce.

Many other winners placed in various divisions. In the Dried Produce category, Jessica Walsh of Staley Mound Farm in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, took 1st place for her Sun Dried Tomatoes. In the Pickles category, 1st place was awarded to Anea Botton of Sonoma Valley, California, for her Chow Chow Mustard Pickles. Jessica Walsh of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, took 2nd and 3rd places respectively for her Pickled Hot Peppers and Sweet Pickled Banana Peppers. Jessica Walsh impressed the judges of the Salsas, Etc. category to place 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively for her Zesty Salsa, Candied Jalapenos, and Bruschetta in a Jar. Jessica Walsh also dominated the Jellies category by receiving 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively for her Basil Banana Pepper Jelly, Habanero Gold Jelly, and Mulberry Jelly. The Sauces category winners were 1st place Catherine Thode of Sebastobol, California, for her Pink Pearl Applesauce, 2nd place Anea Botton, of Sonoma Valley, California, for her Nectarine Mustard, and Jessica Walsh of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, for her Pear Butter.

Jams category top honors went to Jessica Walsh of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, for her Strawberry Jalapeno Jam. 2nd place was awarded to Cynthia Perez of Madera, California, for her Peach Habanero Jam. Jessica Walsh received 3rd place for her Hot Habanero Gold Jam. In the Syrups category, Anea Botton of Sonoma Valley, California, received 1st place for her Raspberry Soda Syrup. Jessica Walsh of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, received 2nd place for her Mulberry Syrup, and Ana Botton of Sonoma Valley, California, received 3rd place for her Key Lime Soda Syrup. Baked Goods category top honors went to Cheryl Madrigal of Calistoga, California, for her Zucchini Bread. Organizers of the National Heirloom Expo greatly appreciate all contestants who entered foods for judging.

The premier National Heirloom Exposition was an unqualified success and will lead to another one next year. Please continue to watch the National Heirloom Exposition website for more winners of this year’s expo and for more information about future expo.

Post by Susan Audrey

The National Heirloom Exposition sponsored by Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and many other local and national sponsors is underway at Northern California’s Sonoma County Fairgrounds drawing farmers, gardening enthusiasts, pure food aficionados, biodiversity advocates, heirloom seed savers, school classes and all.

It’s an exciting time to see this event, a year in the making, open its doors–literally and figuratively. Its weekday dates and hours provide a wonderful educational opportunity for the growers and farmers of our future, our children, opening the hearts and minds of our youth to the importance of biodiversity, sustainability, and eating healthful pure foods.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 14, is “Education and Fun Day” at the Expo featuring all-day activities for children, kindergarten through high school, as well as the whole family. Special events on this day include goat and cow milking, cheese making, seed saving, bee keeping, butter making, even potato sack races. There will also be screenings of educational films and documentaries—which will also be offered Thursday.

Wednesday, September 14, is also the date of the special charity auction, which will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Hall of Flowers and benefit school garden projects. All proceeds from the Expo, which is a not-for-profit event, will be donated back to school gardens and food programs.

Tonight’s keynote speaker (7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 13^th) is Jeffrey Smith, one of America’s leading experts on genetically modified foods and the dangers they pose to human health and the environment. Tomorrow night (Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.) Alice Waters, a near-legendary figure in the pure foods movement and internationally recognized chef, author and owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, will be the featured keynote speaker.  Thursday evening (September 15^th at 7 p.m.) Dr. Vandana Shiva, founder of the Navdanya, a movement to protect the diversity and integrity of living resources, especially seeds, will be featured. Over 70 speakers, experts in growing, cooking and writing about pure foods will be featured throughout the 3-day event.

But don’t miss the real stars of the Expo:  more than 3,000 varieties of heirloom vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers on display from all over the country, including a huge pumpkin display provided by Mac Condill of The Great Pumpkin Patch and Homestead Seeds.  This is the same famed Illinois farm that provided the gigantic display on the White House lawns last fall. (A giant pumpkin contest and weigh-off is also being held at the Expo with a grand prize of $1,000 going to the lucky winner.)

Also, learn all kinds of cooking tips from chefs from all over the country, including well-known San Francisco Bay Area chef John Ash. Enjoy pure foods and condiments from dozens of purveyors of healthy foodstuffs and garden-themed art.   Visit with magazine writers and publishers from around the country, including Sunset Magazine. Grit, Mother Earth News, and The Heirloom Gardener.

There are than 250 booths featuring garden and farm-themed items, including tools, plants and garden books, as well as local growers of fresh, organic produce and flowers.

A heritage livestock exhibit features poultry and small livestock, including goats and sheep.

Old-time music from a by-gone era filters through the outdoor air, and the scent of fresh-picked and just-cooked pure foods abounds. So come on down!

The National Heirloom Exposition runs tonight (Sept. 13^th) until 9 p.m. and Wednesday and Thursday (Sept. 14 and 15) from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $10; youth up to age 17 are admitted free.

Find out more about this “World’s Fair” of the heirloom industry at www.theheirloomexpo.com/

Susan Audrey is a San Francisco Bay Area writer, editor, photographer and artist. She can be reached at tosusanaudrey@gmail.com

Click here to purchase your bulbs now! More will be added over the next few weeks!
By GreenZone
If you’ve ever admired gorgeous beds of brilliant tulips, fragrant daffodils and hyacinths, or drifts of gold or purple crocus flowers poking up through late winter snow, here’s the secret: plant bulbs in fall for blooms the following spring!

All these floral treasures should be planted after summer heat wanes; planting can continue right up until the ground freezes, or through December in the mildest climates.

The method is pretty much the same no matter which spring-flowering variety strikes your fancy. They all favor a rich, well-drained garden soil. Before planting, work up the bed, breaking up any persistent clods of earth and removing large rocks. A thin layer of compost and a sprinkle of bone meal or phosphate rock is all the amendment needed if you start with ordinary garden soil. Work the soil as deeply as possible, because to do their best, bulbs need surprisingly deep planting.

Planting methods vary according to the gardener’s preference. For a few bulbs, a trowel or gardening knife is used to remove soil, to create a deep but not necessarily wide hole to receive the bulb. Once the hole is made, all that remains is to insert the bulb and cover with loose soil. Be sure to plant your bulbs right side up! Most have a flat plate or depression on the bottom or root end, and a point on the top end, where the new leaves will emerge in spring. After a few weeks in cool soil, the bulbs begin to grow the roots that will support next year’s plant, so allow at least 2-3 inches of loose, enriched soil below the bulb when planting, since the roots will mostly grow down, not upward.

For larger plantings, use a dibble instead of a trowel. This is a tool, cone-shaped and open at both ends, that you plunge into loose soil and then pull back out. The shape of the tool allows it to “grab” the soil in its path, which stays inside the dibble when it is pulled up. This leaves a neat hole the right size and depth to receive the new bulb. Place the bulb into the hole, nestle it into the loose soil, and then knock the extracted soil out of the dibble and into the hole.

Remember to plant the bulbs deeply enough. Typically they should be buried from 2 to 4 times their diameter. So a two inch bulb goes 4 to 8 inches deep. And do firm the soil over them when planting is done, and cover the bed or row with mulch to deter weeds and prevent freezing and thawing from “heaving” the bulbs out of the soil, which could otherwise be a problem where soil does not stay frozen all winter.

Gardeners often plant larger-flowered types, like tulips and daffodils, in straight rows along sidewalks or in front of the house. Such formal planting has its place, but tulips lined up like soldiers often look incongruous in today’s informal gardens. A better approach is to distribute the bulbs randomly within a bed, giving a more natural appearance. An easy way to accomplish this is simply to gently toss or dump the bulbs onto the soft, freshly worked soil, and plant the bulbs where they land. Daffodils are especially convincing in a naturalistic planting, and crocus may be planted this way right into an existing lawn, so long as compacted soil is worked up immediately around where the bulb is to grow. Both of these types will multiply annually, and where you plant a bulb this fall, you will have a small clump if you leave them in place for several seasons. Don’t trim their leaves after they bloom; the plant gets its energy from this year’s leaves, and stores it in the root for next year’s flowers.

Tulips and hyacinths, however, often “run down” in a couple of years. Few of us have soil and conditions as ideal as the Dutch fields where these types are usually produced; the bulbs will flower for a year or two, but eventually succumb to the harsh realities of most North American climates.

So give these charming beauties at try–their cheerful color is so uplifting in early spring, before most flowers from seeds are even getting started!

Click here to purchase your bulbs now, like the parrot tulilps featured in this week’s post! More will be added over the next few weeks, so keep checking back!

Consumer advocate Jeffrey M. Smith, widely considered to be among the leading experts worldwide on the adverse health effects of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) on humans and our environment, will be presenting the keynote speech on the opening night of the National Heirloom Exposition, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Tuesday, September 13. Preceding keynote presentations by renowned chef and local & healthy foods advocate Alice Waters, and world-famous philosopher and bioethicist Dr. Vandana Shiva, Mr. Smith’s presentation promises to be among the highlights of the three day event, believed to be among the largest of its kind ever held. The expo is sponsored, in part, by the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and their Sonoma County outlet, the renowned Seed Bank, of Petaluma.

Author of Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, Mr. Smith has, for over fifteen years, been on a relentless campaign to raise public awareness of the well-documented dangers of GMOs in our agriculture and food supply. “GMOs have been linked to thousands of toxic and allergic-type reactions, thousands of sick, sterile and dead livestock and damage to virtually every organ and system studied in lab animals,” Smith was quoted as saying in a 2008 article from Reuters.

photo courtesy of IRT

Mr. Smith recently returned from Vietnam, where he provided expert opinion on GMOs as that country considers allowing the commercialization of GM crops. In a recently emailed commentary, Smith pointed out the irony of such as possibility, as Vietnam continues to suffer high rates of birth defects due to the widespread use of Monsanto’s Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Monsanto is generally considered to be the leading promoter of GMO and other chemical and food biotechnologies worldwide, with an extraordinary amount of influence on governmental policy-making around those issues. In December of 2010, Smith published an article on Huffington Post which cited a memo (released via WikiLeaks) by the U.S. ambassador to France, suggesting the U.S. government retaliate against the European Union for attempting to regulate a new genetically-modified Monsanto corn product.

In 2003, Smith founded the Institute for Responsible Technology (www.responsibletechnology.org) in order to investigate genetically modified organisms and educate policy makers and the general public about their effects upon our environment, agriculture, and food systems. Visitors to the IRT website can find an extensive list of educational materials, downloadable documents and a non-GMO shopping guide, as well as a calendar of Jeffrey Smith’s upcoming speaking engagements and activist trainings.

Mr. Smith will speak at the National Heirloom Exposition on Tuesday, September 13, 2011, at 7 p.m.  He will also be conducting an Activist’s Circle at the Expo on Wednesday, September 14 at 3 p.m.  The Exposition runs September 13, 14 and 15, 2011 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds in Sonoma County, California. To purchase tickets to the Exposition and for more details, visit www.nationalheirloomexposition.com. (Special incentives available for online ticket purchase.) Admission is $10 per day for adults; no charge for children and youth up to 17 years old. Three-day pass is $25.

bees in the observation hive

You cannot miss Rob Keller’s Mobile Bee Observatory! Along with
Connolly Ranch, Napa and the St. Helena Montessori School, Rob will be
available to talk to people at various times during the day at the National Heirloom Exposition. Rob Keller’s artistic practice is inseparable
from his work as a beekeeper and teacher. Through the Napa Valley Bee
Company, he raises awareness about the honeybee and the importance of
strong genetics for local indigenous bees to flourish.

Rob shows off his bees

Keller breeds and cares for bees, managing three large scale apiaries, teaching
sustainable beekeeping, and creating art projects that raise awareness
about the importance of bees.

The mobile bee observatory

The Mobile Bee Observatory is a honeybee ecology classroom on wheels.
With the help of a Creative Work Fund grant, Rob Keller furnished a
28-foot Airstream trailer with a floor-to-ceiling observation hive and
a honey tasting station. Keller has traveled to Napa and Sonoma County
schools, museums, county fairs and other venues sharing his knowledge
of beekeeping and extolling the beauty and importance of the honeybee.

The observation hive

Keller hopes to take the Bee Trailer on John Muir’s historic route
through the Yosemite National Park along which Muir wrote letters,
essays about bees, and books telling of his adventures in nature and
wildlife, especially in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.

Havin a look

Rob and the crew will be at the Heirloom Exposition on all three days.
While there he hopes to complete an over-sized mosaic skep which will
have a honeybee flying on either side. Enjoy watching them work!

Bee Mosaic

Post by Susan Audrey

The first-ever National Heirloom Exposition will be here soon (September 13, 14 and 15, 2011, at the Sonoma County Fair Grounds in Santa Rosa, CA), and like Jere Gettle, founder of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, who is pleased yet overwhelmed, Diane Ott Whealy, co-founder of Seed Savers Exchange, says: “It all seems a little surreal to me.”

Heirloom Tomatoes

When Diane co-founded Seed Savers Exchange with Kent Whealy over 30 years ago, “heirloom” wasn’t mainstream.

“We were closet seed savers,” she says, laughing. “We started when it wasn’t popular.”

So the idea of a “World’s Fair” of the heirloom industry seems almost unbelievable to her—heady stuff.

Diane Ott Whealy

Yet, Diane was actually there for the “sprouting” of the idea. She, Jere and Emilee Gettle, Barbara Melera, president of D. Landerth Seed Company, and Paul Wallace, general manager of The Seed Bank in California, Baker Creek’s West Coast retail store, were attending an heirloom auction Back East about a year ago.  Liking the idea of seeing so many heirloom varieties in one place, they lamented about how nice it would be to have an event where everyone—the general public, including children, gardening enthusiasts, farmers, and pure food-lovers—could see, touch, taste, and really get to know what “heirloom” is all about.

Diane, who will be speaking at the National Heirloom Exposition on Tuesday, Sept. 13^th at 5 p.m. envisions the event as “a trip back to what fairs were at the turn of the century when you would take what you’d grown to the fair and be proud.”

She also sees the event as an opportunity to get across “the seriousness of seed saving,” how important it is to collect and protect heirloom, open-pollinated seeds—our purest food sources. As people become more and more interested in where their food comes from, Diane believes, more and more people will begin to save seeds.

In this economy, she adds, growing a plant or garden is a simple and affordable thing you can do as well as something you can take control of.

Diane hopes the event will inspire attendees to enjoy heirloom produce with their families, to grow these old-time fruits and vegetables from grandma’s garden and from the gardens and farms of 100 years ago and more, and to be inspired to join in the centuries’ old tradition of saving seeds. She believes that the visual impact of the event, which will feature thousands of heirloom varieties “will help people understand the genetic diversity. . .to really see what we’re trying to save.”

Diane’s talk at the National Heirloom Exposition will include the history of Seed Savers Exchange. As co-founder and vice president of the non-profit, an 890-acre Heritage Farm near Decorah, Iowa, she is the go-to person for information about the organization’s past and future. The Exchange grows, saves, stores, distributes and sells seeds for generations to come, and according to Diane, currently maintains over 24,000 heirloom and open-pollinated seed accessions. It is over 13,000 members strong and continually growing—its seed collection and membership.

Thousands of seeds gleaned by Seed Savers Exchange have been stored in The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, the ultimate safety deposit box for biodiversity and global food supply preservation, which stores duplicate collections of seeds on behalf of gene banks from around the world, offering protection against permanent loss due to natural disasters, wars, equipment failures, accidents, and loss of funding that can plague even the best gene banks.

Diane has recently completed a book about Seed Savers Exchange: “Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver.” Promotional materials read: “This is the story about Seed Savers Exchange, the nation’s premier nonprofit seed-saving organization, that began humbly as a simple exchange of seeds among passionate gardeners and how the membership has grown from a small coterie to more than thirteen thousand. This story captures what is best in the American spirit: the ability to dream and through hard work and perseverance inspire others to join the effort.”

Diane’s Book

Yet, after a chat with Diane, you know that the book is as much her story. “It’s the story about the importance of dreams,” she says, “and following your dreams.” How by following your passion and keeping your focus you can attain your dreams.

Diane’s passions are gardening, visiting farmers’ markets and cooking. “It (our dreams, what we do) all ties in together in life,” she adds. “Everyone has their own story.”

There’s a bit about patience in the book, too. Diane writes about a relative’s contention that things happen “a rooster step at a time.” That we may not take the time to notice or measure all the small steps, but that they do add up. Just as each small step helped grow the Seed Savers Exchange.

Barn at Seed Savers in Iowa

And, a succession of small steps grew the first-ever National Heirloom Exposition into a reality.

For more details about the National Heirloom Exposition and to purchase tickets online, visit www.theheirloomexpo.com

For more information on The Seed Savers Exchange and Diane Ott Whealy’s book “Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver,” visit www.seedsavers.org

Susan Audrey is a writer, editor, photographer and artist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She can be reached at tosusanaudrey@gmail.com