“If you haven’t heard what’s happening with seeds, let me tell you. They’re disappearing, about like every damn thing else. . . . But I’m not going to talk about anything that’s going to make us feel hopeless, or despairing, because there’s no despair in a seed.”
On August 1st what looks to be a very interesting book will be hitting bookstores; The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food, by Janisse Ray. Telling the oft-overlooked stories of the most important element of agriculture, the seed, Ray’s book is a lament of the drastic and sudden disappearance of seed variety- a nearly 94% loss of variety since the beginning of the 20th century- and a spotlight on those ‘whose aim is to save time-honored open-pollinated varieties like Old Time Tennessee muskmelon and Long County Longhorn okra’. Though Ray tells of a possibly bleak future for us if we don’t move to preserve what seeds we do have left, the book takes an optimistic tone, as the above quote shows, which, at least for me, is refreshing.. Check out The Seed Underground upon its full release in early August. Pre-orders available on Amazon and probably any other place you might like to order your books.
Wow, Nathan, thanks for the plug! I didn’t see your blog entry for a couple of weeks but it really makes my day!
I really liked the class you gave in Moultrie Ga. 8/11/12. I look forward to reading your book, “The Seed Underground”. My parents had complained when I was a child that the heirloom seed were disappearing. I plan to take your writing suggestions to heart and see where they take me. (I was the gal in the baseball cap)
Do you sale seed such as the glossy leaf collards you mentioned?
Your example readings of other authors as well as your own captivated everyone’s attention. I highly recommend your class to anyone one who has the opportunity.