SFEMG’s Newest Project: Seed Stewardship

By Ann KissingerEnthusiasm for our organization’s first Seed School Weekend, in November of 2018, led to approval of Seed Stewardship as a new project for 2019.The weekend opened on a Friday night, with the documentary Seed: The Untold Storyat the CCA. On Saturday, after trying our hands at identifying a series of mystery seeds, we were treated to presentations by SFMGA member Dr. Diane Pratt, certified as a Seed School trainer by the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance. Topics included the magic and power of seeds; the history and politics of the modern seed industry; seed biology; myths of seed saving; genetics, selection, and plant breeding; and pollination. One takeaway: be sure to buy only non-GMO, non-patented seeds. Someone shared that giving away patented seeds is against the law.After viewing a video briefing on the harvesting, cleaning, and storage of seeds, narrated by Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance executive director Bill McDorman, we questioned Bill live, using video-conferencing software Zoom.We also enjoyed multiple hands-on projects. SFMGA instructor Janine Cabossel taught us how to ferment and save tomato seeds; she shared her experience with vegetable field trials and even gave us kernels of her new, pink-eared corn. We learned by example how to sprout wheat and record germination rates. Using hand lenses, we ID-ed flower parts. We shelled corn. Outdoors, on a beautiful sunny fall day, we threshed and cleaned beans and rye, both the old-fashioned way—with our feet—and using contemporary technology.The whole first day of seed school turned out to be a great excuse for a feast. Our MG committee provided gourmet homemade bread, baked with ancient grains, as well as a variety of soups, salads, fruits, and desserts. Diane Pratt brought raw goat cheese from her own goats.On Sunday we took a field trip and collected, cleaned, and saved native seeds at the Seed Farm, of the Institute of Applied Ecology. Instructor Victoria Atencio welcomes volunteers in the institute’s work.Mark your calendar for the February 21–23 Mountain West Seed Summit, at IAIA, in Santa Fe. The summit opens with a seed exchange. Also watch Home Grown New Mexicofor the Seed Swap, which usually occurs in March, at Frenchie’s Field, on Agua Fria Street.Resources:Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Recommended BooksRocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Seed School Online