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Saving seeds to plant for next year's crop has been key to survival
around the globe for millennia. However, the 20th-century witnessed
a grand takeover of seed producers by multinational companies
aiming to select varieties ideal for mechanical harvest,
long-distance transportation, and long shelf life. With the rise of
the Slow Food and farm-to-table movements in recent years, the
farmers and home gardeners who have been quietly persisting in the
age-old habit of conserving heirloom plants are finally receiving
credit for their vital role in preserving both good taste and the
world's rich food heritage. Kentucky Heirloom Seeds: Growing,
Eating, Saving is an evocative exploration of the seed saver's art
and the practice of sustainable agriculture. Bill Best and Dobree
Adams begin by tracing the roots of the tradition in the state to a
700-year-old Native American farming village in north central
Kentucky. Although Best shares tips for planting and growing beans
and describes his family's favorite varieties for the table, the
heart of the book are the incredible interviews with seed savers,
predominately from Eastern Kentucky and from generations of
gardeners who saved seeds to feed their families. These people have
worked tirelessly to preserve and share heirloom varieties. This
book vividly documents the social relevance and historical
significance of the rituals of sowing, cultivating, eating, saving,
and sharing.
The Brown Goose, the White Case Knife, Ora's Speckled Bean,
Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter -- these are just a few of the
heirloom fruits and vegetables you'll encounter in Bill Best's
remarkable history of seed saving and the people who preserve both
unique flavors and the Appalachian culture associated with them. As
one of the people at the forefront of seed saving and trading for
over fifty years, Best has helped preserve numerous varieties of
beans, tomatoes, corn, squashes, and other fruits and vegetables,
along with the family stories and experiences that are a
fundamental part of this world. While corporate agriculture
privileges a few flavorless but hardy varieties of daily
vegetables, seed savers have worked tirelessly to preserve genetic
diversity and the flavors rooted in the Southern Appalachian
Mountains -- referred to by plant scientists as one of the
vegetative wonders of the world.
"Saving Seeds, Preserving Taste" will introduce readers to the
cultural traditions associated with seed saving, as well as the
remarkable people who have used grafting practices and hand-by-hand
trading to keep alive varieties that would otherwise have been
lost. As local efforts to preserve heirloom seeds have become part
of a growing national food movement, Appalachian seed savers play a
crucial role in providing alternatives to large-scale agriculture
and corporate food culture. Part flavor guide, part people's
history, "Saving Seeds, Preserving Taste" will introduce you to a
world you've never known -- or perhaps remind you of one you
remember well from your childhood.
Saving seeds to plant for next year's crop has been key to survival
around the globe for millennia. However, the twentieth century
witnessed a grand takeover of seed producers by multinational
companies aiming to select varieties ideal for mechanical harvest,
long-distance transportation, and long shelf life. With the rise of
the Slow Food and farm-to-table movements in recent years, the
farmers and home gardeners who have been quietly persisting in the
age-old habit of conserving heirloom plants are finally receiving
credit for their vital role in preserving both good taste and the
world's rich food heritage. Kentucky Heirloom Seeds: Growing,
Eating, Saving is an evocative exploration of the seed saver's art
and the practice of sustainable agriculture. Bill Best and Dobree
Adams begin by tracing the roots of the tradition in the state to a
700-year-old Native American farming village in north central
Kentucky. Best shares tips for planting and growing beans and
describes his family's favorite varieties for the table. Featuring
interviews with many people who have worked to preserve heirloom
varieties, this book vividly documents the social relevance of the
rituals of sowing, cultivating, eating, saving, and sharing.
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