Throughout history, most people grew at least part of their food, saving seeds from their most prized vegetables to plant again next year. Over the last 100 years, however, the growing of food has become more centralized. Many Americans don’t really know where their food comes from, and growers buy seed every year. Most of the seed comes from a very few giant transnational corporations. These corporations are offering fewer and fewer varieties, and increasingly selling seed that cannot be saved and planted on. Since the turn of the 20th century, we have lost an astonishing 97% of our commercial vegetable varieties.

     This trend has begun to reverse. Last year, 7 million more American households planned to grow some food, a doubling of the 10% increase seen the previous season. Interest in saving seed is surging as well, though the know-how is no longer common knowledge.

     Sylvia Davatz has acquired this knowledge and is sharing it throughout our region. An expert seed saver, she works with US-based Seed Savers Exchange and Switzerland-based Pro Specie Rara to preserve heirloom and rare or endangered vegetable varieties.

     Sylvia will be conducting a seed saving workshop on Saturday, November 7, from 10 am until noon at the Town Hall in Walpole, NH. The workshop will cover the basics of seed saving, including timing, spacing, annual vs. biennial varieties, isolation, and collecting, cleaning and drying seed. Terms such as open-pollinated, hybrid, “selfer” and “crosser” will be explained. The philosophical as well as the practical benefits of preserving our irreplaceable vegetable diversity will be discussed. The suggested donation for the workshop is $10.