Seed Savers Exchange

This post Seed Savers Exchange was originally uploaded by Tyra Hallsénius Lindhe in the blog Tyra's Garden

Since 1975, Seed Savers Exchange members have passed on approximately one million samples of rare garden seeds to other gardeners. Seed Savers Exchange are a non-profit organization of gardeners dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds.

 Time to start to dream about the growing season 2011. Are you interested in Heirloom Seeds? Then read about  the Seed Savers Exchange. I find this subject about heirloom seeds fascination and most interesting so I've joined. I so wished that we had something similar in Europe/ EU but I have not found anything yet. If you happen to know anything in the matter please let me know.  

This is what Seed Savers Exchange has to say about the organization:

"Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), member supported organization that saves and shares the heirloom seeds of our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations.

Our mission is to save North America's diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity.

At the heart of Seed Savers Exchange are the dedicated members who have distributed hundreds of thousands of heirloom and open pollinated garden seeds since our founding 35 years ago. Those seeds now are widely used by seed companies, small farmers supplying local and regional markets, chefs and home gardeners and cooks, alike.

Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy to honor this tradition of preserving and sharing. Their collection started when Diane's terminally-ill grandfather gave them the seeds of two garden plants, Grandpa Ott's morning glory and German Pink tomato. Grandpa Ott's parents brought the seeds from Bavaria when they immigrated to St. Lucas, Iowa in the 1870s.



Today, the 890-acre Heritage Farm, near Decorah, Iowa, is our home. We maintain many thousands of heirloom garden varieties, most having been brought to North America by members' ancestors who emigrated from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other parts of the world.



Unlike Fort Knox, Heritage Farm is not surrounded by security fences and guards. Our perimeter is patrolled by bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, deer, raccoons and other wildlife. The farm is ringed by hiking trails that take visitors through majestic scenery, past our certified organic preservation gardens, historic orchard and ancient White Park Cattle." SSE

Here are two of my heirloom tomotoes I grew this season.

Azoychka from Russia and Goldman's Italian/American tomato. Goldman's heirloom tomato was one of the best this year. This high yield, delicious red tomato came all in slightly different forms and sizes, which I really liked. 

Do visit their homepage, it is a heaven for an Heirloom Enthusiast, trust me!

I Bought the Crown Jewels

Chia - Crown Jewels

What little did I know?…

and when I entered the world of Chia.

I have just received a few seed packets from Baker Creek Heirlooms Seeds for my potager. I always want to know a little about the plant I’m going to grow, consequently I looked up my Chia - Crown Jewels and entered a new world, most fascinating. I landed in American history, health, ancient food and future ‘super’ food. Amazing, do you know... I’ve bought a miracle! Perhaps that is why they are called just Crown Jewels or it could be because the flower in its simplicity yet beauty look like a small crown with precious blue-purple stones in it.

Wikipedia Salvia columbariae



Chia - Crown Jewels

(Salvia columbariae ) A different Salvia species with a long history, this heirloom Salvia was grown as a staple food crop by Native Americans years ago. It has a high nutrition value. In cultivation, it needs good drainage, sun and dry weather to grow to its fullest potential. Called Chia in Mexico and other Central American countries, it is also a special ornamental plant with decorative grey-green leaves and pretty colourful light purplish blue flowers.

Chia as Health Food

Chia seeds are now a popular natural health product. William Anderson writes about it

- The Ancient Food of the Future Chia Seed. Do read this most fascinating article.

“Another unique quality if the Chia seed is its high oil content, and the richest vegetables source for the essential omega-3 fatty acid. It has approximately three to ten times the oil concentrations of most grains and one and a half to two times the protein concentrations of other grains. Read more ”

This amazing picture is from EOL Encyclopedia of Life.

The beautiful seeds of Salvia columbariae.

Interesting? Want to try it out?

Chia Seeds - The RAW Food World
Chia Seeds - My SEEDS

Here you can buy Chia seeds and a lot of other interesting food.




Anthropology – about Chia Salvia columbariae


NCBI* Writes about the Chia seeds, how it has been used as food and continues to be used as such, how you can still buy the seeds in stores. Read the interesting story about the Chumash messenger who ran 30 km or perhaps more in a day to deliver messages between the villages. Consuming Chia seeds to maintain the energy right through the run. Read more about the Chumash and Chia “ How the plant was used to ‘wake the dead’ is unknown. However, it may have been the root that was used. Probably the people who were treated with this plant had suffered from strokes or heart attacks and appeared to be nearly dead.” NCBI

Books about Chia (Salvia columbariae)

- Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs

- Revival of an Ancient Wonder Food

- Chia For Health

Another book that awoke my curiosity as I browsed the net was this +300 pages book

The New Book of SALVIAS, hm...I would love to read it.

Common Sage Salvia officinalis in my potager.

That's All Folks!

It is Blooming Friday at Katarinas place

I wish you all a great weekend/ Tyra

*NCBI - National Center for Biotechnology Information

Heirloom Patterns - Oriental Floral Décor

This post, 'Heirloom Floral Patterns - oriental floral décor' was originally uploaded and written by Tyra at the blog Tyra's Garden http://waxholm.blogspot.com/

Heirloom Floral Patterns

Horticulture on the wall

This is a collage of framents of floral décor.

Details from एतमाद-उद-दौला का मक़बरा,

Itmad-ud-Daula's Tomb

اعتماد الدولہ کا مقبرہ

The walls are white marble from Rajasthan encrusted with semi-precious stone decorations - cornelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, onyx, and topaz in floral images. More from my visit at Itmad- ud- Daula here

I have an itch to paint.

...

Heirloom patterns - a gift from the past

We have all heard about heirloom seeds and heirloom plant, as I was going through some pictures from India I thought these wonderful botanical patterns are true heirloom patterns – a gift from the past. These fragments of rugs and the wall decoration are from Jaipur and Amber* Fort Rajasthan they have this fantastic floral patterns from the past. The skill of for instance carpet weavers is a typical livelihood passed from one generation to another. The patterns, the art becomes heirloom.

My father, grandfather and uncle as a matter of fact all of the family as far back as I can remember, were carpet weavers before me. I entered the weaving industry at 10 years of age. These word were said by Arthur Mitchum a Brittish weaver b.1862

...

Horticulture on the floor

I think you can learn both some horticulture and anthropology by just looking and learning from decorations like these. Indoor Gardens on the floor.

This is a collage with fragments from rugs each one of them a wonderful garden.
...

The weaver girl at her loom

I have just learned that loom is a tool and it dates back to 4400 BC (horizontal loom)

The loom is what in this case the rug is woven on. It consists of a wooden framework with a grid of cotton threads. The cotton becomes the base the foundation of the rug. The “warp” is the cotton that runs vertically on the loom and the “weft” is the one that runs horizontally. The warp and weft together create a grid of cotton on which each strand of wool is tied around.

more gems...

Oriental Gemstone Painting with floral design.

That is all folks - I hope you have enjoyed my post about florals made of stones and yarn.

~ TYRA ~

Don't be a stranger my friend - do write something, keep in touch!

Blooming Friday today and Friday the 13th! This is my contibrutions to the Blooming Friday Flower Power Parade, meet more participant here at Katarina.