Information on working terriers, dogs, natural history, hunting, and the environment, with occasional political commentary as I see fit. This web log is associated with the Terrierman.com web site.
Places like Abundant Life Seeds or Organic seed alliance do specialize in preserving heirloom seeds that otherwise would have been lost to modern production. They encourage seed saving which the big companies will sue you for. I know I haven't had to plant tomatoes in a few years because of this based upon volunteers that never fail to show up in the spring which never seem to require the TLC of the store bought varieties produced by the major seedhouses. They're tough, they grow like weeds, and produce fantastic fruit in our short summers because the strong just seem to survive and get better at it from one year to the next.
Buying the organic/heirloom seeds is sort of like buying the heirloom produce grown by small farmers -- more expensive, which means that well to do, True Believers are leading the way.
Seed saving takes a bit of practice. Many of these heirloom varieties don't keep as well as the hybrids grown for their looks and ability to withstand shipping. I've had both great success and annoying failures.
The veggies we buy at the store are a bit like the show ring dogs -- bred for their looks, never mind the taste or vitamin content! Factory Farming is reminiscent of the same thing in the dog world. People want to know that their puppy is going to be as standard as their tomatoes. Sad on both accounts.
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Places like Abundant Life Seeds or Organic seed alliance do specialize in preserving heirloom seeds that otherwise would have been lost to modern production. They encourage seed saving which the big companies will sue you for. I know I haven't had to plant tomatoes in a few years because of this based upon volunteers that never fail to show up in the spring which never seem to require the TLC of the store bought varieties produced by the major seedhouses. They're tough, they grow like weeds, and produce fantastic fruit in our short summers because the strong just seem to survive and get better at it from one year to the next.
Buying the organic/heirloom seeds is sort of like buying the heirloom produce grown by small farmers -- more expensive, which means that well to do, True Believers are leading the way.
Seed saving takes a bit of practice. Many of these heirloom varieties don't keep as well as the hybrids grown for their looks and ability to withstand shipping. I've had both great success and annoying failures.
The veggies we buy at the store are a bit like the show ring dogs -- bred for their looks, never mind the taste or vitamin content! Factory Farming is reminiscent of the same thing in the dog world. People want to know that their puppy is going to be as standard as their tomatoes. Sad on both accounts.
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