Seed Saving Stories & Why We Should Save Seeds

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Today I wanna share with you about seeds, the little itty bitty teeny meany promises for the future that create ripples of life when they're placed in the soil. Although they're small enough to slip through your fingers, they're also strong enough to carry the blueprint of life from one generation to the next seed saving. The reason I'm diving into this conversation today is one, because some of the future guests I'm chatting with are leaders in the seed saving world. Kind of just wanted everybody to have the same background on this topic, but two, I just saved my farm. Thousands and thousands of dollars. Money I would have needed to spend on seeds in the future from big companies. Like I purchased a lot of mine from Johnny's Seeds. I saved all that money by saving our own seeds from this year's crops. Instead of relying on folks like Johnny's to ship seeds here every season, I spent all of yesterday out in the fields saving our own. We had our first really hard freeze last night, so I knew that a lot of the crops were gonna be toast So I spent most of yesterday out in the field collecting flowers, seed heads, fruits, everything else that I needed to save seeds from, and filled bags and bags we've saved our own seeds but never to this extent. Just the easy things. Lofas, those are really easy. Some kinds of flowers. But this year we saved almost everything. If you're new to the Global Stewardship Podcast, here's a little background. I'm a traveling farmer. I traveled to farms in food producers all around the globe, sharing stories of faithful land stewards who are passionate about regeneration and renewal of the land i'm based out of a co-op farm in the Carolinas, and we rented and leased this land up until this summer, now that we're purchasing the farm property, we're in a city right outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Our bills are increasing astronomically, property tax, mortgage power, and electric, all those things. The house is like five to six times bigger than our last was. Plus, we're finally making investments into the farm. Now that it's going to be hours that we had kind of put on the back burner so now we're having to save money like never before. Our, uh, like I said, our bills are just so much higher it's kind of daunting. Um, hence why saving thousands on seeds is a huge deal and it really, I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful that we are in this situation and it pushed me to have to save seeds like never before because it was kind of one of those things like, why have we not always done this? It took me a day of time, and it's not like it was a full crazy day. I was still parenting, I was still cooking, still doing other farm things, but I was able to save thousands and thousands of seeds and could have saved more if we needed to. We just didn't need that many of each variety of things that we saved, but. I wanted to dive into seed saving today because I just felt so inspired after my day yesterday, and I wanted to share some heartbreaking but eye-opening facts about seed loss, but then also some inspiring stories. So I'm, I'm just gonna start out with some of these statistics and facts about seed loss, genetic erosion industrial agriculture and how it's impacted diversity and resilience in our seeds and our food system. We've lost 75% of global crop diversity in just the last century. That's three quarters of the world's plant genetic diversity that has vanished since the early 19 hundreds alone. Seeds that were once adapted to local soils, weather and pests have now disappeared as uniform industrial varieties have taken over. There were 7,000 crops that humans once cultivated, and now only about 30 predominantly feed the world. But just of those 30, just three, wheat, rice and maize make up nearly 60% of. The average calories that a human consumes on a daily basis. This means that the global food system has become dangerously narrow and fragile, focusing on just those three main crops. In the us, 93% of seed varieties were lost between 1903 and 1983. So the US 93% globally, it's been 75% in the last century, but in the US 93% of seed varieties were lost between 1903 and 1983. 93%. That is absolutely insane. And it shows that the US is kind of a leader in this problem. For example, there were once 544 kinds of cabbage grown in the US and now fewer than 30 remain. Same goes for corn, lettuce, peas. They were once abundant in diversity and now they're just mostly standardized. And I even see this when you do purchase from different seed companies, the varieties, especially heirloom varieties are getting narrower and narrower, even Johnny's, for example, we had to buy from Johnny's'cause we needed large quantities. But, everything is becoming hybrid. I really like Bakers Creek heirloom seeds. I think it's true seeds.com. But, they're fantastic and have some, some special varieties that are hanging on there, but they sell'em in pretty small packs and we needed really big ones for fields and we certainly do grow some of those specialty things and are excited to save more and more seeds year after year. But it's a huge problem. Five corporations control over 60% of the world's seed market companies like you may have guessed them, Bayer, which they were the ones who bought out Monsanto, Corteva, and Syngenta. All three of those guys are part of the five that dominate the global seed trade, and many of their seeds are genetically modified and planted. So that means that farmers can't legally save or share them. Now, I, I have some Wolfers here, volunteers from around the world, and we just were talking about this the other day and they asked me like, how is that, how is that really enforced? How is that possible when seeds are genetically modified and they are changed from their original natural design into something that is, it's, it's beyond a hybrid. It is something that is no longer genetically natural In many cases, they're not even saveable. They wouldn't match the parent crop. Farmers can't legally save or share them and that those five corporations control over 60% of the world's seed market. I would argue they're some of the greatest reason why we're seeing such a decline in seed diversity. Farmers also used to save a hundred percent of their seeds and now fewer than 20% do. I don't know where that statistic comes from, like, you know how accurate that is'cause they certainly didn't ask me to contribute to that statistic, but I think it's probably true and maybe even fewer. And fewer than 20% farmers used to save all of our seeds? Just think about it, over a hundred years ago, what farmer did not save their seeds? Corporate consolidation, seed laws and dependence on these hybrid and genetically modified seeds have stripped farmers of this ancient wisdom and an ancient right for corporations to no longer allow certain seeds to be saved or to be making seeds that are not saveable, that is stripping farmers of the ancient right to save and replant their own seed stock. And I am sure the farmers listening think this is all old news and I know you know this. We're gonna get to some interesting stuff that you don't know soon. But if there's someone listening who is like My Wooer volunteers that didn't know this stuff before coming here, I think it is crucial to know these things about our food system. Another huge one, glyphosate, I know you farmers know this. Glyphosate in similar herbicides, pesticides have pressured seed diversity even more since the 1990s, I believe. The rise of what we call quote unquote Roundup ready genetically modified crops. They are engineered to survive glyphosate spraying, which has led to massive mono monocultures. These are fields that are planted in largely just the same thing, like when you pass by a cotton field or corn field. Those are monocultures, but it wipes out native plants and pollinators and reduces natural cross pollination that sustains diversity. So not only are these crops not saveable, not sellable by anybody other than these corporations, but they've made it so that their crops are sprayed. And it is killing all the diversity in those fields. Additionally, of course, changes in weather systems and climate are exposing. How fragile our modern seeds are. A lot of these uniform lab bred seeds can't handle unpredictable swings in temperature, drought, new pests, but traditional varieties that could adapt, have largely vanished. This is so frightening. I think we talked about this on the very first episode of the Global Stewardship Podcast. I brought this up with Greg Johns man. A lot of the genetically modified varieties, bananas, cotton, rice, corn, when you genetically modify a crop to a certain point and you're trying to constantly fight off pests and disease with it, you are killing its chance at adapting and creating its own natural resilience. And when those seeds that are genetically. Changed manmade are what is sold largely on the market. And you're no longer prioritizing saving the ancient corn seeds or the varieties of bananas that had spent hundreds of years adapting to their climate. And you're putting something just manmade upfront and center. Not only are you allowing those pests and disease to adapt to the manmade thing, but we are va. But as I said, the traditional varieties are vanishing. Over 13% of wild relatives of crops like rice, beans, and potatoes are threatened with extinction. These plants carry the genetic keys for breeding future resilience. So once they're gone, we lose those traits forever. I just don't think that people realize this, and I know, I know they don't realize it because I have these conversations with large scale industrial farmers every day, and I certainly think there's a lot of nuance to this conversation, but it is true that the wild relatives of major crops are vanishing, and with them, those traits will be gone forever. Another kind of scary thought is that farmers who are in war in disaster zones are losing centuries old seed lines, basically overnight. From Ukraine to Syria. Conflict has destroyed local seed banks and fields that were being used to grow these crops and are wiping out irreplaceable, heirloom seeds that evolved in those exact climates over generations. And we're going to chat about that in a minute. The exciting things that are happening to help us feel hopeful, there are communities who are rebuilding the seed commons, grassroots networks, indigenous seed keepers, seed saving organizations that are out there. They're quietly but impactfully restoring what has been lost. Oftentimes, it's behind the scenes, so that's why we're chatting about it today because it's not. In the front and center of our food system conversations oftentimes, but they are proving that biodiversity isn't gone. It may be vanishing, but because these people are stepping into these roles, and I, you know what? I feel like I'm stepping into that role too. I saved all my own seeds this year. That is pretty freaking incredible. We're proving that biodiversity is not gone. It's just resting in our hands and in our soil waiting to be replanted and watered and brought back to life. So we're gonna dive into some incredible stories throughout history seed saving stories that I think are inspirational. The first is seeds that have survived war and famine. The Salard Global Seed Vault in Norway. It's also known as the Doomsday Vault, it is an Arctic seed bank that preserves more than a million seed varieties from nearly every nation in the world. It's nicknamed the Doomsday Vault because it is designed to protect the world's crop diversity in case of a global catastrophe, whether it be war, natural disaster, or climate change. It's buried deep inside of a mountain in the Arctic. You probably haven't been anywhere near the seed vault because it is located on a very small island, very far north, about 800 miles from the North Pole, and it's carved into permafrost to keep the seeds frozen. Even if the power fails, The temperature stays at about negative 18 degrees Celsius, which is half a degree below freezing Fahrenheit. That's the optimal temperature for long-term seed storage, and the permafrost adds a natural backup cooling system. In case of emergency. There are more than 1.2 million seed samples from almost every country on Earth that are inside this vault. There's rice, wheat, barley, beans, maize, and even the wild relatives of common crops that we still have. Every country does own their seeds that are in the vault. So even though the vault is managed by Norwegians, the seeds deposited remain the property of the country or institution that sent them. I thought it was very similar to like a safe deposit box in a bank. This particular seed vault is built to last 10,000 years. The structure was designed with very minimal human maintenance in mind. So it's resistant to earthquakes, rising sea levels, and other threats, and the vault pairs the island with more polar bears than people. I think there's roughly 3000 polar bears in this area. Here's some of the things that you may not know about it. Access is strictly limited to the vault managers, and then a small team of maintenance staff. Even scientists who are depositing seeds do not go inside. They hand them over at the door, which is actually crazy to think about. There's also no security guard considering that var is one of the safest places on earth, partly because of its remoteness and maybe the 3000 polar bears. There's no armed guard at the vault, just minimum security. But, uh, like I said, I think the occasional polar bear wandering by is probably, probably good enough reason to not want to go and rob this thing. Seeds also arrived by ordinary male, so, although the doomsday kind of feeling makes you think this is really, really serious. Seed shipments just arrive in simple packages flown from Oslo, then shipped on commercial flights or ferries, and they're just treated like normal everyday mail, something that's interesting is that the vault has three separate chambers. Each one can hold over 1.5 million seed samples. So considering that only 1.2 are in there now, two of the chambers are still sealed and will be sealed until they're needed. The vault is also considered a backup of backups, and this is where the story gets interesting. They only accept seeds that are already stored in national or regional seed banks elsewhere. So it's not meant to be this one place answers all the problems main storage. It's the world's final fail safe in case something happens to the originals. And believe it or not, this has already had to be used. And before we dive into that part of the story, just wanted to mention that there are seeds in this vault that are over 2000 years old, some as old as 13,000 years old. And they're still viable, meaning they'll still sprout. So even though Boulevard is the most famous. Seed vault in the world. There are over 17,000 gene banks worldwide. When war in Syria destroyed their main seed bank, and Aleppo scientists withdrew seeds from Alvar to plant them in Lebanon. This was the first time like real world use of the vault. So like I said, even though it's supposed to be the backup of backups, they actually had to use it. This is a literal resurrection story. Seeds that fled war and were put in this vault in Norway are now growing again in their homeland after being completely destroyed. They would've been completely wiped away had they not been saved in this arctic vault surrounded by polar bears in Norway. How crazy is that? The Gene bank and Aleppo in Syria, in the early 2000 tens, they had over 140,000 CIC sessions, which are distinct seed samples from many countries, but especially from the Middle East. And when the Civil War escalated and the gene bank became unsafe, staff and operations were disrupted, and maintaining the seeds became impractical. The reason I mention this story is I think it's a powerful, real world validation saying that this is actually important. This isn't just some like f fru thing that people are just doing for fun. It's a powerful example of this insurance policy. Role of seed banking actually working. The seeds weren't just stored for some distant future catastrophe. They were needed right away. They were needed within the past decade. And actually the seeds that they pulled out of the seed vault in Norway had only been deposited within the last decade. Thank goodness that they did deposit seeds in there. The seeds that were retrieved did successfully germinate. They multiplied, and now they've been redistributed, which means that the system worked. I also loved that the solution to this issue wasn't just local, it was a global cooperation project. It shows that the interconnectedness of the global seed system, the food system, is so important. A gene bank in Syria. Gave their seeds to a facility in Norway and then they actually sent their seeds to be multiplied in Lebanon and Morocco, this is global stewardship and practice like I've never shared before. Most importantly, after withdrawal and after the seeds have been planted and regenerated, they have deposited new seeds back into salard, it does highlight that gene banks need active systems to multiply and distribute these seats. Storage alone is not enough. If we don't have viable systems on the ground able to plant and sprout this new old, new, old life. Without it, gene collections are at risk. Another quick kind of crazy global seed collection story. I'll just briefly share it. It was during World War II in Russia. There was a botanist who created the world's first global seed collection. It was in the 1920s. He was searching for the origins of cultivated plants. During the siege of linen grad, his team actually starved to death, protecting seeds. They refused to eat, even the edible ones, believing that they were humanity's future. It was an unmatched act of devotion to stewardship. And my first question when learning this famous story was, did they die for nothing? Of course, the people who were inside had no way of knowing what was happening on the outside. There were seed samples in there from 64 countries, it was the the first and largest seed bank in the world. They had no way of knowing what was happening outside to know whether or not these would be crucial for the continuation of mankind. But during World War ii, linen grad was besieged by Nazi forces for nearly 900 days. About a million civilians starved to death. And inside this seed saving vault. A small group stayed behind to protect the collection. They're the ones who refused to eat the rice, wheat potatoes that was stored all around them. They chose to die of hunger rather than destroying what they called the future of mankind. At least nine scientists starved to death in that building. One was found at his desk surrounded by stacks of edible seeds and tubers. They genuinely believed that if they ate the collection, humanity might lose irreplaceable genetic material forever. In a purely practical sense, I think yes, you could argue that those specific seeds likely wouldn't have saved or ended the war or anything like that. That the crops outside the institute kept growing and eventually modern seed banks, have replicated and even surpassed these collections. But I think that view misses the significance of their act. It mattered deeply because Their collection survived the siege. Those seeds later became the foundation for decades of agricultural research, crop breeding, famine prevention in the Soviet Union. Many of those same varieties actually exist today and seed vaults across the world. They showed that stewardship is sacred. Even in that desperation, their sacrifice embodied the idea that seeds are not commodities, but they're heritage. They were trusting for future generations. What stood out to me is that their choice was really a statement of faith that life will continue, and what applied to me yesterday when I spend the whole day saving seeds is that the future, feeding the future sometimes means sacrifice in the present. So many people are looking for the easy out and not putting in the work to do these things. Feeding the future sometimes means sacrificing in the present. Honestly a pretty crazy story and I wonder what I would've done in their shoes. Another story that may be familiar is the story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, beans. In the US when the Cherokee were forced. West during the Trail of Tears. Many women sowed bean seeds into their clothing hymns to preserve them. These seeds still grow today, and you may have bought them if you've ever bought the Cherokee wax, like the yellow colored kind of waxy crunchy green beans, but they're not, they're not green, they're yellow. These are some of the beans that they carried. The Trail of Tears was the fourth relocation of several Native American nations from their ancestral lands in the southeast of the US to lands west of the Mississippi River. This was during the 1830s. The reason I give this background is because there are a lot of listeners from around the world who may not know these stories. The relocations were brutal. Thousands of people died from exposure, starvation, and diseased during these forced marches. The Cherokee alone were an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 people. It's actually remembered as one of the most tragic stories, events in US history. It was a literal death march that attempted to strip indigenous people of their land, culture, and way of life, cherokee women and other indigenous people sowed these seeds into their clothing, hems, or even sometimes braided them into their hair, effectively hiding them on their persons during this forced migration. Of course, that's practical, but it's also symbolic. They needed to preserve food and crops to hopefully replant in their new homes. But it's symbolic because it was such an act of resilience, a way to protect their culture and their agricultural knowledge despite the suppression so many people are losing agricultural knowledge and it's such an ancestral important thing. It should be important to us to know where our food comes from, to know what we're growing and why, and we're losing it like crazy for a visual of how these seeds made it. Were saved. Beans, corn kernels, and squash seeds were sewn into waistbands, into hymns of skirts tucked into pockets, or they were wrapped in small cloth bundles and I am really proud to be able to grow some of these seeds. It's an act of cultural continuity, food sovereignty, ecological stewardship. A lot of these are seeds that have been in these areas of the United States for thousands of years. Slowly changing, growing, and adapting to the climate here. And I'm honored to be able to keep growing these in lieu of the hybrid corn varieties, genetically modified varieties. It's, it's really an impactful thing to do to choose seeds wisely. In a similar vein, there are stories of enslaved Africans, braiding rice, okra, black eyed peas, and millet seeds into their hair before being shipped across the ocean across the Atlantic. These plants ultimately shaped the cuisine and agriculture of the Americas, the Gola and Geechee cultures that are very near and dear to my heart. Being from the Savannah and Charleston areas, Southern Creole cooking, it was a literal lineage of survival and identity through seeds. The idea that some women may have hidden seeds in braids, hair, or clothing isn't super farfetched to me. Believe it or not, people debate this, but just like our last story, I'm sure they wanted to be able to have the confidence knowing they had something with them, they could plant in the new world or wherever they were going to carry a piece of home with them. There are many oral traditions that preserve this memory and share these stories. Genuinely just stop and think about it. What does it mean to carry a seed on your person? How much burden, hope, memory is wrapped up in that? And if you're not a farmer or a gardener, maybe you can't begin to understand or fathom or, or even have a clue. And I certainly, even with extensive time growing, I still could not imagine the weight and depth of being in that situation. Ultimately, I also think there are much broader implications for food systems and stewardship that these stories teach us. Seed transport contributed to the formation of many different food ways. It's why we have rice cultivation in the south of the us, especially in the low country, the sea Islands. Like when we chatted with Greg Johns again on the very first episode of this show, or the very first interview episode, so episode two And the crops that form that this southern diet, the things that I grow to this day and that culturally people eat here, they came from somewhere else. This matters deeply to me because when I eat, when I plant seeds, when I cook something in the kitchen, I don't just see food. I don't just see a crop. I see rich in depth stories. Next time you touch a bean or plant a seed, consider the stories that it carries. Stories of land, of people, movement, stories of hope, really that, I mean, that's what it is. Especially heirloom ancient varieties that are still here today. Somebody had to do the work of saving those seeds. Like we talked about with the Vermont episode recently with Erin from Scott Farm Orchard, she is carrying on the legacy. Every single generation somebody has had to graft those apple trees and she's the next in that line of people who cared enough about that thing to keep it growing and surviving, this is global stewardship. Now what's pretty powerful about seeds though is that when they're properly stored, they can be saved for ages. Here's an example of some seeds that were resurrected after what we thought was their extinction. There was an ancient Judean date palm from Israel. In 2005, scientists germinated a 2000 year old date seed. It became the world's oldest viable seed to sprout. That was a huge symbol of revival and continuity for the planting, seed saving world. Also, there was a sacred lotus seed from China. They were 1300 year old lotus seeds. They were successfully germinated from a dried lake bed one of my favorite books, which I hesitate to recommend because Google says it's not completely factually backed up. It's called Seeds of Destruction, and it is the story of how big companies have taken over the globe virtually with genetically modified seeds and have killed the food resilience and food sovereignty of countries and people groups all over the world. The book may not be 100% factual. It may be elevated and exaggerated. I'm, I'm not, I'm not persuaded that it is, but I think a conventional farmer would tell you that it is, but if this conversation has shared anything and that 93% of the genetic diversity in seeds has been lost in the US in just a short amount of time. Clearly, it's not totally based on nothing, and communities all around the world, farming communities feel very much under attack. Everywhere I travel, all of the farmers I visit feel this deeply and are very concerned about it. One example is in Guatemala, there's indigenous Mayan farmers. They protect their heritage corn varieties. In defiance of this hybrid and genetically modified seed pressure, they actually hold seed festivals to celebrate their native maize. Each kernel is treated as a relative to them, not a commodity. These seed festivals combine cultural celebration and seed exchange and education. Sometimes they'll be gastronomic festivals where dishes are made with native corn seeds. Ancient varieties will be showcased. I've, I've seen these festivals and similar ones with thousands of varieties of potatoes in Peru at big gatherings, in celebrations. Workshops and educational talks going over the threats like genetically modified seeds and seed privatization. I think largely the focus is just on community seed sovereignty, where indigenous people and people who live in those areas are making it publicly known that they are standing for their native seeds, that they're standing to protect their native crops. Unfortunately, though like the rest of the world, there are ongoing threats and vulnerabilities. There's a big loss of seed diversity happening as farmers are adopting commercial and hybrid seeds and abandoning local varieties. There are threats from GMO contamination. This is one of my biggest arguments. Many farmers will say to me, oh, well, GMOs, they don't harm you. I'm not worried about genetically modified crops harming my physical body. I'm worried about them allowing for corporate control of seeds I'm worried about them hurting and damaging our ecosystems so that native heritage ancestral varieties are no longer able to fight against the pests and diseases. I, and I am worried about them damaging those same ancient varieties. Seeds are more than just beginnings of plants. They are carriers of culture, history, resilience, and hope. So I found it such an honor to spend my day yesterday preparing for the freeze and saving as many seeds as I could in a short amount of time. Genuinely, other than purchasing a few seeds, just for fun to start saving some unique, more unique heirloom varieties from Baker's Creek. Other than those, I think we're gonna be all set. We have all the seeds that we need for next year, and that is mind blowing. We have a lot, we grow a, a huge amount of space. To wrap up the show today, I wanted to dive into 10 reasons why Saving Your Own Seeds is revolutionary. It's not just practical, it is revolutionary. The first reason is resilience against crises. Imagine being one of those farmers in war torn Syria, and the seed bank is threatened by conflict. What would you have done if the seeds were not backed up and didn't survive on a smaller scale, saving seeds is my personal insurance policy. When weather pests or supply chains fail, or I purchase seeds and they get rained on in their package, I still have life in my hands. Second reason is food sovereignty. Like, during the Trail of Tears story, They were forced across the continent, yet they carried the future of their food cultural, yet they carried the future of their food culture on their bodies. Saving seeds today is really no different, though. It puts control of your food system back in your hands. The third thing I reflected on yesterday was. The importance of preserving heirloom in local varieties. Every seed has a story like the Mayan farmers in Guatemala. They're protecting hundreds of varieties of things that have fed their families for generations. When you save seeds, you're preserving that flavor, culture, and biodiversity that might otherwise disappear. The fourth reason, adaptation to local conditions, plants naturally adapt to your garden's, unique climate, soil, and microenvironment. When you save seeds from your healthiest crops year after year, you're essentially breeding plants that thrive in your own backyard, so you're creating your own locally optimized varieties. I've seen this firsthand. I know I said that I haven't been saving 100% of our seeds all this time, but we have been saving seeds, and I have found that every single year, saving seeds from the strongest plants, the strongest fruits, create the strongest child plants the following year. As I talked about reason number five, saving money and being independent. Commercial seeds can be really expensive. They get more expensive year after year. It's mind blowing how much money you can spend on a few little seeds and heirloom varieties, or even more so. So saving seeds. Let's use skip the store, cut those costs, and build independence from big agriculture and those big companies. The sixth reason you should be saving your old seeds is therapeutic and mindful practice. I had such an amazing time yesterday harvesting, pulling apart these seeds. It was surprisingly meditative. I was just spending a quiet morning and afternoon feeling the different textures of all the plants that I had picked sorting kernels and seeds. It was very slow and redundant, but definitely grounding and a great winter activity. Reason number seven, I think strengthening your community and sharing that knowledge with other people is huge. I've recently started participating in seed exchanges, and they're not just about plants. They're really about connection with other people, getting to know other growers Sharing seeds, swapping seeds, stories and wisdom. Each feed itself carries centuries of knowledge, but when you're interacting face-to-face with other growers, it's pretty impactful. My introverted self has to get out there and do this more often. I have to force myself to go to more seed swaps this year it's also my way of giving back. Number eight, I would just say, is empowerment and self-reliance. Every seed you save is an act of autonomy. You're deciding what grows in your garden, what your table looks like, and which varieties survive for the next generation. I think on a more serious note, number nine would be something in terms of weather and climate because by selecting seeds from plants that are becoming drought resistant. Pest resistant, and that can withstand high heats, whatever it is in your area, your direct zone, and they're not made in the lab, they're evolving and they're learning and growing season after season to be more resilient, that seed saving actually becomes a form of climate adaptation. Your garden is strengthening and evolving with the planet. You're helping along that natural selection process. The last thought and most important reason to save seeds is that it's a legacy for future generations. As we've chatted about seeds are living history, whether it's enslaved Africans carrying rice, okra, black-eyed peas, preserving their culture, nourishment and survival in the midst of unimaginable oppression. Every seed that you save today is a gift to the future, A way to pass on your life. It is so sad to see people only purchasing the same basic foods at the grocery store, having no idea where their food comes from, and when they do get these genetically modified or hybrid varieties back to their tables, not having that meaningful relationship to where their food comes from or those cultural stories anymore. I mean, one of the most incredible things for me was when I started farming, getting to share with people about varieties that they'd never heard of, or colors of different foods that they'd never seen or heard of, whether it was purple bell peppers or purple beans instead of green beans. Such an opportunity to start those conversations. Yeah. Legacy for future generations. Every seed that you preserve is a story. It's a safeguard. It's a tiny act of stewardship, and I feel really inspired. I'm, I'm really glad that I did that yesterday. Next season when you harvest your garden paws, collect those seeds, save them. Think about the generations you're connecting. I loved doing that yesterday. Past, present, and future. We're the continuation and what an awesome honor that is. And you wanted to talk more about the seed saving conversation and you have not yet listened to episode two with Greg Johnsson from Marsh and Mill. That might be a good episode to go and listen to last week's episode that I posted actually Thursday, so I was a couple days late'cause we recorded Tuesday with Cassidy Daniel about her life up in the Arctic. So fascinating. That was one of my all time favorites. Whether you end up seed saving or you just stop and pause and look at your meal differently this week and reflect on really where it came from, that would be a win for me. I would love to hear your stories and your thoughts, your response to this episode. Leave a review. I always like to know. I need your feedback. Send your guest recommendations or send me a message. I hope you guys have a great week.