All seed collectors, no matter the size of their collection, should try to gather historical and varietal information about their seeds. SSE's top Collection priorities are heirlooms with a history of being saved and shared within a family or community. Ideal donations are well documented and have a story with a clear chain of ownership and providence.
Read MoreAccording to Facilities manager Jim Edrington, “Our favorite part of our job is getting to build unique stuff.”
Read MoreHeritage Farm is a plant genebank - we maintain thousands of varieties of plant types. We call our seed bank, orchards, in vitro tissue cultures, and vegetative plant repository the collection and every year we grow out a portion of the collection to increase and/or refresh stock and for evaluation and observation purposes.
Read MoreIf seed reserves stored elsewhere are destroyed, the seeds deposited in seed banks act as a reserve for future planting, protecting the biodiversity of our planet. Seed banks store genetic diversity, but that diversity may be of little value if it remains frozen in a vault, inaccessible to growers.
Read MoreSeed Savers Exchange (SSE) has been holding tomato tastings for ten years. The events have always been popular and we often have guests attending from across the country. But if you can’t make the trek to Heritage Farm in Northeast Iowa, here's how you can set up a tasting of your own.
Read MoreWe are always trying to innovate our routines at SSE and this year, Seed House Manager Tom Wahlberg managed to simplify and quicken the way we collect watermelon seeds.
Read MoreLast week Phil and Steffen, the SSE evaluation team, were busy evaluating watermelons. This year Preservation grew 17 varieties of watermelon, a typical number, as it is a big crop that takes up a lot of space in the field.
Read MoreUnlike the ubiquitous “cantaloupes” in today’s supermarkets, this melon has a divine aroma and flavor whose complexities are difficult to capture in words – sweet, spicy, nutmeg-like, with a distinctive floral aftertaste. If you are looking for an alternative to today’s standard melon, look no further than ‘Nutmeg.’
Read MoreIn recognition of 40 years’ dedication to saving and sharing heirloom seeds, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has signed a proclamation announcing that July, 2015 is officially Seed Savers Exchange Month across the state of Iowa. In the proclamation, which was signed at the state capitol in Des Moines on June 10, Governor Branstad encourages “all Iowans to honor and celebrate this occasion through appropriate festivities and observances” and commends the staff of Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) for the “diligent efforts and undying passion by which they complete this important work to preserve our rich heritage.”
Read MoreAccording to William Woys Weaver’s 1997 book Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener’s Guide to Planting, Seed Saving, and Cultural History, the lettuce we know as 732 ‘Paris White Cos’ was "sold in this country as early as 1802 by Bernard M’Mahon of Philadelphia. M’Mahon sold it under the name White Cos." Weaver describes the lettuce as “a heavy drinker and will never develop its famous crispness unless it is kept well-watered, none of which seemed out of the ordinary to me. But Weaver goes on, “This is also one of the popular lettuces that was used for stewing..." Yes, you read that correctly. Stewed lettuce. It sounded slimy to me, but intriguing nevertheless.
Read MoreSeed Savers Exchange is a nonprofit, member supported organization that collects, preserves and shares heirloom seeds for our future. Since 1975, SSE and our supporters have collected the seeds and stories that would otherwise have been lost.
Seed Savers Exchange is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of heirloom seeds.
Seed Savers Exchange
3094 North Winn Road
Decorah, Iowa 52101
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(563) 382-5990
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