Heirloom Vegetables

In my last blog, I posted my opinions about how seeds make for a great Time Capsule.  Preserving food for future generations is as important as preserving wisdom and art.  With that said, the next question becomes rather obvious . . . What should be kept?

This question is not as simple as you might think.  On one hand, to state any and all seeds should be saved is the correct answer.  Yet, on the other hand, a person can also take a good look at what information and what seeds should be kept and go in with a strategic plan.  This plan will also need to include sources for these seeds.

The first source for any seed is your own garden.  Since each plant creates a multitude of it’s own seeds, the best place to get a large number of seeds is your own garden.  This will ensure the quality is to your liking.  If you grow organically, without sprays, or chemicals, you can trust the quality of the seeds.  This will also ensure the quality of the garden for future generations.

Preserve Heirloom Seeds

But what if you are just starting?  What if you don’t already have a garden from which to pull your seeds?  Well, my suggestion is to get involved in a Seed Exchange program like THIS ONE at SeedSavers.org.  This Non-Profit organization is dedicated to preserving heirloom seeds and sharing them with its members.  This reduces the number of GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) seeds and plants in our food supply.  By Reducing the GMO seeds, we are able to grow traditional vegetables that are the way God created.  Non-modified, traditional seeds grow non-modified-great-tasting food.

Another great source for Heirloom vegetables is rareseeds.com.  It was not very long ago that many of the varieties of Heirloom were thought to be extinct, or close to it.  What a travesty it would be for us to allow these healthy plants that are so necessary for our daily lives to be extinct!  It is more than just about the food supply, it is also about the health risks that go along with it.  What do we loose when a particular type of plant goes extinct?  What if that plant holds the key to a future disease to be cured?  It is not just about the flavor.  There are a million reasons to purchase these things and keep them in your garden and keep additional seeds in your time capsules.

Sources set aside, the question still remains . . . What seeds should be kept.  There are currently over 1400 different varieties of Heirloom Vegetables to choose from.  Here are some of the things I believe should be staples in every seed time capsule and garden:

Save Seeds for Future Generations

While this is certainly not an exhaustive, or comprehensive list, it also is not a basic list either.  These are, to me, the sustainable and marketable seeds that should be saved for future generations.  Add to this list anything that you, your family, your friends, or anyone else will eat.  The food that is saved may save a family, or even a civilization.  Or, it may be as simple as allowing a future generation to grow vegetables they may not have tasted before.  Vegetables that are not modified by genetic structures.  Vegetables that taste best because they are grown in dirt, in the back yard.

You may want to scrap my list and create your own.  You may want to keep only fruits and vegetables that you will eat in the future.  You may want to keep things from your family and from your childhood.

Regardless of what you choose to put in your time capsule, be sure to include the knowledge to go along with it.  Get your own time capsule here to get started. Include growing guides in different printed and digital formats.  Type of sun, soil, water and care.  The future generations may not have ever seen the seeds you choose to keep, and therefore may not know the wisdom to grow these plants.  Be sure that all the necessary information is included.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Mark