Visiting Seed Savers Exchange Part Two (and a chance to win heirloom seeds)
While visiting Seed Savers, you will be able to see a lot of the varieties from their catalog in the gardens. There are several trial gardens filled with vegetables and flowers, they’re organized into different families. So there’s an entire garden dedicated to cabbage family plants, onions, members of the nightshade family, etc.
Even though they’re only planting a few plants of each variety and only a few of the varieties available, it really does make you realize the number of options that we have for our home gardens.
How can you not love the classic red barn and buildings? I think they provide the perfect backdrop for heirloom vegetables and poultry.
The plants are labeled well so you can note different varieties, and decide which ones you’d like to grow in your own garden. I especially loved these galvanized seed packet holders, I must find some of these!
You’ll also be able to check see some heirloom poultry and the Ancient White Park Cattle, the rare breed of cows that they keep at Heritage Farm.
After looking through the demonstration gardens and the gift shop, you can head down to the orchard to see the fruiting plants. During our visit some of the apples were ripe. They had a sign asking you not to pick apples from the trees, but to feel free to pick any up off the ground. We picked up a few and took some photos next to their labels since we’re hoping to put in orchard someday.
I’m so glad we hit the gardens when we did, the end of August. Everything was at the height of it’s beauty and production, which made up for the fact that I missed out on this in my own garden since I was gone almost the entire month of August.
Ironically as we left, we passed what you see above – field after field of hybrid and GMO corn test plots. A stark contrast to what we had spent the morning hours enjoying at Heritage Farm.
Of course, I couldn’t leave without purchasing an heirloom seed collection to give away here on the blog. After looking over all the seeds, I finally settled on the Heritage Farm Favorites Collection. It contains: Chioggia beet, A & C Pickling cucumber, Dragon carrot, Dragon’s Tongue bean, German Pink tomato, and Seed Saver’s lettuce mix. All you have to do is comment on this post for your chance to win. Winner Chosen:
If you were in charge of keeping one kind of edible plant from extinction which one would you choose?
See more from my visit:
Visiting Seed Savers Exchange Part One
For more photos of my visit to Seed Savers that didn’t make the blog, head on over to my Flickr photostream.
Thank you so much for this generous giveaway!
If I had to keep one edible plant from extinction it would definitely be apples. I can’t get enough apples and I would happily dedicate my life to preserving them. I am hoping to put in a small orchard next year so I can start my life’s pursuit ;-)
to Ashley's comment
There is a twig beehive shaped trellis in one of your photos. What was it supporting? It looks too open to be covering anything . . .or did I miss something?
For my spouse . . .I’d say save the strawberry. We had a horrible crop this year-the chickens dug the bed up last fall. AND he’s going to miss the 2012 crop because he’ll be deployed. I’m hoping for enough berries to freeze for him to enjoy when he comes home.
to Kate's comment
There were some morning glories and some sort of squash using it for support.
to Susy's comment
Potatos!!! I could live on potatos alone!
to April's comment
cannabis is enough for food, medicine, energy and fibers.
to meeeee's comment
We would preserve apricot and peach trees. Too often they are overlooked in favor of apples and pears in Northest farms. Many farms look to grapes over them too, so I would look to preserving apricot and peach trees.
to Edward Verba's comment
I would save pears. I love all fruits and vegetables so much, but there is just something about a bite of ripe pear melting in your mouth, and not only is it good on it’s own, but it also goes well with cheese (for savory lovers) and chocolate (for sweet lovers). I think it’s shame that for most kids (like me) their introduction to pears consists of the oversweetened, grainy cubes in canned fruit salad. Fresh, ripe pears have so much more to offer!
to Elizabeth Brideau's comment
I know what you mean about pears in fruit salad. You can`t appreciate the delicious aroma of a perfectly ripe pear in those little over-processed cups.
to Marcia's comment
I would save Lacinato kale. So nutritious, easy to grow and versatile to cook with. I use it in soups, stews, braised as a side dish and dry it for kale chips. Thanks for the fun giveaway!
to Jen's comment
It’s hard, and quite frankly ridiculous to pick just one. We need the nutrients from them all together to remain healthy and happy. That said, I would really hate to give up the many varieties of heirloom tomatoes. As I grace the aisle marked “produce” in the grocery store, I cringe at the little plasticized red balls that they have chosen to lable as tomatoes. The choose not to tell me if mouse or fish genes have been genetically introduced to make them last a little longer. SAVE OUR HEIRLOOM, OPEN POLLINATED, ORGANIC CROPS.
to Lorena Heintz's comment
It’s lovely all year round but esp. Late July & August. The Fall when the leaves change and the apples are ripening–amazing! Lovely photos. Wish I could have been there–there’s no excuse, we moved back to Iowa a few yrs. ago! I love watching the corn yellow and the different shades of the soybean fields this time of year.
to Nancy Prawdzik-Steinbach's comment
I’m surprised to see they keep turkeys and chickens together – we keep ours separate as we were under the impression they can pass illness quite easily between species. I’d be interested to know more about this!
to Sarah's comment
It’s so hard to pick just one thing, but I guess if I could save one food plant from extinction it would have to be the tomato. As has already been mentioned, it’s nutritious and versatile and easy to preserve in a variety of ways from sweet to savory.
to Robinson's comment
I agree with Lorena. No fair to force a choice! But apples, maybe? Or some variety of winter squash? Guess I’m in the autumn mood. :) Let’s save them all!
to Catherine's comment
I would save TOMATOES, TOMATOES, TOMATOES!!
to Jennifer Raper's comment
If I had to save one from extinction, it would be sweet corn. With corn you can make so many other things. But i’d really love to save strawberries too. :o)
to Mariann's comment
Love the SSE! That is where the bulk of my seeds are purchased every year.
to Smedette's comment
Beans. Pole beans, specifically. Mother Stallard and the like. I adore everything about them – their growth habit, their appearance, their taste. Absolutely one of my all-time favorite plants.
to Debby Baker's comment
I would save Jaune Flamme tomatoes. Beautiful orange fruit with a tangy taste which is wonderful. Actually, I’d save any heirloom tomato.
to suzanne jameson's comment
definitely tomatoes. or squash, or broccoli, or cauliflower, or beets. or watermelon. can’t stop.
back to tomatoes!
love your site!
to Tommy's comment
I would have to choose….the humble potato. So versatile, so nutritious and grown world-wide, I think many would suffer from it`s disappearance. We all remember what happened in Ireland when their crops went bad four years in a row. I grew four kinds this year and an enjoying all of them, especially the Russian Blue (but should be called Russian Purple). If I had a big enough garden, I would grow more.
to Marcia's comment
This is a hard one. I want to say tomatoes but then I think maybe peas instead but then there’s all the different kinds of peppers. Do you get the feeling I could go on forever with this?
But then I think of the apples I picked the other day at my parents that are setting on my counter and how much I’m looking forward to the apple pie I’m going to make, I’m going with apples.
Now ask me again when the squashes are ready and you will get a different answer. Although it would probably still involve pie.
Even though I’m dating myself a little with how I write this next bit, I can’t think of a better way to say it.
Thank you for the awesome giveaway and the totally awesome site.
to Teresa Anderson's comment
If forced to choose one: tomatoes. As one who started out organically growing hybrids, I’ve been turning heirloom more and more over the years (decades!). Flavor & diversity first!
to Susan Thomas's comment
I would love to have these, my mom and I are gardening together because of your inspiration to work together.
to aubrey hannig's comment
I would save the tomato! I love them so! Almost every dinner contains some type of tomato product.
to rogina mathes's comment
I’ve only been gardening for two years, and I’m still completely blown away at how wonderful EVERYTHING home grown tastes, so choosing one item is really, really hard. But if I was forced to choose just one, fresh from the back-yard green beans would win. I can’t believe I’ve gone my whole life without knowing what they truly taste like – absolutely delicious!
Thanks for all the info you share and for the terrific give-away!
to Barbara's comment
That’s a hard question to answer but if I had to choose one I would save potato’s. I love them and there are so many ways to prepare them. A close second would be tomato’s.
to Pearl's comment
I think potatoes would be important, especially for their storage capabailites.
to Penny's comment
I love winter squash and pumpkins, and would love to steward the survival of one of them!
to Bobbie Kramer's comment
I would love to try these! I hope to make a trip from Alabama up to see SSE some day, I’ll definitely head there around August, beautiful!!
to holly's comment
tomatoes!
to holly's comment
WOW what more could a gardener want? Great giveaway!
to Grant's comment
I would probably pick tomatoes. They are my favorite.
to aruna's comment
I would save the tomatoes! I love growing and the flavors are so good! Nothing like the hard fake red balls the sell as tomatoes and taste like an old cuke!! debi
to Debi Slawson's comment
sigh.. I would say Mandy Beans which are the variety of southern pea I sent Seed Savers some 25 years ago. I hope someone somewhere is still growing it. Last time I heard tell of it, there were about 10 people growing it.
Beans & southern peas have kept many people alive thru some desperate times in the south… Yes.. I do love the southern pea/bean.
to KimH's comment
I wanted to ask (and forgot).. is that purple Morning Glory, Grandpa Otts?
to KimH's comment
I would save the lowly potato for it’s ease in growing and harvesting, it’s long storage life requiring no processing, it’s life sustaining nutrition, and it’s incredible versatility. We can cook potatoes differently for 3 meals/day and never get tired of them if they are freshly dug from the garden!
to Sherri's comment
Man, that is awesome! I would love to visit some of the gardens that I get my seeds from.
I would definitely keep tomatoes alive, particularly the Arkansas Traveler variety!
to Misti's comment
That is so neat to see the orchard; I’d love to tour one like that!
to Allison's comment
Hard to pick just one thing to save, but if I had to pick……………. Cabbage! Love it raw or cooked, can be used so many different ways. And so healthy! Now off to track the galvanized seed packet holders down..cause they are super nifty!
to Robin's comment
I would have to save nectarines. They are my favorite fruit. Closely followed by tomatoes.
I love the beehive trellis, I will be working on making my own next spring.
to Jodiana's comment
My pick would be tomatoes! I love growing heirlooms. In fact it was heirloom tomatoes that sparked my full blown gardening obsession! I often bring my little gems into work to share, and my coworkers comment on my “strange” or “alien” looking tomatoes. I gently explain that the commercially grown, perfectly red, identically shaped orbs found in grocery stores are the truly FREAKY varieties! It goes to show how the word needs to be spread about how wonderful and REAL these heirlooms are.
to Lori's comment
I love planting heirloom seeds. Maybe I’ll get lucky and win the giveaway! Thanks for the beautiful pictures!
to kmillecam's comment
That’s a toughie! I guess it would be the Chioggia beet. :)
to Stephanie Franchini Osberg's comment
Thank you so much for such a wonderful giveaway! Huge fan of SSE.
to Hailey's comment
Garlic grow so well in our garden i think I would focus my energies there. Last year the Decorah DigIn had a number of the local growers that seed savers works with to grow the seeds in systematic ways so that cross pollination does not change the genetics.
to Ryan's comment
Oh, what a hard question! I think I have to go with tomatoes. Or spinach. No, tomatoes.
I’ve loved looking at these pictures — what a gorgeous place. I”ll have to plan a trip.
to Mary's comment
Beets – You can plant them practically everywhere, the roots, leaves and stems are all edible, and they work great in both sweet and savory dishes.
to Annette's comment
That is an impossible thing to decide! I do love growing winter squashes though so if I had to be in charge of one species only I think I’d pick that.
to Annie's comment
Potatoes! The base for so much!
to kittyrose's comment
Heirloom tomatoes…people just dont know what theyre missing by only getting storebought tomatoes!
to emma's comment
Hard to limit it to one, but probably tomatoes.
to BeccaOH's comment