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Heirloom Heritage Seeds - Politics, Business, Civil, History - Posted: 7th Mar, 2008 - 3:24pm
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Heirloom And Heritage Seeds
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| Heirloom and heritage seeds By Green Living Tips | Published 07/21/2007 | Tastier fruit and vegetables with heritage and heirloom seeds Noticed how tomatoes don't taste the same as they used to? Experienced strawberries that seem to be just insipid bags of water? Do apples seem to be more acidic and less flavorsome than in bygone years to you? As we get older, our taste buds certainly do get less sensitive, but there is a more insidious reason for fruit and vegetables not tasting anywhere near as good as they once did. They've been engineered not to. Taste appears to be the least important factor to the companies that produce the seeds for most of the world's fruits, vegetables, and grains. ... In the USA, only 5% of the apple varieties that existed 200 years ago still remain. In the UK, 90% of vegetable varieties have disappeared over the last century. ... Hybrid varieties are developed by companies for pest resistance, fast growth and uniformity; then marketed to a such a degree that traditional varieties lose popularity and disappear. They are also are bred for qualities related to easy machine harvesting, long distance transport and refrigeration. The seeds you buy at your nursery, even the fruit and vegetables you purchase from organic farms are likely to be these hybrid varieties. Another disturbing issue is just a handful of companies control the majority of the world's seed production and as a result, farmers and home gardeners are basically held to ransom. One of the largest players in the seed industry with the most control is Monsanto - a leading biotechnology company and pioneer in genetically engineered seeds. ... To tie farmers to the company Monsanto makes the farmer sign an agreement promising not to plant seeds their crops produce. The gathering of seeds from a successful crop for the next year's planting is an age old practice. Monsanto is also the company that bought rights to "suicide" or "terminator" seed technology some years ago. This is where the seeds produced by a crop are sterile, helping to ensure that the farmer does have to pay for more seed. Thankfully, global backlash and a UN treaty in 2000 prevented these suicide seeds from entering the marketplace. There was great concern of contamination of other crops resulting in normal seeds acquiring the terminator traits, causing crop failures and giving Monsanto even greater control over the seed industry. ...Without genetic diversity being maintained, food production is at risk from epidemics and infestations. For example, over 70% of the corn acreage grown in the U.S.A. was planted with just six varieties of corn back in the early 1970's. When a new strain of southern leaf blight fungus emerged in 1970-71, many corn fields across the country were wiped out. An estimated 250 million bushels of corn was lost to the blight in Illinois alone. |
https://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/13...tage-seeds.html
This is a great article, though it was begun just on the basis of how fruits and vegetables taste. For me, it's absolutely terrifying that some huge corporation somewhere (or several corporations) will someday have control of all the seed-grown food resources. The lesson in all this? FIND AND GROW HERITAGE SEEDS and then reserve some every year from your harvest to plant again in the next season. Your survival, and your family's survival, may depend on it someday.
This is a great article, though it was begun just on the basis of how fruits and vegetables taste. For me, it's absolutely terrifying that some huge corporation somewhere (or several corporations) will someday have control of all the seed-grown food resources. The lesson in all this? FIND AND GROW HERITAGE SEEDS and then reserve some every year from your harvest to plant again in the next season. Your survival, and your family's survival, may depend on it someday.
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Does anybody know where you would find heritage seeds?
I'm guessing you would have to try somewhere like a family run allotment, where they've been growing from the crop year in year out, but not too sure whether that would count.
It's terrible to see what's happening without the public even having a say, plus, soon you're going to have to go along with the monopoly and have the fruit and vegetables they provide, do without, or like Farseer pointed out...do something positive about it now!
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Heirloom And Heritage Seeds History & Civil Business Politics
DianeC, you can also find seed sources on the internet. If you run a search for heritage seeds or heirloom seeds, you'll have many options. One that I saw was actually an exchange, where folks would share the seeds they have with others. There's a small charge for the seeds, of course, plus shipping and handling.
If countries like Norway thinks it's important to seal away seeds in a Doomsday Vault, perhaps it's something the rest of us should be thinking about, too.
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Thanks for that Farseer, it's funny I hadn't heard of it before, yet when I looked under your suggested headings, there was plenty of info!
I think it's definitely the way to go, before the only things available to buy are the things that the big companies have monopolized and are forcing you to buy... pretty worrying stuff really.
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Seeds Heritage Heirloom
I agree it's scary, but at the same time it's something to motivate us to get going. I'd like to have more experience growing my own food, so now's the time to get the seeds to grow and save for each future year. Besides the fact that with inflation so out of control, having a garden will significantly reduce our food costs.
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Heirloom And Heritage Seeds
Actually you can buy what is called old world seeds. Good news DianC you live in the country that acts as the wolds source! I was watching a show on castles and it discussed how when a German fellow bought on of them he started cleaning the yards up and he found intact 90 % of the old vegetable garden.
Since the vegetables were native to the area they just were reseeding themselves and grew on their own surviving for hundreds of years there. So he harvest the seeds ad found others of the same mind and traded seeds. Thus many things can now be bought on the market again. So go nuts!
It is an excellent idea for us adults to teach our children how to compost house waste and work the ground to provide food as well as how to kill and animal clean it safely. These are skills all should know in my opinion. Even if it is just a flower put with hot peppers in it or a basket of straw berries.
Here are some links on this as ell as the dooms day Vault.
https://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/home..._homeweb21.html
https://www.oldseedhousegarden.com/
https://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/rss/article/222951
As far as cost goes I think buying frozen veggies is the cheaper route a good garden costs to grow. 
Edited: krakyn on 7th Mar, 2008 - 2:31pm
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Heirloom Heritage Seeds
I much appreciated your information Farseer and Krakyn, and didn't realize there were opportunities practically on my doorstep (so as to speak)
Funnily enough, a local gardening club advertised in last nights paper about a presentation on how to preserve seeds of fruit for future generations, so I think I may wander down for the talk and see what I can try my hand to!
We're a bit limited for garden growing space for fruits, as the kids have taken up the best part with their toys, but I believe you can rent a small piece of land on an allotment quite cheaply, so may look at that/or see about sharing one.
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TOPIC: Heirloom And Heritage Seeds