Save Seeds: Harvest, Share, Store, Plant

Abolition is a garden!

Let us remember and rejoice that nearly every bite that passes our lips connects back eventually to the generosity of a Seed. Food has such a sensory impact on our circadian lives; on people, culture, story, the human experience. I invite you to fall in love all over again with Seeds as they inspire and give us life!

Up until 150 years ago, having access to a seed catalog was for the affluent.

200 years ago on this soil there were no commercial seed companies to solicit.

Prior to 200 years ago on Turtle Island, all Seeds were traded, swapped and shared between farmers and gardeners. To be a farmer or a gardener was to naturally be a Seed Keeper; the two roles were inherently linked together.

Trans folks, intersex and all types of genderqueer people in Ancient cultures were the stewards of medicine, spirituality, ceremony and/or collective transformation. We honour these traditions by teaching genderqueer People Of Heritage their inherent birthrights and sacred duties.

At Artistic Apothecary our first love is Seeds! Our programs stem from the Cultural Seeds that we Harvest, Share, Store and Plant as part of a Seed To Seed Cycle. A liberatory practice that respects and affirms our social contracts with the Earth.

1. HARVEST

We want to encourage everyone in our network to grow Seeds as an act of abolition. To dismantle the ecocide, loss of culture and Nature we must save Seeds. I put a lot of Seeds in my pockets before I ever knew their names. Learn more about the art of Seed saving.

Since the dawn of agriculture, people have been passing seeds down from generation to generation. All Seeds that grace our soil and tables descend from the collective efforts of our Ancestry, carefully selecting the Sacred Seeds that meet the needs of the family, the village, the land, the watershed, the bioregion and the ecosystem.

Gathering Seeds is like any other relationship. It is a slow and steady connection building between you and the Seed variety along the humans and communities who lovingly stewarded that Seed from beyond living memory.

2. SHARE

Once you get your Seeds off the plants, share them! This is my favourite part of the Seed To Seed Cycle. Getting together with someone or many I take out my collection of Seeds. I share the Seed’s stories and my own adventures in loving Seeds. We are especially grateful to everyone that donates Seeds to our programs.

Embedded within native Seed traditions are diverse knowledge, Nature based practices, animate languages, distinct cultural heritages, and embodied life-affirming practices. This memory travels though the Seeds in tandem with our oral traditions.

Another way to share Seed stories is by asking your local growers/farmers where they source their Seeds? And if they engage in Seed stewardship on their farm? Let them know you have interest in local Seed production. Let them know that you value crop diversity and cultural remembrance over uniform foods and capitalist consumerism. When you do find someone that saves their own Seed the conversation is soul nourishment.

3. STORE

Find a way that makes sense for you to label and store your Seeds. Reasons to store Seeds are for future planting, life security, emergencies and later distribution. This is a great moment to record which Seeds grew best and any connections formed in your journal.

At Artistic Apothecary we specialize in circulating Seeds. The longest we have a variety of Seeds is two years. We pride ourselves in getting resources out to the people!

We pray that we can continue to tending the land, cultivating Seeds for generations to come.

  “It is not enough to save heritage seeds. The culture of those people to whom each seed belongs must be kept alive with the seeds and their cultivation.  Not in freezers and museums, but in their own soil and our daily lives. “ -Martin Prechtel. 

4. PLANT

What came first the Seed or the Plant? In my cultural creation story, we were given Seeds and protected by Snakes. From the Seeds we grew a people, a place and a purpose.

When you plant Seeds you can connect deeper with the process by journaling. Create a Seed stewardship practice that honours a path of restoration with the land and your cultural traditions.

A great way to collectivize your gardening efforts is to form Seed Pods in your community. Similar to emotional, emergency and friend pods, Seed Ppods allow you to grow plants in a social environment. Sharing your bounty and allowing each member to focus on a few plants specific to their growing conditions, space, needs and origin story.

A special thank you to graphic designer volunteer Celine K (CK).

As always we value you!

________________________________
Want to be part of the solution?

Patreon supports me in sustaining my basic needs of food, housing and medicine. With this community network I can steward this grassroots initiative of liberation for all that prioritizes genderqueer People Of Heritage, Nature and cultural remembrance. Learn more.

Together We Can