Great Green Idea: Green Eating: Changing the World One Seed at a Time

Changing the World One Seed at a Time

Feeding our families organic foods free of harmful pesticides and preservatives takes more than shopping at a green grocer. Even the sustainable home gardener needs to dig deeper. Right down into the little seed hole. The seeds we use to grow our food are just as important to healthy lives as the vegetables on our plates.

Going green includes knowing where your food comes from, right down to the seeds we plant. Trace your meals back to the seed being used. You might be surprised where they come from.

How do we trace our food back to seed form? If you donâ€™t grow your own food, the easiest place to begin might be at the local Farmer's Market. Take a few minutes to ask the produce farmers important questions like:

Where do you buy your produce seed?
Is the seed certified organic?
What varieties of seeds do you trust?

Write down the name of the seed manufacturers they list. Research those names on the internet. Learn the history and reputation of the seed companies the farmers you support are using as their suppliers. Are they large corporations with patents on many of the widely used seed strains? Are any of the seeds from small suppliers who still offer heirloom varieties?

Heirloom seeds are those that have been passed down through the generations and are often largely ignored by commercial agriculture corporations. These seed varieties are typically kept going via open pollination. This means they are pollinated by nature; by birds, insects, wind motion, etc.

Heirloom seeds are making a big comeback due to commercial agriculture backlash trends. Home gardeners and small farm owners are choosing to grow these seeds for several reasons. Nostalgia finds us wanting to keep the classic seed strains alive. It's much easier to trace the origin of heirloom seeds. The history of these seeds is as rich as the fertile soil that sustains them.

Whether heirlooms or not, organic seed companies are growing in popularity. A simple internet search will come up with many suppliers to choose from. Some of the organic seed categories readily available include:

Vegetables
Herbs
Pasture seeds, like alfalfa and flax
Seeds for sprouting
Grains

The more varieties of seeds you try, the more likely our grandchildren's grandchildren will have a wide range of seeds to choose from for their gardens someday, too. That's what sustainable growing is all about.