Welcome to those of you who are new to the Wild Dreams Farm and Seed Newsletter. I am glad you are here to read the monthly musings of seed and farm life and track with me what’s happening on the land here on Vashon Island.
The early Spring of the past few weeks had me buzzing about the farm prepping beds, planting baby plants and watering everything at the frenzied pace the sunny days demanded. I am grateful for the current cloud cover to slow things down a bit.
As I plant, water, and weed, my imagination swirls in colors like the Aurora Borealis and I find myself contemplating why, year after year, I do this work. In the end the swirl settles and I am reminded of the simple answer to this question: because I care deeply for this planet and for all of the beings who share this home. I want to share what I have learned about how I connect to this feeling of care through growing plants and seeds. Part of my Wild Dream for this farm, for my community, and for our Earth is that we are drawn back into loving reciprocal relationships with the Living World through seeds and connection. This is the reason I offer seed saving workshops at the farm. Read on or find out more here:
I believe that in order to reverse course and ensure a vibrant, safe, biodiverse future for our children, grandchildren and beyond, we need to reestablish the role of humans as a piece of silk woven into the web of life rather than a force sitting on top of a pyramid of importance. Most of us know that the current ways we live, work, and consume are not sustainable and are in fact violent in many ways. We see and feel every day that the climate is changing, animal and insect populations are dwindling, and that greed and human activities cause suffering around the world. We also know that the future is not set in stone. It is our responsibility to act. For me, growing and sharing seeds are part of the actions I take to make real a dream of a different future for us all. The life and diversity inherent in a seed are a piece of the portal to this future.
Seeds are an invitation to a relationship with plants and the Living World. When we harvest a handful of seeds or open a seed packet we hold past, present, and future life in our hands. We hold the intergenerational past of the plant, human, and other than human ecosystems who worked together over vast periods of time to bring the seeds to us. We hold the present moment- the current expression of that plant and the web of life that is necessary for a seed to come into being. And we hold the future of not just the seed but all of the ecological relationships between the plant, animal and fungal kingdoms to come.
I truly believe that in order to live into a more abundant, diverse, and just future, more of us need to understand and participate in the processes involved in saving vegetable, flower, and herbs seeds. More of us need to be doing this work in our gardens and farms so that we can share seeds, knowledge and experiences with the gardeners and farmers of the future.
If you are curious about saving seeds please join me for the Foundations of Seed Saving workshops on the farm this Summer. The first one on Sunday, June 11th is called Beginning Botany, Taxonomy and How to Save Seeds. We will demystify the latin and the language that dominates the world of seed saving and plant breeding. You will leave with a greater understanding of the process and choices that you can make along the way. I also hope you leave empowered and inspired to act in collaboration with life all around us and save seeds for the future. The second and third workshops are all hands on with seeds. We will harvest, thresh, clean and learn how to store seeds. Come to just one or all three. Read more about each one and register on the Workshop Page of the Website Here.
These workshops are open to anyone who wants to learn. From total beginners to those of you with a more experience with plants and seed, all are welcome. If the cost is a barrier then email me and you can come for free. I truly just want the people who are interested to feel welcome and be in our circle.
Thank you for being on this email list. It means that in some way you care about local open pollinated seeds and understand their importance in our world. Thank you for, perhaps, even purchasing seeds from me and supporting me as I work alongside the plants to grow, tend, and harvest the seeds that make their way into your gardens. I care about each variety and plant that I grow. It means a lot to me that you would trust my hands to grow food, flowers, and medicine in your gardens from my seed.
Take Care out there,
Jen
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