Green Country Seed Saving Network, first meeting

10 years ago

Just want to share this. I know most of you live too far away. Still, I think this is exciting, and, of course, anyone here would be more than welcome to come out.

George
Tahlequah, OK

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If you live near Northeastern Oklahoma (or if you would like to travel just a bit):
Sunday at 2:00 PM we'll be meeting for the very first time to launch Green Country Seed Savers Network. We'll just get a table or two at Napolis Italian Restaurant, 901 S. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In the future, hopefully we can come up with place which is both free and doesn't, for etiquette's sake, require that a person order something.
The broad picture of what we'd like to do, is establish a network, or community of gardeners in the region, who help one another to find, propagate and distribute useful crops which do well in our climate. Of course, this will involve a good deal of education, to help gardeners learn how to reproduce and share these crops. Just a few areas to be learned are: how to produce pure seed, how to process seed for the coming year(s) and how to grow the crops.
The possibilities for seed saving are great. I love the old traditional crops offered by seed savers: beans, tomatoes and squash. But one can learn to reproduce such things as herbs, flowers, root crops such as carrots and beets, Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, chard; even Irish potatoes! Currently I'm working on a guide which deals with four food crops which grow as easily as weeds. Some of these crops are are actually considered to be weeds. But their flavor and nutritional value make them quite worth our attention!
I was a member of The Seed Savers Exchange for 25 years. The SSE publishes a book, every winter, with listings of those offering seeds and plant material along with descriptions of what what they are offering. Unfortunately, membership in the SSE is costly. The SSE, also, in my opinion, is not reaching out on a grass roots level as much I would like. I'm thinking we can be less centralized, more relational and do what we need to do either via Internet or personal meetings. We have a lot to do to define and organize. But I truly would like to develop a group which trains, equips and motivates people, on a grass roots level, to both grow more of their own food, and also maintain and share seeds and plant material, so that others can improve their lives as well. If we organize right, I hope eventually to see spin off groups serving other regions and climates.
So, as we first meet. Let's be thinking about how to organize and operate our first seed exchange. Think about how to share with others without exhausting your supply of seeds for everybody and their uncle's "shopping list." How can we share without it costing us so much that it becomes cost prohibitive?
We're working on getting an Internet forum and FAQ page set up. Via forum, FAQ and actual meetings, we can educate and motivate.

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Comments (9)

ejm135
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Very cool George! I can't make it to this meeting but would love to keep updated of how things are progressing!

Elaine
Macmex
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We had a very good first meeting last Sunday. The website is up, though still under construction.

This coming Monday afternoon I'm supposed to do an interview with KTLQ radio about Green Country Seed Savers Network. The program should air that Thursday afternoon.

George

Here is a link that might be useful: Green Country Seed Savers Network site
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Hey folks! I just realized that I did not post an invitation! Our seed saving group is meeting at 2 PM, just South of Tahlequah, on Sunday. We'll have an informal time of conversation and sharing. A number of us will probably bring some plants or seeds to give away. We'd love to have you come out. We'll be meeting at the home of Sand Mueller. He has Plants Alive Green House on his property and I'm sure we'll get a tour of his outfit. George Here is a link that might be useful: Green Country Seed Savers Meeting
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Well, We did have an organizational glitch. Dorothy and Glenn (Mulberryknob) and I showed up at Norris Park. The rest of the folks waited for us at a pavilion behind the Armory. But after a bit, we did all meet up and the meeting went very well. We had a great time. It wasn't a "seed swap." It was a "seed give away!" But I believe everyone came away with something new. Most of all, we had a great time of sharing information. George
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I understand. If the meetings were even as far away as Tulsa, I would probably not be able to make it myself. My vision for Green Country Seed Savers is that we will gradual build a network (somewhat overlapping) of grass roots gardeners/seed saver, probably using the website as our central "meeting place." But various local chapters will develop, so, for instance, though anyone would be welcome in any local meeting, there will be local get-to-gethers say, in the Ft. Smith area, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, etc. Yesterday's meeting was wonderful! Though some may not notice it, I am, however an introvert. So, after such a time as we had, in which I spoke A LOT, I needed to recharge a bit. I was glad to distribute ten samples of Woods Mountain Crazy Bean. This variety ought to be widely grown in our region. I am so impressed with it. Here's a link to what I managed to put together on the variety in regard to its history and culture. Most everyone had something to ask or to share. But we did talk about our interest in promoting regionally adapted varieties and multiplying knowledgeable gardeners, able to propagate and distribute these varieties to others, who will then learn to do the same. We had a brief demonstration of how to process a winter squash, along with a discussion both concerning the terms "pumpkin" and "squash," as well as the advantages of growing from the species c. moschata. Grasshoppers, and how to deal with them, came up several times. David and Linda Hickey brought some really great garlic. Ron Cook brought roots of Ula, a Hawaiian Purple (inside and out) sweet potato, which I believe he received from a USDA agent. Ron also brought samples of his Heavy Hitter Okra and commented that he is getting something like $12 per dried pod, right now! He gave them out for free. Ken Goodpasture, who does not do Internet, brought some hot peppers, to share, which some believe are Tabasco. They were really nice. I am probably forgetting something. But you get the idea. George Here is a link that might be useful: Woods Mountain Crazy Bean thread
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Comments (1)
Wow!
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elkwc
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
George hope it works out. I like to see groups like that form and succeed. I think they can serve a very useful purpose. I went to the web site. I respect that you want it to be more of a regional group but will keep an eye on it to see how it goes. Jay
Macmex
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Elaine, you're more than welcome to come out to the next time we have a physical meeting, which will probably be in October. Jay, you would be more than welcome to come out, though I recognize that it would be a trip for you. You're more than welcome (much more than welcome) to help out with participation on the forum. I really want to see it start perking. So far, people drop in and look around. But they don't post. This is probably due to the fact that there is so little there.

I have actually plugged this forum whenever I have done seed saving forums, and I will figure a way to include it as a link from Green Country Seed Savers Network's web page. Those who attended last Sunday's meeting know that I both mentioned Oklahoma Gardening Forum and, specifically.... Dawn, as an example of the great resources available here.

George
mulberryknob
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I don't know how I missed seeing this when you first posted it, George, but we would like to come to the next meeting. In the meantime, I am saving the Cherokee Stripe bean seed for you. We are also raising a new meal corn this year that we got from Baker's Creek. Thompson's Prolific, a pale yellow the packet says. If you don't have that one and want it, will save some seed of that too. We still have plenty of the Mesquakie seed if you need it back. We plan to grow it again next year.
Macmex
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dorothy, I'm sure everyone would be delighted to meet you. Yes, I'd love some of that Cherokee Striped Cornhill bean seed. Mine is getting old and this year's planting was demolished by grasshippers. I'd also love a sample of Mesquakie Indian Corn, to broaden out the gene pool of what I have of this variety. I lost half of this year's crop, and last year I lost about 75%. By mixing seed from a couple of years, I'm sure I can keep the gene pool broad enough to preserve it in good form.

I won't branch out into Thompson's Prolific. But bring some to the meeting. I bet you'll meet someone who would be interested.

George
butterflymomok
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We went out of town so I didn't see your notice. Will try to make it to the next meeting. I am harvesting lots of milkweed and wildflower seeds.

Sandy

This post was edited by butterflymomok on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 10:02
Macmex
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sandy, I mentioned the need for flowers and herbs in the radio interview yesterday. Also, one of the Tahlequah Eats leaders is VERY interested in milkweed. Tahlequah Eats, a.k.a Cherokee Country Food Council, is the sponsor of Green Country Seed Savers Exchange.

Here's the info on the radio interview, if anyone would like to hear it. It airs this Thursday, and again on Sunday of the coming week.

KTLQ
Thurs 22nd approximately 9 AM
1350 & 96.3
Sunday the 25th
102.1 approximately. 9:15 AM

Streaming (Sunday)

http://www.lakescountry1021.com/

George

Here is a link that might be useful: Listen Live
Macmex
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sad to say, I missed that Sunday airing of the interview. I had plans of recording it so I could share it with my parents in NJ. But it came on half an hour later than I expected. I stopped waiting almost exactly at 9:40 AM and it aired at 9:45!

George

Green Country Seed Saving Network, first meeting

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Green Country Seed Saving Network, first meeting

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