The $35 All You Can Eat Heirloom Buffet
By Michael Nolan
What if I told you that for $35, you could have all the fresh produce you could want, and tons of free education to boot?
Would you be intrigued? Overwhelmed? Interested?
I thought so, and while the headline is just a bit misleading, it isn’t far off from the truth. Enter the Seed Savers Exchange, an organization founded in 1975 and dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of heirloom plant varieties around the world. With a $35 annual membership, members receive a huge 450 page Seed Savers Yearbook that is packed full of listings – well over 800 members who are making available over 11,000 heirloom varieties.
The Exchange was founded by Diane and Kent Whealy after her dying grandfather gave her seeds from two of his prized plants – the German Pink Tomato and his trademark Grandpa Ott’s Morning Glory, both brought by his parents from Bavaria in the 1870s.
Thanks to their hard work at the Exchange and Heritage Farms, the Whealys have ensured that the heritage and stories of thousands of heirloom plants will not be lost forever.
Of particular interest to the tomato lover are the four pages of heirloom tomatoes than can be purchased directly from the website. Though I know it is temping to just order a few seeds, trust me when I tell you that you really want to become a member. It is the best $35 I have ever spent and I have no doubt that you’ll agree!
June 8th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Sounds like a great organization.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Great information to know! Gonna check that out now, thanks =)