Stuck in the Airport Sampler Platter

I ran across this seed co (4.00 / 6)

while looking for tomato varieties:

http://www.victoryseeds.com/

interesting that Seeds of Change is a Mars co. It's really a b*itch to find things that haven't been taken over by large corps. Or that won't get taken over in the middle of the night, lol!~

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by: nycstray @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 20:40:39 PM UTC

So basically you're the devil? (4.00 / 5)

I mean, you do write for Firedoglake...

Vote for yourself at www.ni4d.us!

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by: rossl @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 21:02:13 PM UTC

I buy most of my seeds (4.00 / 6)

from Territorial Seed Company, a small, privately owned business in Cottage Grove, OR. The business was started many years ago by Steve Solomon, who, since selling the business, has gone on to write some excellent books on organic gardening in general and gardening in the maritime NW specifically.

When Abundant Life Seeds was hit by a devastating fire a few years back, losing much of their seed stock, Territorial bought what remained and gave a home to the Abundant Seeds folks as they work to rebuild their stock of heirloom seeds.

I've been buying seeds from Territorial since the mid-90s and have never had a bad experience with the folks there or with their products.

Territorial Seed Company link.

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by: caseyOR @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 21:03:01 PM UTC

A second rec for Territorial Seed! (4.00 / 5)

Excellent advice, great seed, amazing selection.
Specially selected for folks in cold, wet climates- like the Pacific Northwest and San Francisco.  

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by: la motocycliste @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 21:09:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Good to know! (4.00 / 4)

I'll have to check them out. I'll be a bit warmer than SF, but still on the bay/in the fog :)

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by: nycstray @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 23:25:05 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Seed Co.'s and the Safe Seed Pledge (4.00 / 3)

Regarding seed buying, I read the following on the Boulder Belt EcoFarm blog (excerpts):

"There are a whole lot of companies we will not use due to the fact they source most of their seeds from companies owned by Monsanto (Peto and Semenis seeds). Jung's is one of them...they have bought up a lot of smaller companies (that people think are still independents) such as Totally Tomato, Vermont Bean Seed Co., Burpee, Cook's Garden, Earl May Seeds, Gardens Alive (not really a seed place they are more into fertilizers, pest control, etc.. and used to be a really good place to buy organic inputs), Lindenberg Seeds, Mountain Valley Seeds, Park Seeds, T&T Seeds, Tomato Grower's Supply, Willhite Seed Co., Nichol's, Rupp, Osborne, Snow, Stokes, R.H. Shumway,  Seeds For The World, Seymour's Selected Seeds, HPS, Roots and Rhizomes, McClure and Zimmerman Quality Bulb Brokers, Spring Hill Nurseries, Breck's Bulbs, Audubon Workshop, Flowers of the Month Club, Wayside Gardens, Park Bulb's and Park's Countryside Garden."

Over 100 companies have signed the safe seed pledge that they will "not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants." Located in Wisconsin, I buy my seeds from Johnny's Select Seeds (Maine) and from Seed Savers Exchange (Iowa), both of whom have signed the pledge. I notice that there are a number of companies in California that have signed the pledge as has Territorial Seeds (in Oregon). The pledge and the list of companies that have signed it can be found at http://www.councilforresponsib...

I regret the information about Jung's because they have a store in town and are a Wisconsin company. For the moment I have chosen not to buy from them until I check them out myself. But I've determined that they probably do own Vermont Bean Seed Co. Oh well, Johnny's I know is good and SSE. Actually I'm quite amazed by the number of seed companies there are in the U.S., many small ones, many of them fairly specialized but quite good places to buy from. The Safe Seed Pledge site is a good place to find some near you. And an Internet search can also turn up quite a few, even if they have not signed the pledge.  

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by: DennisP @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 04:06:52 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

your link (4.00 / 2)

does not work
:(

come firefly-dreaming with me....

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by: RiaD @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 04:13:04 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Link (4.00 / 2)

Council for Responsible Genetics but they seem to have eliminated the TakeAction page. Interesting site, although it lacks a search function.

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by: count @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 05:20:59 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oops. (4.00 / 2)

Forget that...DennisP's link (below) works.

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by: count @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 05:22:20 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

How subtle! (4.00 / 2)

The only difference between DennisP's first link and his second link is that the first link includes an unwanted period at the end.

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by: count @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 05:24:15 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Try Again on the Link (4.00 / 3)

Let me try again to get a working link to the Safe Seed Pledge: Let's click on

http://www.councilforresponsib...

Hope that works.

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by: DennisP @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 05:19:32 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I did not know that about Seeds for Change (4.00 / 6)

Mars is ODIOUS ..and gave big $$$ to Bush Well I won't be buying from them.

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by: LeeN @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 22:31:26 PM UTC

Seriously (4.00 / 5)

Unfortunately it's one of a few choices I've got if I want to buy in a store instead of ordering online, because that's what the nursery I go to stocks. And I do like to support that nursery. They are a fantastic, local business. I'd LOVE to move away from buying my seeds from them though!!!!!

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 22:43:02 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Mars (4.00 / 4)

Interesting that the Mother Earth listing only says "Privately Owned." Mars is notoriously secretive, but that's ridiculous.

Might be good to talk with Nurseryman to learn more about the seed business. Not to pressure him into changing to another source, although that might come up in the conversation. He's knowledgeable, though, and could make a sound business case for his sourcing from Seeds for Change instead of another company (or other companies). Could be educational, if nothing else.

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by: count @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 00:17:38 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

all the biggies are like that (4.00 / 5)

Interesting that the Mother Earth listing only says "Privately Owned." Mars is notoriously secretive, but that's ridiculous.

Many will give the answer "proprietary information" if you ask where ingredients are from etc. Or "sourced in the USA" which means they could be using a broker here to import sh*t/toxic ingredients from China. There's a major DADT going on with these guys. Which is fine by mean, I only buy from those that are "out" ;) Easiest way to avoid them is to constantly support mom n' pop start ups and as they get bigger, watch they don't get bought out . . .  PIA to keep up, but it's worth it for me. You don't tell me who owns you/sources/etc, you don't get my biz or that of those I know, and they know etc.

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by: nycstray @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 00:46:34 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Poor thing! Are you OK? (4.00 / 4)

There are few things I despise more than being stuck somewhere for no good reason. So how many security checks did you have to endure before finding out the flight was canceled? :-(

Act on Principles and make equality happen.

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by: atdleft @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 01:35:11 AM UTC

hahaha (4.00 / 3)

just one security check, with a pat down.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 03:00:50 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

And btw, I'm reading your FDL piece now... (4.00 / 4)

I usually don't bother going there any more, but I'm glad there are still a few sane folks there trying to talk policy.

Anyway, it's just so frustrating to see so little "change we can believe in" coming from DC on food policy. How much longer before they get it in their heads that pillaging third world countries while pumping up our own people with crappy genetically engineered "franken-food" doesn't make a sustainable plan for food security?

Act on Principles and make equality happen.

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by: atdleft @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 01:39:04 AM UTC

it's not going to be this administration (4.00 / 4)

you'll have to wait until Kucinich finally wins the presidency for that.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 03:01:21 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

You dreamer. (4.00 / 3)

I paid close attention to the debates, discussions, and even the Logo (Logos?) sequential candidate interviews during the 2008 campaign. I agreed with everything Kuchinich said. The man is practical, eminently rational, and very intelligent (he must be intelligent if I agree with him, right?)

He isn't taken seriously, though. He doesn't command respect, which is ludicrous when you compare him to people who do command respect. What's the problem? He isn't tall enough to be president? He isn't sufficiently telegenic? No problem on both counts, sez I - his tall, telegenic wife should run.

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by: count @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 03:16:06 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

yes Yes YES (4.00 / 2)

i agree with all of what you say about Kuchinich.
i felt exactly the same. in fact i wrote him in on my ballot.
i think people need to start voting for who they think would actually BE the better president... it is after all a job interview.
& we, the citizens... well it's OUR job to get the truth about these candidates out to our friends/family/neighbors co-workers. from their voting recordsbusiness records. back it up with links to wherever.
the better we present pure facts, with citations, the better chance the best qualified candidate has of making it. no matter who gets the D nomination.

come firefly-dreaming with me....

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by: RiaD @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 04:09:33 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

um, er... (4.00 / 2)

Now that I think about it, Elizabeth Kucinich was born in England. She would be a great First Lady, though.

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by: count @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 05:37:55 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I hope it won't be too late... (4.00 / 4)

By then. We don't have very much more time to solve the climate crisis and prevent the global hunger crisis from becoming a HUGE catastrophe.

Act on Principles and make equality happen.

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by: atdleft @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 03:18:40 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

did anyone else see this (4.00 / 3)

about rice you don't have to cook being developed in india?
(**this link goes to a video that plays automatically**)

http://news.yahoo.com/video/sc...

come firefly-dreaming with me....

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by: RiaD @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 02:13:27 AM UTC

Aghoni Bora (4.00 / 4)

The rice shown soaking in the video is de-nutritioned white rice. I wonder if the whole grain version also can be eaten after soaking.

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by: count @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 02:56:20 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

re: seed (4.00 / 4)

check with your local extension office.
mine sells heirloom vegetable seeds for $1-2/pk but you must order early.

come firefly-dreaming with me....

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by: RiaD @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 02:22:32 AM UTC

NICE! (4.00 / 4)

nt

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 03:01:45 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

they also do (4.00 / 2)

the soil tests there. or at least mine does.
(or i may be confused & the water/soil conservation office does it)
anyway. there should be an office locally that does soil testing once a year for free. the extension office will know where if they don't do it.

come firefly-dreaming with me....

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by: RiaD @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 04:02:06 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Seeds of change... (4.00 / 4)

GM eggplant is coming to India. The headline is not quite correct...84% of cotton grown in India is GM.

India awaits go-ahead on first GM crop despite scientists' warnings

From The Times
February 9, 2010

The new vegetable, an aubergine - or brinjal in Hindi - contains a toxic gene that poisons insect pests and will boost yields while reducing dependence on pesticides, its champions say. It would also open up the world's second most-populous nation to at least 56 other GM crops that are in the final stages of development.
...

...The resulting variety, called Bt brinjal, contains a toxic protein that will kill the fruit and shoot borer, a big pest, according to its creator, Mahyco, an Indian partner of the American GM giant Monsanto.
...

"This is potentially very dangerous," said Pushpa Bhargava, of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), India's GM regulator. "Once you release a GM crop, you can't recall it." He told The Times that the safety data on Bt brinjal presented to the GEAC was "unacceptable and incomplete" - partly because most of it was supplied by Mahyco.

He was outvoted when the committee, which included several scientists with ties to Mahyco, approved the new crop in October.

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by: count @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 02:42:07 AM UTC

this has been on its way (4.00 / 4)

for a while. up next for India is Bt cauliflower.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 03:02:23 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oh, damn. (4.00 / 2)

there goes my alu ghobi.

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by: count @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 03:23:25 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Actually Mars saved Seeds of Change from Bankruptcy (4.00 / 1)

In the early 90's Seeds was in a severe financial bind. They were producing organic seed but nobody was buying organic seed since it was not required by law.  The organic seed issue is still unsettled as organic certifiers have not enforce the organic seed rule on organic farmers.

There was a kid working as a laborer, literally pulling weeds and sweeping the floor, at Seeds who asked if his family might help out the struggling company.  What nobody realized was the kid was the part of the Mars family.

It wasn't until the meeting was almost over that they dropped the bomb shell of the family connection.

Mars is a good organic partner. They are one of a few companies that use very expensive organic lecithin in their organic products.  Green and Blacks uses conventional lecithin, due to lower cost, even though they claim to be the most organic chocolate company.

The good news is that with Seeds of Change success there are now more organic seed companies than ever before. Had
Seeds been allowed to fail, the organic seed movement would have been set back by years.

Big does not always mean bad and small is not always saintly.  

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by: OrganicGeorge @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 16:07:22 PM UTC

Good info that (4.00 / 1)

Your last sentance is something that we should all try to keep in mind when looking at any situation or instance.

Things are not always as they might seem.....

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 16:18:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]