Want to start saving seeds but unsure about where to start?
Then Seed Saving 101 is for you. Bevin Cohen of Small House Farm is your guide in this introduction into the world of saving seeds. Workshop videos produced by Bevin cover topics like building community by sharing seeds, living history of heirloom varieties, understanding the terminology, pollination, processing, storing, and more!
About Bevin
Bevin Cohen is an author, herbalist, gardener, seed saver, educator, and owner of Small House Farm in Michigan. Cohen offers workshops and lectures across the country on the benefits of living closer to the land through seeds, herbs, and locally grown food, and he has published numerous works on these topics, including the bestselling Saving Our Seeds and his highly anticipated new book, The Artisan Herbalist (New Society ’21). He serves on the board of the International Herb Association and the advisory council for the Community Seed Network. Learn more about Cohen’s work on his website www.SmallHouseFarm.com.
This seven workshop course will give you a very good overview of the process of harvesting and saving seeds.
- Seed Saving Basics Build a firm foundation of seed saving knowledge with this introductory, 101 style video. Learn the difference between heirloom, hybrid and gmo seeds, gather the equipment you'll need for successful seed harvesting and discover why this traditional practice is still so valuable today!
- Pollination and Varietal Purity In order to be a successful seed saver, one must first understand how seeds are made! This video is packed full of useful information on flower structure and pollination, isolation distancing, blossom bagging and hand pollination techniques to ensure true-to-type seed purity
- Harvesting and Processing Dry Seeds This is where the seed saving fun begins! In this video, Bevin demonstrates various methods for harvesting and cleaning "dry seeds", including threshing, screening and winnowing. Learn how to thresh and winnow a number of different seed types including beans, peas, radish and kale!
- Harvesting and Processing Wet Seeds Many of our favorite garden crops produce what is known as "wet seeds." Bevin shows us just how easy it is to harvest, clean and process these types of seeds; including melons, squash and peppers. Learn tips and tricks to quickly extract, ground cherry, tomatillo and eggplant seeds as well as how and why to ferment certain seeds such as tomatoes and cucumbers.
- Seed Storage Basics Once you have learned to harvest and clean your precious seeds, you'll need to know how to properly package and store them to maintain their health and viability! In this video, Bevin walks us through the various storage options available to the seed saver to help the viewer determine which method is best suited to their needs. This video also shows examples of seed storage from a number of well known seed vaults around the world including the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault located in Norway!
- Swaps and Seed Libraries Learn all about the important role that seed swaps and seed libraries play in a preserving history, building community and supporting a localized food system. Bevin will not only highlight the significance of these programs but also show you the steps to establish a seed library and/or organize a seed swap for your community!
- Seed Stories Learn how the living history of our heirloom seeds is just as important as the seeds themselves. In this video, Bevin shares exciting tales of heritage fruits and vegetables that have traveled the world, influencing the countries and cultures they encountered along the way. By saving and sharing seeds, we are also saving the history, cultures, and stories of the many generations of growers that have tended these precious seeds before us.