The Seed Underground – A Rave Review [Updated]

Yesterday I picked up The Seed Underground purely out of curiosity. I requested it from the library after Fred Bahnson mentioned it in one of his newsletters. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. I’ll be buying it after I return it to the library; it’s that good.

I don’t know why, after reading Wendell Berry, Michael Pollan, and Barbara Kingsolver for years, I hadn’t made the connection between sustainable agriculture and a sustainable seed supply. My eyes have been opened by Janisse Ray’s book. It is a must-read for anyone who is interested in food issues today.

The book highlights stories of seed savers, from those who curate hundreds to just one or two seeds. With a brief description, it provides an overview of the struggle against accidental contamination by genetically modified (GM) organisms, including the legal issues involved. It includes Ray’s personal story of becoming a seed-saver and basic instructions about how to begin saving seeds.

What most intrigued me were the descriptions of the ways communities are turning to seed-saving in different locations. Did you know there is a “Seed Library” in New York which preserves heirloom seeds and commissions contemporary art? As well as other seed libraries around the nation? I didn’t even know this concept existed. (UPDATE: The Kent District Library, my local system, started a Seed Library in 2014. I was an early user and can attest to how fabulous it was to receive locally adapted heirloom seeds from neighbor farmers and gardeners.)

Ray is up-front about the fact that this isn’t a seed-saving manual. She includes a comprehensive list of resources, and explicitly recommends books and organizations for different purposes. If you want to be informed and inspired, you can’t do better than reading The Seed Underground.

For those of us who live in west Michigan and/or attend the Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing, Janisse Ray will be one of the featured authors in 2014. I can’t wait to meet her and thank her for her work.