Hope and Practice: Christina Wenger

In the first third of the 20th century, the agricultural valleys of California were full of sweet peas grown for seed.

Two large jars filled with pickled watermelon rinds along with spices and chopped garlic sit outdoors on a picnic table

Recipe: Pickled Watermelon Rind

In the heat of the summer, few things are as refreshing as fresh watermelon! However, while the flesh of the watermelon is enjoyed, the rinds are usually discarded. Next time you eat a watermelon, don’t throw out the rinds! You can actually soften and pickle watermelon rinds for a sweet and sour treat.

A pile of tiny yellow cherry tomatoes in a metal strainer

Learn

What Are Heirloom Seeds?

The term “heirloom seeds” has increased in popularity in recent years, but what exactly does it mean? “Heirloom” describes a seed’s heritage, specifically a documented heritage being passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.

two little girls in bib overalls holding tomatoes

Stewardship Stories

Hope and Practice: Niki Stevens

My path to seed saving started around the age of four. I knew that those red things (tomatoes) my mom had picked were bad news.

sitting man in a red, collared shirt, holding and surrounded by cucumbers

Stewardship Stories

Hope and Practice: Jay Tracy

While gardening in Arizona, I discovered the snake melon and carosello cucumbers as well as many other muskmelons that, for millennia, have been cultivated as delicious cucumbers.

man in plaid shirt and woman in purple sweater stand in front of green garden

Stewardship Stories

Hope and Practice: Kris Fox

My fascination with seed diversity started when I saw a colorful display of dry beans in one of the seed catalogs I had requested.

A small plant with four starter leaves in a plastic cell with soil.

How Tos

Thinning Seedlings

What?! I have to toss some of these perfectly healthy seedlings I worked so hard to start? Which do I save and which do I not? That is the reaction of many a new gardener upon first learning that thinning seedlings is a necessary step to ensure healthy growth of plant starts. The reality is that, if left in crowded environs, your seedlings will eventually suffer.

woman in sleeveless top stands in garden surrounded by white picket fence

Stewardship Stories

Hope and Practice: Jeanine Scheffert

Jeanine Scheffert, an artist native to Decorah—and Seed Savers Exchange’s education and engagement director for nearly a decade—looks at a project (any project) like a canvas, full of opportunity and potential.

people form circle in front of small, red hen house

Stewardship Stories

Hope and Practice: Glenn Drowns

It seems like just yesterday when I first stumbled across a small advertisement in the back of a magazine in the fall of 1978. The ad was plain and simple: “Send $3 for a copy of the Seed Savers Exchange list of members and seeds.”

sunflower growing with two buildings and mountains in the background

Stewardship Stories

Hope and Practice: Terrence Kerwin

I’ve been a Seed Savers Exchange member since about 1980, but I didn’t join the Exchange until three years ago, when I offered two tomato varieties from my garden in Silverton, Colorado.

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