A plate with black-eyed peas and collard greens

Recipe: Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens

Eating black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year’s Day is a tradition in the South and among African American communities. This tradition is believed to bring wealth and prosperity.

A 'Cracoviensis' celtuce seed packet with some green ribbon and small disco balls in a wood bowl next to some silver ribbon

Lifestyle

Your 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

Find a perfect (and affordable!) gift for every gardener, seed saver, food enthusiast, and flower lover in your life in our holiday gift guide.

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

Recipes

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 yellow, red, and purple bell peppers

Recipes

Lucina’s Miniature Stuffed Peppers

Seed Savers Exchange member Lucina Cress has been canning miniature stuffed peppers for decades using peppers from her own garden. Lucina’s Miniature Stuffed Peppers were a hit year after year at her local hospital bazaar.

A pie with a slice taken out on a wooden table, and a basket of small yellow melons and apples.

Recipes

‘Mother Mary’s Pie’ Melon Pie

Recipe submitted by Diane Ott Whealy, SSE co-founder and board member. In 1997, a Minnesota family donated the small, round ‘Mother Mary’s Pie’ melon to Seed Savers Exchange. Named after the donor’s mother, this melon was grown by three generations of the family since about 1914 and frequently used in pies.

Three purple eggplant with green leaves lie on a rock surface

Recipes

Eggplant Caponata

Rustic and versatile, it’s often served cold as an antipasto or appetizer or warm as a side to roast meat or as a pasta sauce or on crusty bread. Chef and SSE board member, Carina Cavagnaro believes the sweet-and-sour sauce paired with the creamy eggplant and briny notes can sway even the biggest eggplant skeptic.

Recipes

Nana’s Pasta Sauce

Submitted by Nikki Riccelli-Tygard, inspired by her parents, Nicholas Domenico “Nick” Riccelli, Theresa Grace Ausilio Riccelli, and her “Nana” Rachel Scarcello Ausilio, stewards of the ‘Ausilio Thin Skin Italian’ heirloom pepper. “I fondly remember my adorable Nana spending time with my father, Nick, in the kitchen,” says Nikki.

An aerial view of a backyard on a street corner, with garden beds, umbrellas, sheds, and a pond next to a house

Lifestyle

How SSE Helped Create a Large Family Garden

Bob and Shannon Gassman turned to Seed Savers Exchange for help with starting a large family garden. Over the next decade, Bob and Shannon transformed their small city property into a biodiverse paradise.

three white squash with long goosenecks and one halved white squash on a straw surface

Recipes

White Pumpkin Pie

Lovers of unique heirloom pumpkins can thank the late Wayne Fortna of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for the delicious, productive, and truly beautiful ‘Fortna White’ pumpkin. Seed Savers Exchange is thrilled to introduce the ‘Fortna White’ as a featured From the Collection variety in 2024.

Recipes

Recipe: Three Sisters Corn Soup

“This soup is a great vegan/vegetarian option that takes advantage of all the nutritional benefits of eating corn, beans, and squash together with other nutritious vegetables,” says Rebecca Webster. Rebecca is enrolled citizen of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin. She serves as assistant professor at the University of Minnesota–Duluth’s American Indian Studies Department.