The key to the future of all foodstuffs is in the Seed. Governments around the world know that Climate Change and other challenges we face as human beings on a finite planet must be prepared to restore the agricultural system with the storage of Seeds of every plant known to mankind. Thus the third shipment of seeds has been sent to the Norwegian Vault which ensures future generations that our biodiversity will not be lost.

This shipment contains some interesting and unique varieties that had not yet been preserved since the first grouping of Seed was sent in January of 2008. From wild strawberries from Russia and cultivated soybeans to semi-dwarf wheat. This Global Seed Vault now features most of the 511,000 collections of seeds planned to be watched over at this facility.

The collections come from another 1400 locations where seeds are kept to maintain genetic diversity around the world. One of the real problems that people in America face is their reliance upon hard red winter wheat which has one of the highest percentages of protein content. But when you focus on one crop instead of using a wide variety; then disease and other risks can alter entire economies.

The wild strawberry seed took the team three days of trekking in bear country at the base of a volcano to collect the samples. Some of the seed was sent to Corvalis, Oregon and the rest to Norway with the other 10,522 seed samples.

The Svalbard facility has security protocols and is built for surviving the ultimate cataclysm, so the likelihood of you ever getting any of the seed in the aftermath of a natural disaster or the passing of Nibiru that would resemble some of the scenes from the Movie 2012 is unrealistic. So what is the average individual to do?

You MUST store your own Seed. You must learn what is involved in storing seed in a way that maintains their viability. You need to learn how to salvage seed from each harvest and exchange your seed with neighboring communities and states to enhance the bio-diversity for the common good. It’s not difficult, it just takes a little effort.

The best way to begin is to start with a small collection of your own. You can select the best varieties of the vegetables and greens and other foodstuffs that you would typically plant in your garden or buy at your store for your weekly meals. Then go beyond your norm and pick out some unique seed that you would like to experiment with for flavor and nutrient value. It is also advisable to store seeds for medicinal plants as well as for flowers.

There are Kits available that will help you start your seeds for your garden or greenhouse during any season or in case of the necessity of growing your own food. We have two companies to introduce you to today which will meet with your requirements when getting started in this process. You will find that you enjoy having plants in your home and kitchen when you grow them indoors using this easy system called the AeroGarden. Then you can graduate to an outdoor garden and/or greenhouse. When you sprout herb seeds and add them to your food when cooking and to your salads or other healthy dishes; you’ll grow to love actually GROWING live plants that compliment your well-being.

Seed catalogs are great things to browse to find out more about seeds and plants that you are unfamiliar with, but would love to try out this year or next. Seeds of Change and Territorial Seeds are two of our favorites. If you want to experience the quality of the food that the seed will provide you, Seeds of Change makes some great marinara sauces and other items that you can find in the health food stores or order online.

Seeds of Change

Territorial Seeds

There are many excellent Seed Banks and Exchanges that people who save seeds and want to share what they save use to centralize the information which will give you more knowledge about Seed Savers and the methods for storage and exchange. You can find them online and in your local communities. This time of year is the perfect time to get acquainted with these folks and their heirloom and non-hybrid seed.

You will want to have the supplies on hand to grow your seed when the time comes. Any good garden store will be able to help you with these supplies or you can purchase them from online suppliers who will describe the equipment and materials on their sites or have a HelpDesk easily available for you to discuss your personal interests.

It is that time again…time for seeds. Get some seeds for your home and start your garden and your program for storing your own seeds. In the meantime, you can appreciate the enormous task that the Svalbard Global Seed Vault has undertaken to store seed from around the world for your edification in the years to come.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.