My Granny loved to garden. In her unflattering but practical outfit for hot Tennessee weather, her pride did not forbid a smile and a photo taken. Granny would be amazed at the changes time has wrought: that we pay for water, or air for that matter to inflate our tires, that a great majority of her old standby seed companies are owned by a big mega company. She and her husband -my Daddy Ben gardened of necessity, and to share. They and their neighbors, even when they moved to town all had gardens and shared both produce and seeds. Varieties were fewer. They never dreamed the supply of seeds of their favorites would be altered or end. Visiting, I would often see packets of saved seed in envelopes wrapped with string and crammed in fruit jars, her spidery scrawl or my grandfather's precise printing. I wasn't there when her house was cleaned out, nor was it a time of desperate awareness of the value of old seeds. She didn't garden as much as had in her earlier years and my grandfather had been long gone- the muscle and ingenuity behind their large garden. I believe we may have missed a lot in not collecting samples of the saved varieties. Sometimes that next generation, nation -wide prided itself in being modern, making money and Not Having To Garden.
My grandchildren spend time with me in the garden- my legacy against any future hunger they might have when I am no longer around. I save seed, I collect seed. I am a fervent and frequent customer of Heirloom seed companies. I like to share. Its all about the love you see, of the earth and of one another. It is the opposite of corporate philosophy. Granny you would be amazed at the heirloom seed offerings. You would love the catalogs, the commitment of these businesses. I know you would not have been a high volume customer for you would save seed yourself knowing the importance. I will try and do right by this as best I can.
