Saving Seeds, Preserving Taste: Heirloom Seed Savers in Appalachia

by Bill Best, Howard Sacks (Introduction)

The Brown Goose, the White Case Knife, Ora’s Speckled Bean, Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter—these are just a few of the heirloom fruits and vegetables you’ll encounter in Bill Best’s remarkable history of seed saving and the people who preserve both unique flavors and the Appalachian culture associated with them. As one of the people at the forefront of seed saving and trading for over fifty years, Best has helped preserve numerous varieties of beans, tomatoes, corn, squashes, and other fruits and vegetables, along with the family stories and experiences that are a fundamental part of this world. While corporate agriculture privileges a few flavorless but hardy varieties of daily vegetables, seed savers have worked tirelessly to preserve genetic diversity and the flavors rooted in the Southern Appalachian Mountains—referred to by plant scientists as one of the vegetative wonders of the world. Saving Seeds, Preserving Taste will introduce readers to the cultural traditions associated with seed saving, as well as the remarkable people who have used grafting practices and hand-by-hand trading to keep alive varieties that would otherwise have been lost. As local efforts to preserve heirloom seeds have become part of a growing national food movement, Appalachian seed savers play a crucial role in providing alternatives to large-scale agriculture and corporate food culture. Part flavor guide, part people’s history, Saving Seeds, Preserving Taste will introduce you to a world you’ve never known—or perhaps remind you of one you remember well from your childhood.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

He is a professor emeritus from Berea College, and a Madison County, Kentucky, farmer and one of the charter members of the Lexington Farmers’ Market. Widely known as a saver, collector, and grower of heirloom beans and tomatoes, he is the author of "Saving Seeds, Preserving Taste: Heirloom Seed Savers in Appalachia".

Reviews

[Arinn Dembo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that is often referenced by other books. It's a book about Seed Saving and heritage crop preservation in the southern and central Appalachian mountains, but it's also got a ton of encyclopedic information about heritage varieties of tomatoes, beans, corn, squash, cucumbers and apples, as well as an anthology of personal statements from people working in heritage seed saving circles throughout Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina.

I learned a lot and took a ton of notes from this book. Most of the photos in it aren't in color, sadly, but even the ones in black and white can be incredibly informative, especially if you've never really understood the SCALE of some Appalachian vegetable varieties--the Candy Roaster squash is literally 30-50 pounds, and I'd never actually seen someone holding one in their arms.

Wonderful anecdotes and information about famous varieties: I will forever remember the tale of the tomato know as "Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter" and I understand a lot better how some varieties of beans are named, and how long they have been preserved by local families handing them down generation after generation.

Great book. One of the best books you can read or own on this topic. 5 stars.

[Goldenrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

DNF. Would borrow again! Great folk stories with the gardening and heirloom produce.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable look at the cultural and regional tradition in Appalachia of seed saving passed down through several generations. Part horticulture, part memoir and story, Bill Best gives a delightful look into the vast array of heirloom vegetables, focusing most on beans and tomatoes, and the people that continue to ensure their survival. My only criticism is there is some slight repetition. Also, email correspondence which Best quoted in full would have been better edited so as not to detract from the main point.