Every Seed Tells a Story
Culture | Garden | Cooking | Dyes
We offer onsite and online education about growing, cooking and preserving food with a global, cultural, and historical lens. This program takes us back several hundred years. It invites us to look at the landscape across time and space, and to consider the seeds as having their unique story to tell. Our K-12 curriculum will be available on a local and national level in 2023.
Culture
In sync with our mission statement: "Every Seed Tells a Story." We offer historical documentation and education about where each seed came from and how it arrived in our garden. |
Garden
All of these plants are cultivated from seed to seed. Our garden takes participants from beginning garden knowledge to information about consuming and utilizing the harvest, with everything in between. |
Cooking
There is so much to be discovered, uncovered and remembered. From nixtamalization practices with corn to the preservation of harvest with fermentation. Our curriculum includes not only historical and cultural, but also science based processes in creating food. |
Dyes
Several varieties of plants we grow have a long history of use as a natural dye for fabric or fibrous material. We offer a curriculum to integrate science and textiles. |
Our crops for 2023 include:
HOPI TURQUOISE CORN
Said to originate from the Hopi people of the Southwest. This variety yields lovely ears with colors ranging from slate blue to brilliant turquoise with some surprise purples. Used locally in atole and ground for cornmeal, kernels are both flour and dent types, both often bearing on the same ear.
MONTANA CUDU CORN
A beautiful spotted variety that is descended from a historic Native American variety. Cudu corn is said to be an ancient native American variety used for sacred ritual. A sample of seeds was donated to the USDA seed bank by Oscar Will in 1958. The original donated seed may have been accidentally inbred or crossed, as the cobs were stunted and short, and kernels had begun to lose their signature blue eagle marking. Ed Schultz, renowned corn breeder from Montana, has worked to adapt a blended corn as a tribute to a sacred Native American variety. To achieve this variety, he bred true Cudu corn with a small percentage of Papa’s White corn.
MAIZ MORADO CORN
A deep purple and super anthocyanin-rich flour corn from Montana! This variety is a northern adapted homage to the legendary Maiz Morado/Kulli corn from Peru. Perfect for growing dark purple corn to brew into the popular healthful corn drink, chicha morada. Can also be milled into a supremely soft, delicious flour.
PO'SUWAEGEH BLUE CORN
A Native American heirloom corn from Pueblo Pojoaque in New Mexico is traditionally grown to make blue corn atole. Po’suwaegeh is the Tewa name for “Place where there is abundant water.” There is actually such a place, about 20 miles north of Santa Fe, in a valley running into the Rio Grande, where an ancient pueblo, which had almost disappeared, found its place of rebirth. Growing Po’suwaegeh Blue corn played a pivotal role in the revival of this community. This is a delicious blue corn for making breads, muffins, chips, and more! Fine flavor and lots of nutrition!
1500 YEAR OLD CAVE BEAN
This pole bean is said to have been found in a cave in New Mexico, in a clay pot sealed with pitch. When carbon dated, the tests showed it to be 1,500 years old! In our experience last year, the pods, when consumers early, are quite tasty like green beans. Left on the vine, the beans are large and kidney-shaped when dried, white with maroon mottling.
BLACK TURTLE BEAN
A dark purple into black bush bean that is grown throughout Latin America. Due to the dark color, this variety offers the bonus of a high anthocyanin (=antioxidant) content. Bonus! The flavor is rich and texture is meaty offer these in our vegan chili as well as refried beans.
CHEROKEE TRAIL OF TEARS BEAN
This is an heirloom pole bean. It was carried from Tennessee by the Cherokee people as they were marched to Oklahoma by the federal government in 1839 over the infamous “Trail of Tears” that left so many dead and suffering. This is quite a happy vine in our experience, growing prolifically and able to be consumed as a fresh bean as well as stored as a dry bean.
ELENA'S ROJO AMARANTH
This is a grain type amaranth that comes to us from Guatemala, where amaranth has been a staple crop for centuries. It flowers lovely deep red and conveys its color into dishes and light dyes. It was recently revived in the Mayan communities of Baja Verapaz after nearly being lost during the civil war.
HOPI RED DYE AMARANTH
As its name suggests, the Hopi Red Dye was originally grown as a dye plant by the southwestern Hopi Nation, this variety has the reddest seedlings of any amaranth known. The flour from this amaranth is the source of the color for the Hopi’s world-renowned piki bread. This is the darkest red dye we’ve encountered as yet. As with many amaranth varieties, the greens/leaves of this plant are highly nutritious and when harvested early/in proper time can be used as a highly nutritional green.
AURELIA'S VERDE AMARANTH
An amaranth native to Guatemala, used for grain. Her flowers are. light green and are rich in Vitamin B, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Iron. This variety has been revived in the Mayan communities of Baja Verapaz after almost being lost during the civil war. It is named after Aurelia, the woman whose family revived and saved seeds of this amaranth.
HOPI BLACK DYE SUNFLOWER
A black obsidian seeded sunflower used for making natural dye. This traditional variety has been saved and used by the Hopi Native American people for dying cotton, wool, and other fibers in making iconic Hopi basketry.
AJI CHARAPITA PEPPER
Selling for very high prices to Lima’s best chefs, this pepper is the most expensive in the world! The north Peruvian jungle native is a wild bushy plant which produces hundreds of hot, small (.25 inch), round Tepin-like peppers. The pepper has a distinct fruity, citrus aroma and is equal in heat to a cayenne pepper. Due to its rarity and hefty prices, it is often known as the "Mother of All Chilis.” Used fresh, this tiny pepper is known to have a strong fruity flavor that gives salsas and sauces a unique tropical taste. More often, it is used as powder for various dishes.
Said to originate from the Hopi people of the Southwest. This variety yields lovely ears with colors ranging from slate blue to brilliant turquoise with some surprise purples. Used locally in atole and ground for cornmeal, kernels are both flour and dent types, both often bearing on the same ear.
MONTANA CUDU CORN
A beautiful spotted variety that is descended from a historic Native American variety. Cudu corn is said to be an ancient native American variety used for sacred ritual. A sample of seeds was donated to the USDA seed bank by Oscar Will in 1958. The original donated seed may have been accidentally inbred or crossed, as the cobs were stunted and short, and kernels had begun to lose their signature blue eagle marking. Ed Schultz, renowned corn breeder from Montana, has worked to adapt a blended corn as a tribute to a sacred Native American variety. To achieve this variety, he bred true Cudu corn with a small percentage of Papa’s White corn.
MAIZ MORADO CORN
A deep purple and super anthocyanin-rich flour corn from Montana! This variety is a northern adapted homage to the legendary Maiz Morado/Kulli corn from Peru. Perfect for growing dark purple corn to brew into the popular healthful corn drink, chicha morada. Can also be milled into a supremely soft, delicious flour.
PO'SUWAEGEH BLUE CORN
A Native American heirloom corn from Pueblo Pojoaque in New Mexico is traditionally grown to make blue corn atole. Po’suwaegeh is the Tewa name for “Place where there is abundant water.” There is actually such a place, about 20 miles north of Santa Fe, in a valley running into the Rio Grande, where an ancient pueblo, which had almost disappeared, found its place of rebirth. Growing Po’suwaegeh Blue corn played a pivotal role in the revival of this community. This is a delicious blue corn for making breads, muffins, chips, and more! Fine flavor and lots of nutrition!
1500 YEAR OLD CAVE BEAN
This pole bean is said to have been found in a cave in New Mexico, in a clay pot sealed with pitch. When carbon dated, the tests showed it to be 1,500 years old! In our experience last year, the pods, when consumers early, are quite tasty like green beans. Left on the vine, the beans are large and kidney-shaped when dried, white with maroon mottling.
BLACK TURTLE BEAN
A dark purple into black bush bean that is grown throughout Latin America. Due to the dark color, this variety offers the bonus of a high anthocyanin (=antioxidant) content. Bonus! The flavor is rich and texture is meaty offer these in our vegan chili as well as refried beans.
CHEROKEE TRAIL OF TEARS BEAN
This is an heirloom pole bean. It was carried from Tennessee by the Cherokee people as they were marched to Oklahoma by the federal government in 1839 over the infamous “Trail of Tears” that left so many dead and suffering. This is quite a happy vine in our experience, growing prolifically and able to be consumed as a fresh bean as well as stored as a dry bean.
ELENA'S ROJO AMARANTH
This is a grain type amaranth that comes to us from Guatemala, where amaranth has been a staple crop for centuries. It flowers lovely deep red and conveys its color into dishes and light dyes. It was recently revived in the Mayan communities of Baja Verapaz after nearly being lost during the civil war.
HOPI RED DYE AMARANTH
As its name suggests, the Hopi Red Dye was originally grown as a dye plant by the southwestern Hopi Nation, this variety has the reddest seedlings of any amaranth known. The flour from this amaranth is the source of the color for the Hopi’s world-renowned piki bread. This is the darkest red dye we’ve encountered as yet. As with many amaranth varieties, the greens/leaves of this plant are highly nutritious and when harvested early/in proper time can be used as a highly nutritional green.
AURELIA'S VERDE AMARANTH
An amaranth native to Guatemala, used for grain. Her flowers are. light green and are rich in Vitamin B, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Iron. This variety has been revived in the Mayan communities of Baja Verapaz after almost being lost during the civil war. It is named after Aurelia, the woman whose family revived and saved seeds of this amaranth.
HOPI BLACK DYE SUNFLOWER
A black obsidian seeded sunflower used for making natural dye. This traditional variety has been saved and used by the Hopi Native American people for dying cotton, wool, and other fibers in making iconic Hopi basketry.
AJI CHARAPITA PEPPER
Selling for very high prices to Lima’s best chefs, this pepper is the most expensive in the world! The north Peruvian jungle native is a wild bushy plant which produces hundreds of hot, small (.25 inch), round Tepin-like peppers. The pepper has a distinct fruity, citrus aroma and is equal in heat to a cayenne pepper. Due to its rarity and hefty prices, it is often known as the "Mother of All Chilis.” Used fresh, this tiny pepper is known to have a strong fruity flavor that gives salsas and sauces a unique tropical taste. More often, it is used as powder for various dishes.
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