We want enrich peoples lives through community. We want to build communities. Literally! There are many farmers here in California that can no longer afford to not only feed their family, but buy land. We face this ourselves along with many friends and organizations we belong to. During every meeting the issue always comes up “if we only had land” we could…

Give people a way to feed themselves not only on the land, but a source of income. Heirloom vegetable seeds can do this.

Put land back in the hands of organic farmers. This is the reason we want to buy heirloom vegetable seeds from individual growers and not corporate vegetable seed companies. It makes sense, if we use the money we get from you to buy heirloom seeds from small organic seed farmers then the money gets put back where it belongs.

Buy land and put it into a non-profit so that it can be managed agriculturally it would give several California families a place to live and work. This is key so that they can live more sustainably on the land. There fuel consumption drops by 75% and other cottage industries can be born on the land to serve the needs of the greater community. One of our California organic vegetable seed growers for instance not only grows vegetable seed, but runs a CSA feeding a large extended community. She is also able to sell surplus vegetables to local eateries keeping the fuel consumption for their needs to a minimum. I’m sure we have all heard the figure now that most of our food travels an average of 1500 miles!

Create local heirloom organic vegetable and grain seed banks in each community is paramount. If a group of people are going to have the ability to feed themselves they need a genetically viable organic seed (non GMO) banks to pull from. Your dollars from heirloom seed purchases go to buy organic vegetable seed from small farmers. With this heirloom seed we can start community seed banks. We pledge to donate all year end heirloom seed packages to this purpose and as soon as we are able to “pay the bills” we intend to start doing far more than this. Watch our monthly newsletter to see how we are impacting communities with your support. If you are local (Northern California) then come volunteer to help start one of our many programs! Get involved this is YOUR community.

Education is key to teaching people to save heirloom seeds and feed themselves. We want to assist in teaching people in this process by supporting local organic programs that are already in place. We want to help produce weekend classes, booklets and DVDs making this information available to a wider audience. We want to create organic vegetable demonstration gardens that not only teach, but feed.

There is so much to do. This vegetable seed business is merely a mechanism to help people start doing that. It gives them something tangible to believe in a time where things are becoming more challenging. It is an answer to the question formed at so many meetings of “What do we do? How do we effect change in our community?” You start one step at a time. I’m not sure this little seed company will lead us, but I hope it is to a more enriched life. One filled with the support of my neighbors, the love and joy in children’s eyes as they harvest their first pumpkin. The laughter echoing through the community kitchen as the first harvest is prepared to serve the fundraiser at the senior citizens center. The truth is I don’t know how this will turn out. I never do, but I know I will cherish it because for once I will be able to give some of the love and support I was so freely given. If this world needs anything right now it is that. This next decade will be a hard one for the world, but what a better way than to start with a seed company. A seed is hope. It contains the possibility of a new life and great abundance. Hope and possibility not only lie in seeds, but in the soul of every person. With your help we will begin to build these communities and you will be the richer for “our” seeds…our very souls will lie in the heart of your gardens. Love, Farmer John