Seeds of Memory: Native Heritage Crops

“Our seeds are more than just food," says seedkeeper Frank Cain.

Formed by members of the Monacan, Nottoway and Tuscarora tribes, the Alliance of Native Seedkeepers is an organization that works to save specific, sometimes disappearing, varieties of indigenous crops and herbs important to tribal legacies, some with colorful names such as Skunk Pole Bean and Virginia Gourd Seed Corn.

Members like Cain are currently growing rare corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, tobacco and more in fields and plots across Central Virginia — their largest is located at Epic Gardens in Richmond's Bon Air section.

Read my Richmond Magazine feature on these intrepid seed kepers, and the efforts to save rare indigenous crops, by planting yourself right here.

And for more on the Alliance of Native Seedkeepers, go to their Facebook Page here.

(Photo courtesy of the Alliance)