Ever since I taught courses on environmental geography, I’ve been deeply appreciative of the deeply subversive, transformative, connective power of saving seeds.
Seeds are such miracles. Varying in size and colour, some with common features while others are distinctive, containing the pattern for entire plants: stem, leaves, roots, flowers, fruit … all in this speck.
Harvesting seeds also reminds me of the generosity of nature. Yesterday I cut the top off of a lettuce plant that had gone to seed, and today, my daughter and I harvested its seeds. This was just the seeds from a single plant, and not even all of them, and not even all of them were fully formed. And we have hundreds of seeds. That single plant could produce hundreds of potential lettuce plants next year, which could go on to multiply astronomically. What amazing bounty!
We are looking forward to a crop next year. And also gathering many more seeds: mustard so far, arugula and others to come.