The Utopian Seed Project is a hands in the earth non-profit committed to trialing crops and varieties in the Southeast to support and Celebrate diversity in food and farming. OUR VISION is an engaged community of growers, gardeners, farmers, foodies, cooks and chefs (actually, everyone) WHO embrace regional biodiversity for a resilient and delicious food and farming system.
OUR WORK
THe Experimental Farm
We growing many different things in Western North Carolina to explore what could be grown in a more diverse food and farming system. In our farm work we explore emerging crops for this region as well as variety trials for traditional crops. Diversity and experimentation is at our core!
Crop Stories
Crop Stories is our way of speaking about, educating and celebrating the crops that we are working with. Crop Stories includes a crop-specific event series, a crop-specific magazine and a supporting podcast, with a high degree of synergy between these three platforms.
The People's Seed
The People’s Seed allows us to keep seeds front and center of our work, knowing that seed sovereignty is critical to sustainable and equitable food systems. We engage in education and community outreach, as well as our own seed saving, plant breeding and regional adaptation work.
Yard long beans almost as long as Chef Bailey! Super grateful to have some of the @smokypark team out at the farm today to help with harvest and fieldwork.
We'll be doing a taste test of these yard long beans at this Saturday's Trial to Table event (tickets still available via our bio).
#yardlongbeans #farm #food #farming #tastetest
#accidentalselfie
Processing tomato seed for @sowtrueseed but also making tomato paste from the flesh!
#tomatoes #seedsaving #seeds #tomatoseed #seedgrowing
Abelmoschus moschatus subsp. tuberosus aka. pink musk mallow.
#pinkokra #abelmoschus #thisisnotokra
Yard long bean trial has hit it's stride!
@tierrafertilcoop (A Hispanic, worker-owned farm cooperative in Hendersonville, NC) are joining us for our next Trial to Table event on Aug 13. Tickets via the link in our bio.
Here's what they have to say about the collaboration:
Nos sentimos muy contentos de poder participar el proximo sabado 13 de Agosto en esta celebracion junto con nuestros amigos de The Utopian Seed Project.
Estaremos haciendo una demostracion y degustacion de YUCA FRITA SALVADOREÑA, servida con Curtido y salsa.
LES ESPERAMOS.
______
We are very happy to be able to participate in this celebration together with our friends from The Utopian Seed Project.
We will be doing a demonstration and tasting of SALVADORAN FRIED YUCA (CASSAVA), served with pickled cabagge and tomato sauce.
Come and enjoy with us.
#trialtotable #food #farming #asheville #events #ashevilleevents #salvordoranfood #farmercoop
Bees love runner bean flowers! Also spotted a whole bunch of other pollinators and a few hummingbirds 💚
This is a seed crop for @sowtrueseed
#runnerbeans #pollination #pollinators #beesarelife
In today's edition of okra anomalies...
In order you are seeing the epicalyx of:
1. A. caillei x A. esculentus;
2. A. caillei;
3. A. manihot subsp. tetraphyllas;
4. A. esculentus; and,
5. Something new.....
5 is from the ultracross population and I think may be a A. manihot subsp. tetraphyllas crossed with A. esculentus. It's not flowered or podded yet...
#okra #okraultracross #okramystery
Looks like we're going to get a good crop of bitter melons. Plants are productive and so far pest and disease free. Any chefs want to cook with locally grown bitter melon?
#bittermelon #localfood
Calling all okra/botany nerds. Actually anyone growing okra. Has anyone ever seen an eight petalled okra flower?
As soon as I saw this I went and checked all my other varieties and every single glitter I found was five. Every reference I've found to Mallow family flowers says five petals.
What would cause this? Can I stabilize it? Has anyone else seen this? What's it mean? Is my life meaningless? I'm questioning everything right now!
So much for pentamerous...
#okra #okramystery #helpme #botany #okranerd
The Experimental Farm Notebook
We’ll be publishing updates throughout the growing season so you can stay up to date with what we’re up to and how the experiments are going. This will be an informal narrative of our highs and lows, successes and failures, with photos and fun facts!
Thanks to our Sustaining Sponsors
