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.
Dark Corner, slightly rambunctious, bush bean is cleaned and ready for @sowtrueseed
#seedsaving #heirloomseeds #seed #seedgrower #beans #heirloombeans #farm #farming
Puerto Rico Everblush, selected from the original Puerto Rico Evergreen seeds I received from USDA GRIN. One of the most delicious okras π
These seeds will be available from @southernexposureseed
#okra #seedsaving
Dropped off some goodies for @rakim_gaines ahead of our #TrialToTable event on Saturday at @capellaon9.
This squash is a beautiful winter squash I've grown for @twoseedsinapod
this year - called Armut - that's why I need the seeds back βΊοΈ
Tickets still available via the link in our bio.
#chef #food #farming #seedsaving #squash #wintersquash
The many faces of Motherland Okra (Abelmoschus caillei aka West African Okra). This is a dramatic variety from Liberia and stewarded by Jon Jackson of @comfortfarms
It is late to produce pods, but the leaves are delicious, the petioles hollow (straws) and the flowers are large and fade to pink.
I really enjoy this okra and if you have a long season then you'll get great production when your other okra is slowing down.
#okra #westafricanokra #abelmoschuscaillei #tuspokra
Guess the beautiful leaf π
We got a lot of seed processed with the help of many @asapconnections Farm Tour folks! Was great to meet so many people excited about regional seed work.
#seeds #seedsaving #seedfarm
Some of our project's awesome board members getting hands on with seed saving at this last weekend's @asapconnections Farm Tour.
We met lots of wonderful people and a personal highlight was the children who really got into shelling beans for seed.
In particular...
Mom: Do you want to go see the donkey?
Child: No! I found a pink bean.
π
#seeds #seedsaving
We've got red, yellow, green, white, black and blue turmeric in the field πβ€οΈπ€πππ€
#turmeric #tuspturmeric
Still trying to do justice to the size of this gourd I'm growing for @twoseedsinapod
#gourd #seedsaving #seedfarm #seedgrower
I had the pleasure to work with Chef Gaines (@rakim_gaines) at our last Trial to Table dinner, and now I get to do it all over again because @capellaon9 is hosting a Trial to Table brunch at their downtown restaurant where Chef Gaines is the executive chef!
It's going to be delicious, ingredients are sourced and inspired from our trials, @makersmark are sponsoring, and 10% of all ticket sales go straight to The Utopian Seed Project.
Grab a ticket via the link in our bio π
#communitysupported #food #farming #TrialToTable
The Experimental Farm Notebook
We’ll be publishingΒ 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
