On The Trail To Preserve Appalachia's Bounty Of Heirloom Crops [View all]

Last edited Tue Nov 4, 2014, 05:59 AM - Edit history (1)

Fascinating! Who knew?
Article and podcast at the link provided.

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/360434287/on-the-trail-to-preserve-appalachia-s-bounty-of-heirloom-crops
NPR
On The Trail To Preserve Appalachia's Bounty Of Heirloom Crops
by Roxy Todd
Nov, 03 2014

Appalachia may be one of the poorest regions of the U.S., but when it comes to heirloom crops, it's got the riches.

James Veteto is an anthropologist at Western Carolina University and an apple farmer who directs the Southern Seed Legacy Project. He's has spent the past 16 years traveling throughout Central and Southern Appalachia, talking with farmers about the heritage fruits and vegetables they grow.

That journey lead him (and other researchers) to realize that, with some 1,500 heirloom fruits and vegetables under cultivation, Appalachia is the most diverse foodshed in the U.S., Canada and northern Mexico. Among that bounty are 633 distinct varieties of apple and 485 distinct varieties of bean.

The heritage seeds central to this "agrobiodiversity" have been passed down through generations of families. In many cases, the seeds date back hundreds of years to when Native Americans were cultivating seeds from woodland plants like pawpaws. Other crops like corn traveled to Appalachia from southern Mexico via the Southwest U.S.... MORE