Jude & Michel Fanton, founders of Seedsavers Network present at Bellingen's Northbank Community Garden

The excellent organisation by Irene and David and the very knowledgeable Fantons was much appreciated by the forty people from Bellingen Seedsavers, who attended the workshop.

Many thanks to Steve Smith and his team at Northbank Community Garden who hosted the workshop and worked hard to set up the workshop area.

Photographs below and many more at
http://tbeventspics.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/bellingen-seedsavers-fantons-workshop.html

Plenty of seed savers attended

Jude talks of plant families.

Founders of Seedsavers Network run Bello Workshop October 12

March against Monsanto in Bellingen

Some seedsavers attended this march which was organised by Bellingen locals.

Check out what happened around the world.
http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/

Here is the FaceBook page link
 https://www.facebook.com/events/140066149513652/?fref=ts


Jude and Michel Fanton, founders of Seedsavers, were unable to attend. They sent an apology which was read out to the audience.

"We are unable to attend as we are in Albania. We had the huge privilege of hearing Vandana Shiva in person at a free seed festival in Greece 10th to 13th of May. Let's continue to exchange freely and abundantly." Jude Fanton

Here are some pics from the day. Marguerite and Annabelle, with supporters, organised an inspiring event.

Carol Vernon read an apology from Jude and Michel Fanton

Marching to the park.

Bellingen Memorial Hall was the wet weather venue

Around 400 attended the event.

NEWS: Monsanto Protection Act, in the USA, May Soon be Repealed Thanks to Activism

 

 

Irene's November Newsletter

Hi Seed Savers

It's almost Summer and we are galloping towards the end of the year but we can still look forward to our  December Gathering at Bec's home in Bonville from 1pm on Thursday 1st.  This will be our first time in that direction and this should please those of you who have to travel along the Highway from the north or the south.  I'm sure we will have a great time at Bec's and hope you can come.

The weather was kind to us for our last Gathering  in Fernmount and everyone was in awe of what John and Carol have achieved and there are some photos on the blog.  Many thanks to John and Carol for their lovely hospitality and for sharing their beautiful garden with us.

  

We had a particularly interesting mix of seeds* and plant material to share with one another we welcomed lots of new people attending their first Gathering. It was lovely to welcome Dean and Teal, from the Bellingen High School garden and, on behalf of BSS,  I presented them with a copy of The Seedsavers' Handbook.  This book is invaluable and I still have a few copies available for $22 for BSS people.

How we have grown in the three years since five people attended the very first Gathering - from 5 to 208 on our mailing list!  There are a couple of points that I would like to highlight - the first is that we had no idea that we would experience this sort of growth.  The level of interest that we receive from people at plant fairs and other events has risen with each one - it was overwhelming at the Spring Plant Fair this year.  Our main aim is to ensure future food  security in our community and we do this by saving the seeds from our best plants and sharing them around. We have a wide variety of micro-climates in our individual gardens and if someone experiences a failure of a valued crop in their garden, we need to be in a position to provide replacement seeds.   The more varieties of resilient seeds we have available, the better.  Many of the old heritage varieties have disappeared.  We notice that seed suppliers' lists of offerings develop gaps.

In addition to our gatherings, we distribute large quantities of seeds and plant materials at our stalls.  The higher the level of interest from the public, the greater the quantity and varieties we need to be able to offer and this is where we rely on our members to play their part.  We have founding members, who have been saving and sharing seeds for the last three years (some for many more), and we also have new people constantly  joining us, who have enormously varied backgrounds and experience in gardening and seed saving.  We are delighted to welcome everyone.  It takes a little while to get into the swing of seed saving but it is so rewarding.

We are all volunteers and we all enjoy our garden visits, where we can learn from one another.  For the first time this year we were very happy to have Jude and Michel Fanton, the Founders of The Seedsavers' Network, spend a week-end with us, sharing their expertise.  This was very successful and this event and future presenters are funded by our activities at plant fairs and other events.  We work very hard to ensure that we have an attractive, informative stall laden with packets of seeds, plant materials and all sorts of goodies from our gardens.   We are totally self-funded.  Obviously, the more people who contribute, the more it spreads the load - and the joy.

*Labelling of seeds and plant materials.

The bigger our 'membership' becomes, the more important it is that the seeds and plant materials we share at Gatherings are labelled (see attachment).   If you do this before setting out to a Gathering, it saves confusion as the share table is often very crowded.  It is so easy to arrive home and find yourself with anonymous packages - so frustrating!  If you include details of your name as well as the seeds, their origin, plus any specific information needed to raise them successfully, we can all keep track.  I am attaching the label that you can complete (as far as you are able). You will see that one of the questions asks whether you are willing to 'adopt a seed'.  This means you are willing to ensure that you grow sufficient numbers of the variety and can ensure that they are protected from cross fertilisation, so that when we label the package we can be reasonably sure that it contains what it says.

2012 Gatherings

I would love to hear from anyone who would like to offer their garden for a Gathering next year.  We enjoy all sorts of gardens - and they don't have to be immaculate.  We all live in different settings and no two are the same -  and there is so much to learn from experiencing them all.  We can bring everything we need (cups, food, chairs, etc.) and some of us are happy to offer to help with some gardening while we are there.

I am just re-reading a favourite book by Margaret Simons called 'Resurrection in a Bucket - the Rich and Fertile Story of Compost".  I love this quote she uses by Simon Schama:  'The sum of our pasts, generation laid over generation, like the slow mould of the seasons, forms the compost of our future'.  Ah, compost - to be treasured.

Please ensure that you let me know if you are coming to the next Gathering in Bonville on Thursday 1st December - by Monday 28 November, so that I can send you all the directions in good time (I received 14 enquiries in the last day or so before the last gathering.  I think it is only fair to let the host know how many people to expect in good time.

Looking forward to seeing you at our end-of-year Gathering.

Cheers

Irene

bellingenseedsaversunderground.blogspot.com/ 

Irene's Newsletter

Hi Seed Savers

We had a wonderful visit to Carol's garden last week and were all delighted by the design, the collection of orchids, bromeliads, succulents, irises and the excellent use of groundcovers - and much, much more.  If you go to the blog you will find that John has posted many photos of this picturesque garden.  A big thank you to Carol for inviting us and many congratulations for the years of dedication that she has put into the garden.

We were lucky that the rain held off until after our tour of the garden and we then enjoyed tea and conversation,  a debriefing on the recent events and a lively Q&A session.  I was happy to share the news that, despite some reasonably large expenses recently, our bank balance remains very healthy.  All the donations received at the Plant Fair, etc. and the expenses of the Fantons' visit balanced out very well.  

It was agreed that we benefitted greatly from the Fantons' input and a  few suggestions were made as to other experts who might be willing to share their knowledge with Bellingen Seed Savers next year, e.g. Jackie French, Jerry Coleby-Williams, Isobel Shepherd, a local edible weed expert, etc.  If you would like to suggest others or specific topics you would like covered, please let me know.    I will start making enquiries.

Q & A sessions have become a regular part of our Gatherings and give us an opportunity to pick up some useful practical tips from one another.  I sometimes receive cries for help between Gatherings too and here are a couple of recent ones which were discussed last week:

1. Q  from Rhonda - After one of the gatherings I struck some elderberry pieces and they are now planted in the garden.  However I did not check how big they grow and may have put them in the wrong spot.  Not sure who bought the plant to the meeting but if you have time and think about it could you ask the group via email, how big it grows, I’d much prefer to transplant it now than later. 

 A from Elaine -

The Elder, ( Sambucus nigra )...has more Folklore attatched to it, than any other European plant.....and can grow to 10 metres depending on conditions.

 I like to cut them back to just above a metre, and keep pruning the tips, to produce more flowers and berries, and allowing them to grow to just over 2 metres, makes harvesting easier.    However I like to leave some, for support for the aerial potato, and creating a micro climate, for underplanting, to protect plants from extreme conditions of heat and cold.  Pruned they also make a fast growing wind-break.

The FLOWERS treat, all Respiratory and inflammatory conditions, colds, sore throats, hayfever, feverish illnesses, arthritis and are a mild laxative.

The Berries, are rich in Vitamin C and flavenoids, with antiviral and immune enhancing actions.  Strengthen the eyes and improve night vision.

 Both Fruit and Flowers have been traditionally used in TEAS Cordials Jams and Jellies Wines and Anti -  ageing formulas...hence the name ELDER.

 ELDER FLOWERS AND OR BERRIES  with yoghurt,  make an excellent addition to the morning MUESLI. 

 A brew of the leaves is a good insecticide.

2. Q from Lesley -" I've always had good success with dwarf beans but this year something is eating my seeds as they're emerging from the ground. Those that come up at all have brown edged holes in the cotyledons and don't make it to becoming a plant. Do you know what's doing it? More to the point, what can I do about it?"

 A from group - a number of protection methods were suggested - a piece of polypipe or an upturned drink bottle, pushed into the ground around the seedling.

Causes suggested - birds, slugs/snails, 4-legged creatures......

3. Q  from someone in the group - a Brazil Cherry - flowers but no fruit

    A  Could have been the period of wet weather

If you have a query about something you are growing, please send it in and I will circulate it.

Jude and Michel Fanton visit Bellingen Seedsavers

Once again we visited David's large garden which he most generously allowed as the venue for a Jude and Michel Fanton Seedsavers Workshop. Jude and Michel founded the international seedsavers movement which is headquartered in Byron Bay, NSW.

One activity involved finding the most perfect pea pod to save for seed.

Under the shade of the trees, on an unusually hot spring day, Jude and Michel explained many of the mysteries of seedsaving.

The workshop finished with the group learning how to clean seeds using various sieves.

We all brought along seeds and plants for a 'show and tell' session. As usual, Nell was a fount of knowledge. Here she is describing the excellent properties of a Fijian Taro that she has grown for many years. We also learned that the shoots from Arrowroot (Canna edulis) can be eaten when prepared like asparagus.

Nell mixes the cooked Taro with coconut milk to make a tasty dip or spread.

Much of the food brought along to share was grown by members of our Bellingen Seedsavers Club. Lemons, peanuts, mandarins, paw paw, grated green paw paw and bean shoots were just some of the home grown edibles used in cakes, salads and dips.

Peter brought along his pickled walnuts and they were indeed exceptional. Here they are served with crackers and cheese. His large tree is around ten metres high.

The chilacayote (Cucurbita ficifolia) the melon-like fruit, was new to many of us. Like a pie melon, this fruit is probably best used as a zucchini when small, according to our experienced members. The flesh was white and slightly sweet. You need never starve with 'killer chayotes' in the trees. Just watch your head if you allow them to grow high into the trees.

Colourful nasturtium flowers decorated this salad.

Nell  made this salad with grated green paw paw and sprouts with a lemon-juice and honey dressing.