717: Hassena Kassim on Saving Seeds.
Growing and Saving Seeds.
In This Podcast:
Hassena Kassim returns to talk about the recent growth she is experiencing since moving from Arizona to North Carolina about 5 years ago. She explains how growing and saving seeds for Sow True Seeds led her to the Organic Seed Alliance seed school and what she learned from completing the program. Hassena admits to a newfound appreciation for beans as she shares interesting facts from their long and colorful history. Don’t miss the fantastic seed resources mentioned in this episode!
Our Guest:
Hassena Kassim is a mother and a newish farmer in Hot Springs NC. She works the land with honeybees, chickens, dairy goats, gardens and several composting methods. Hassena is a grower of seeds for Sow True Seed in Asheville, North Carolina and has recently completed the Organic Seed Alliance seed school.
Listen in and learn about:
- Trying to grow seeds with a greater purpose led her to Seed School
- 8-month program: Organic Seed Alliance seed school, guest speakers from the US, Africa, Canada
- Enterprise budget or Seed Historian Project – she chose Seed Historian Project, researching a crop, learning the history
- Sow True Seeds – based in Asheville, supporting local seed growers, online seed catalog
- She is growing two seeds for Sow True Seeds: Pink Balsam (an impatien) and Old Joe Clark (a red peanut bean)
- A large percentage of our seeds are controlled by 3 or 4 companies – it shouldn’t be that way.
- What is a half runner bean – a combination of a pole bean and a bush bean
- Old Joe Clark beans – harvested about a pound of seed, really pretty plants, 6-7” long pods started out green then turned magenta as they became ripe.
- Using Old Joe Clark beans – cook, can, or freeze them
- Fava beans and Northern Israel beans date back to about 14,000 years ago
- How beans and corn complement each other
- Runner beans came from central America, half runners from West VA. Popular because of their growing climate and more compact size.
- Old Joe Clark was a comedian who loved to grow beans
- Russ Crow – abeancollectorswindow.com
- Bill Best – heirlooms.org
- How seed school has impacted her life: Raising chickens for eggs feels good, but saving seeds is a bit bigger.
- Her farm: about 5 acres – bees, chickens, dairy goats (more mischief!), about a ¼ to ½ acre garden
- She will always have worms! But they are more personal in NC than they were in Phoenix.
- Why farming?
– She enjoys being outside
– Take vitamins because the food isn’t as healthy as it used to be? Fix the soil instead.
– Why pay to go to the gym when you can farm?
– A way to leave a legacy behind.
- rainlog.org
- Rainwater harvesting is different in NC than it was in Phoenix
- Gardening discoveries – potatoes have a smell!
- Growing beans has inspired her to want to try eating more types of beans.
As well as:
How to Reach Hassena:
Facebook: Hassena Kassim
Instagrarm: WormWhisperer
UrbanFarm.org/Hassena
*Disclosure:
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