Over a few years, I became aware that I felt as though these seeds were nourishing me and the food, I was growing was nourishing me differently than the food in the supermarket. … I became aware that the story of the plant … somehow went through me on a cellular level and began to affect who I was. Over the years that has become a key part of my understanding of the value of our heritage seeds … The seeds have taken me on this journey … They have the ability to connect with the life and the soil and the sky … Mother Earth. They have the ability to connect and communicate with the Life and the world around us. And then, they have the ability, if we have a healthy gut, to pass that information on to us. So, we are back in the process of co-evolution. And that process is what reconnects us to ourselves, to the Earth, to who we are; and it gives us a place to stand. So I’ve come to understand that heritage seeds are the only seeds capable of building life on earth and holding everything connected. Kay Baxter, The Koanga Institute
Read that again. Even better listen to the story of Baxter’s 40-year journey with heritage seeds in New Zealand. (you can see it here).
This week is a bit of a pivot for me and The Pivot. I find myself in my own personal process of evolving amidst the chaos of our world and Mother Earth’s evolution, a journey that is inviting me to deep rest for body, mind, and spirit. It’s this trio that collaborate each week to create a musing to share. Today the body says, “please rest”, so I simply wanted to share this element of my journey of exploration. It inspires my interest in local food and its importance even more deeply and has me curious about the seed sources of my favorite farmers and gardeners here in the San Luis Valley.
I share hints of Kay Baxter’s experience of becoming aware, noticing subtle differences between the organic kale in our local natural foods grocery and that from a friend’s local garden or a beloved regenerative farmer nearby. That awareness and the information offered are nourishment for my evolutionary journey and the choices I’m making along the way on a journey to align more deeply with Gaia, our planet home.