Seeds of Community
Here at hivethrive, we often write about efforts that are planting the seeds of community and creating prosperity in the process. A piece today by a blogger who writes about local food drew my attention to an entrepreneur who has built a business around heirloom seeds, music, and community.
At the blog IonPlants, Diane profiles an heirloom seeds entrepreneur, whom she calls an inspiration:
“Jeremiath Gettle of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed company wanted to be a seedman from the time he was a young boy. He worked it out brilliantly, and has built an empire of heirloom seeds. Regular festivals feature folk music and plenty of old-timey goodness, and are drawing more people from around the US and the world each year…”
An article that Diane points to about Jere Gettle and his seed company explains that he was an avid gardener and collector from his childhood in Montana. Reading an article in Sunset Magazine about heirloom seeds piqued his interest, and led him to begin collecting seeds. He also began to learn more about seeds with the help of an organization called Seed Savers.
Gettle’s hobby grew into a business while he was still a teenager, as he began to produce a growing catalog of heirloom seeds for sale. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds now offers 1200 varieties of heirloom seeds, and Jere Gettle spends months each year expanding that selection further. His catalog is prized by renowned chefs who value heirloom fruits and vegetables for their unique qualities, including color, taste, and nutrition that differ from common commercial varieties.
Festivals incorporating bluegrass, cowboy and mountain music, crafts, and, of course, gardening attract thousands to the Ozark hills of Missouri, where Baker Creek’s store is located amid the old fashioned Bakersville Pioneer Village. Its Bakersville website describes their Spring Planting Festival as the largest heritage gardening event in the country and invites visitors to:
“Enjoy a sense of community with fascinating seed collectors, renowned musicians, national speakers, historic demonstrators, food activists, home schoolers, western re-enactors, organic growers, gourmet chefs, free thinkers, Ozarkian crafters, trendier vendors & herbal hippies…”
Jere Gettle is also active online, with a personal website that features his photographs of heirloom fruits and vegetables, his company’s festivals, and some of the people and places he has met on his quests for seeds. He is also responsible for an online community called I Dig My Garden, which offers advice to thousands of heirloom gardeners, as well as a print publication called The Heirloom Gardener.
While I haven’t tried his company’s seeds yet, with all the ways that Jere Gettle is building community and empowering gardeners, it is easy to see why people find him inspiring.
Evan
