Seed Saving 101 & Farm Tour!

Have you ever wanted to save the seeds from your hard-earned crop, but didn’t know where to start? Want to carry forward your Driftless-acclimated bumper crop of cucumbers and peppers into a new season? On Saturday, October 01 at 11:00 a.m., the Driftless Seed Project partners with Back Home Farm of Blue Mounds to offer a free introductory seed saving and storage workshop, followed by a tour of Doug and Karin Butikofer’s organic family farm. A maximum of thirty registrants will learn the basics of the age-old tradition of edible plant seed harvesting and storage from an experienced team of growers and naturalists. The workshop and tour are free, but registration is required for a maximum of thirty participants. To sign up, visit www.mthorebhistory.org and search "farm tour", or call 608-437-6486. Back Home Farm encompasses an eight-acre parcel of rich Driftless ground, with two acres currently in active production. The property also boasts 1.5 acres of woodland, a open prairie, an orchard of heirloom fruit trees, a small vineyard of cold hardy grapes and an apiary employing natural beekeeping practices. Here, Butikofer produces non-GMO, open pollinated and heirloom seed varieties. This program is presented by the Driftless Seed Project, an initiative of Back Home Farm (Blue Mounds, WI), Mount Horeb Area Community Garden, Mount Horeb Area Historical Society and Naturalist/Educator Catherine Young. The Driftless Seed Project seeks to educate about the intersection of sustainable agriculture and cultural heritage, by identifying and sharing locally cultivated seeds and their stories from the Driftless area of southwest Wisconsin. For more information, call 608-437-6486 or email mthorebahs@gmail.com.