Kamloops Seedy Saturday

Seedy Saturdayis a local event to exchange seeds and enjoy free gardening seminars. Bring your saved seeds or leftover packaged seeds. If you do not have any seeds, don?t worry. There are plenty available for everyone!

Date: Saturday, February 26, 2011
Where: Sahali Centre Mall, ?945 Columbia Street West?, Kamloops, BC
?Time: 11:00am to 2:00pm
Contact: Leslie Welch: plants444(a)gmail.com
Cost: Free, but a donation to the Kamloops Food Bank is greatly appreciated?.

Schedule of Free Gardening Seminars:
11:10am – 11:55am
Dr Penny Powers is a market gardener and will explain preserving foods with a root cellar.
11:15am – 12:00pm
Afke Zonderland is a raw food chef for Food Alive and will explain the process of dehydrating.
12:10pm – 12:35pm
Ann Sutherland is a horticulturalist and will explain storage methods without a root cellar.
12:15pm – 1:00pm
David Wides is a sustainable agricultural specialist with Sorrento Farm and will discuss Heirloom seeds.
12:35pm-1:00pm
Kendra Bessinger is a vermiculturist and will explain worm composting. Here is a link to a Kamloops business for people interested in vericulture called All Things Organic.
1:10pm – 2:00pm
Anne Grube will explain the process of canning your produce for home storage.
1:15pm – 2:00pm
Dr Joanne Harness will explain the science behind composting and biosolids.

Updated February 23, 2011: Here is another good reason to save local seeds and grow your own food. If you haven’t heard, on January 27, 2011 the US Government has allowed Monsanto to release their GM alfalfa. Please read Scientists warn of link between dangerous new pathogen and Monsanto?s Roundup and note the letter from Dr Don Huber to Secretary Tom Vilsack of the USDA. Please note some of the possible dangers of this GM perennial being released in North America. Here is an interview with Dr Don Huber called Scientist warns of dire consequences with widespread use of glyphosate. Here is an article explaining why organic and pastured based foods will become contaminated with Monsanto’s genetically modified organisms. Please read GM alfalfa will be everywhere.
According to a paper by Geertson Seed Farms, one of the biggest potential problems is that GM alfalfa will cross pollinate with wild alfalfa, which will become the dominant weed variety because it has the Roundup Ready herbicide tolerant trait. Weedy GM alfalfa will in turn become a source of pollen and seed that will contaminate conventional and organic alfalfa fields.

Updated February 26, 2011: I hope you had a chance to get to Seedy Saturday. There was a LOT of people! If you couldn’t make it, the organizers said that videos of all the seminars will be available at some point on the Salhali Mall website.