- Lots of new products feature ancient grains; King Tut unavailable for comment.
- How genebanks work. Both Jeremy and Luigi available for comment and editing services.
- Crackdown on onion smuggling.
- Alleged myths about organic farming.
- First Americans ate seaweed.
Another source of seeds
Aspen Edge from Semilla Besada contacted us, saying “we collect, sow and save heirloom seeds, predominantly organic, in order to maintain biodiversity and farmer’s autonomy. Â I should like to be listed as a source of heirloom seeds in Spain, although these can only be supplied when they are surplus to our requirements”.
Despite the caveat, we’re happy to list them on our Seeds page, and to use the opportunity to ask for other suggestions of sources you think we should list.
Talking about neglected crops
AGFAX Radio was at the recent Arusha meeting on neglected crops and has a whole bunch of interviews online (with transcripts):
- National treasures
- International viewpoints
- Nutritional benefits
- Social aspects
- Why Tanzania is ahead
- Mighty baobab
- From weed to cash crop: Amaranth
- Improving the varieties
- The farmer’s view
- The market for underutilized vegetables
Don’t forget the follow-up e-conference is still on.
Mo’ better banana
Dan Koeppel, the man who wrote “Banana,” noted our little post yesterday. And thanks to that, I found his web site, which I confess I didn’t search for originally. Despite being monospecific, this is one I will be watching because the banana is truly a microcosm of much that interests me. I’ve added it to our blogroll too.
Round and round the beer flows
After four days away from the intertubes, I’m astonished to be sent from a beer blog in Philadelphia, via a very local paper in that town, to a brew roundup in Burkina Faso, where sorghum is the starting material of choice. It’s a good, colourful write-up that makes it clear how important beer is in the everyday life of Zogore. And Philly. And yes, I know I need to get over it, but the sheer range of stuff out there continues to delight.