Santa Barbara Permaculture
Network Presents :
"Modern Science Meets
Ancient Maize"
with Lorenz Schaller of the Kusa Seed Society
Saturday, January 25, 6:30pm-8:30pm 2014
$5 donation
Santa Barbara Central Library, Faulkner Gallery
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Maize was the plant-food staple of MesoAmerica and the first American
societies. Domesticated from teosinte grasses in Southern Mexico,
maize was the staple grain of the Aztec empire. Ancient Mayans had
over three hundred Maize foods, while the Incas, an advanced agricultural
civilization that skillfully developed an amazing variety of plants like
quinoa, amaranth, beans and potatoes; prized Maize above all others as
the plant that nourished and allowed their civilization to rise and
thrive.
In his talk Lorenz Schaller will share the history and ancient secrets
of the sacred-maize tradition, "as revealed by the bright light of
modern science in the fields of human nutrition, cereal chemistry,
and holistic health & well being". Attendees of the talk
will have a chance to learn the basics of preparing whole-grain maize for
human use, including the historic and delicious cinnamon or sometimes
chocolate maize based hot drink Atole, still popular in Mexico
today. Please join us for an enlightening evening!
A longtime Ojai resident, Lorenz Schaller is a remarkable steward of his
environment. Formerly a staff member at the California Institute of
Technology (Cal-Tech), Schaller studied and taught the nutritional,
culinary, and ecological significance of bio-diverse seed crops for many
decades. Over time, his scientific knowledge merged with a deeper
spiritual connection to the life cycles of the planet. Schaller
founded the Kusa Seed Research Foundation and Kusa Seed Society in 1980,
with an intention to assure the survival of many ancient, rare, and
endangered edible seedcrop strains that were the building blocks for
human civilizations around the globe. Operating as a scholarly
think tank, the Kusa Seed Society also maintains seed archives of
precious seed stocks, with seeds and informative seed publications
available to the public. Kusa is a Sanskrit word meaning sacred
grass.
The evening talk takes place on Saturday, January 25,
6:30pm-8:30pm at the downtown Santa Barbara Public Library,
Faulkner Gallery, 40 East Anapamu St, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101.
Donation $5, no reservations required. More Info, (805)962-2571,
margie@sbpermaculture.org,
www.sbpermaculture.org
Seed Swap Next Day:
6th Annual Santa Barbara
Community Seed Swap:
(with theme of plants from
MesoAmerica & the Western Hemisphere)
Sunday, January 26, 2014
11 AM - 3 PM, FREE
Santa Barbara Public Library, Faulkner Gallery, 40 East Anapamu St,
Santa Barbara
Bring seeds & take seeds
Music & activities for all ages, children welcome!
Santa Barbara Seed Saving Guild will share valuable seed saving
techniques
For more info:
www.sbpermaculture.org
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/632203483488117/
Additional Info:
Kusa Seed Society:
http://www.ancientcerealgrains.org/
Mission Statement:
- The purpose of The Kusa Seed Society is to increase humanity’s
knowledge and understanding of a very ancient relationship—the
relationship connecting humanity with the edible seedcrops.
- The precious edible seeds of the earth — the cereal grains,
grain-legumes, oilseeds and other precious edible seeds — have a history
of small-scale cultivation and utilization which dates back more than
10,000 years.
(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie@sbpermaculture.org
www.sbpermaculture.org
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