9th Annual Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap

Sunday, January 29, 2017

 11-3pm, Free

Santa Barbara Public Library, Faulkner Gallery

A celebration to bring seeds & people together

The seed swap is just around the corner, we hope you can join us!

Seed swapping is about engaging your community while sharing seeds with friends & neighbors and exchanging knowledge & ideas.  And it makes you happy! chases the blues away…

This year we are a bit low on seed donations from donor seed companies, so please bring lots of seeds- more important than ever to bring what you have grown out from your gardens in previous years to share.  This is the real intention of seed swaps!

And we are always grateful for volunteers.  Especially needed this time are time keepers and assistants for the speakers; and those willing to help load and unload for exhibitors at beginning and end of day.  See below for a more ways to help.

Don’t forget  to bring markers, pens, pencils, bags, envelopes, seed saving containers (let’s move away from plastic when possible, zero waste our goal) and mark all your seed donations with as much information as possible; good seed saving etiquette suggests including, plant name (common & scientific), where grown, date collected, etc.  Most seeds are best if no more than 3 years old. 

We would love current seed catalogs to put on our community information table if you have some to share.  

Every year we honor a Local Food Hero, this year the honor goes to Judy Sims.  As many have worked with Judy through the years on a vast array of projects, we invite you to bring photos & memories to share in a special memory book we will have available for that purpose.  Judy will be honored between 12:30 & 1pm.

We will also take a moment to remember Bruce Van Dyke who generously shared his time and immense knowledge with expert pruning demonstrations at almost all the past seed swaps.  What a blessing he was to our community.

Marshall Chrostowski of Pacifica Farms, a past Local Food Hero and exemplary seedman, has recently moved away and unfortunately won’t be with us this year, but  he has generously bequeathed seeds from his collection for this year’s Seed Swap, thank you Marshall .  

We always have great speakers & children’s activities, check out this year’s lineup:

Music Corner - Music by Glendessary Jam – 1-2:30pm – Faulkner Gallery -Main

Children Seed Activities – Location: Faulkner Gallery – West - 11:30 – 2pm

v 1:30 – 1:50pm - Getting the Garden back into Kindergarten, a talk with Matt Vogel of Trinity Gardens

Seed Swap Speaker Schedule – Location: Faulkner Gallery – East – 11:30 – 3pm (all times subject to change)

v 11:30 – 11:50 Native Bees - Kid Friendly - No Stings  with Joan Calder, Master Gardener

v Noon – 12:20  Seed Saving 101, with Oscar Carmona of Healing Grounds Nursery

v 12:30 – 12:50  Soil Biology with Bill Palmisano

v 1 – 1:20pm-  Valuing the Maya Forest as a Garden, with Anabel Ford of El Pilar & Meso American Research Center

v 1:30 – 1:50 -  Leave Your Carbon Footprint in the Garden, with  Michael Whitman of Blue Sky Biochar

v 2 – 2:20 -  Alternative Ways, Better Solutions with Matthew Dudley

v 2:30 – 3pm - Ancient Seeds & Grains-Old World Superfoods/! with Larry Kandarian of Kandarian Farms

Volunteer jobs: 

Some of the jobs we could use help with (just reply to this email if you can help):

v SET UP, we only have a half hour to set up, tables, chairs, signage; it's fast half hour (set-up time starts at 10:30 am, must be ready for public by 11am)

v help organizations with exhibit tables unload their cars from the curb

v timekeepers & assistants for the talks (make intros, etc)

v if you have plant knowledge, assist with questions in the "Seed Island" in the middle of the room

v Keep seed trays in Seed Island filled & tidy

v Volunteer PHOTOGRAPHER to document the day in photos

v Spanish Translations - if exhibitors need assistance with translations for their displays

v BREAK DOWN between 2:45 & 3pm, we must be out of the library very quick, chairs put away, vacuum carpet, help exhibitors break down & carry out

And big news for next year, since the library has become increasingly expensive and no longer affordable, and we continue to grow in size, we will be moving the Santa Barbara Annual Community Seed Swap to Trinity Gardens, with both indoor and outdoor space available.  Trinity Gardens & Santa Barbara Permaculture Network will be the major co-hosts for the event.

Thanks to Trinity Garden for always supporting with seeds and all the children’s activities through the years. Stay tuned for more information next year.  In the meantime, check out Trinity Gardens ongoing events: http://www.trinitygardenssb.org/

9th Annual Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap

Sunday, January 29, 2017

 11-3pm, Free

Santa Barbara Public Library, Faulkner Gallery

A celebration to bring seeds & people together

A Community program hosted by Santa Barbara Permaculture Network Non-profit
www.sbpermaculture.org

Co-Sponsors: Island Seed & Feed, Botanical Interest Seeds, Santa Barbara Seed Savers Guild,

Healing Grounds Biodynamic Nursery, & Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market

Event Facebook page (English & Spanish): https://www.facebook.com/groups/632203483488117/

More Info: Margie@sbpermaculture.org, (805) 962-2571

2017 Local Real Food Hero Award

Once again we will be honoring a Local Real Food Hero at the Seed Swap.  This year the award goes to Judy Sims, whose contribution to local food systems is at the very beginning, with the child! An elementary school teacher who taught for many years at Monte Vista school, Judy used her classroom to teach kids about the environment through gardens. A longtime community volunteer & activist, Judy has been a key participant in many local garden organizations and projects. Read more…. http://www.sbpermaculture.org/events.html

Seeds, they are our past, they are our future.  In past times, they were skillfully adapted to climate and location.

Come join us as we encourage our community to save and grow out seed specific to our own climate and place,

while honoring our ancestors gift & legacy.

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