[Southern California Permaculture] TONIGHT!/Modern Science Meets Ancient Maize with Lorenz Schaller/Sat Jan 25 6:30pm

Sat Jan 25 05:59:00 PST 2014

  Evening Talk:
"Modern Science Meets Ancient Maize"
with Lorenz Schaller of the Kusa Seed Society
Saturday, January 25, 6:30pm-8:30pm $5 donation
Emacs!

Location:
Santa Barbara Central Library, Faulkner Gallery, 40 E.Anapamu St, 
Santa Barbara,CA

more info, www.sbpermaculture.org

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, beans, amaranth 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.   Kusa Seed Society: 
http://www.ancientcerealgrains.org/

Read More:

followed by
Annual Community Seed Swap:
Sunday, January 26, 2014
  11 AM - 3 PM, FREE

Both events at the downtown Santa Barbara Central Library, Faulkner Gallery
40 E. Anapamu St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Continuing on  Sunday, January 26, the 6th Annual Community Seed Swap 
takes place, this year with a theme of plants from MesoAmerica and 
the Western Hemisphere.  Please come and share your examples of 
plants from the Americas like squash, corn, chayote, potatoes, beans, 
tomatoes, avocados, guavas, chili peppers, manioc, agave, and prickly 
pear.  A truly rich heritage, a gift from our skilled ancient 
ancestors, may we steward their legacy with care.   But as always all 
seeds, especially locally grown seeds, are welcome.

Local groups will table, including the Santa Barbara Seed Saving 
Guild who will share valuable seed saving techniques and encourage 
local gardeners to grow out and harvest some of their best seeds for 
future gardens and seed swaps, making us a truly food secure 
community.  Seed saving is a fun and easy way to connect to the 
circle of life.

More than 400 people attended the Seed Swap last year, sharing seeds 
and knowledge with other backyard gardeners, plant lovers, and 
farmers. Come be a part of this seed saving movement, making sure 
that locally adapted varieties of seed & plants are passed on to 
future generations.  Children are welcome!

Bring seeds, plants, cuttings, and garden knowledge to swap.
Don't have these?
Then come get seeds.
Seeds to sow.
Seeds to grow.
Seeds to harvest.
Seeds to save and share next year.
Activities for all ages
Music that will have your toes tapping
Special Speakers throughout the day
A gathering of garden friends old and new.

  For more information, (805) 962-2571, margie at sbpermaculture.org, 
www.sbpermaculture.org

~A community program hosted by the Santa Barbara Permaculture Network 
Non-profit~
www.sbpermaculture.org
Event co-sponsors: Island Seed & Feed, Healing Grounds Biodynamic 
Nursery, & the Santa Barbara Seed Saving Guild

  Santa Barbara Annual Community Seed Swap on Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/632203483488117/

Seeds, they are our past, they are our future.  In past times, they 
were skillfully adapted to climate and location.  Are we as smart as 
our ancestors?  In the America's, the Western Hemisphere, amazing 
skill was exhibited to develop a huge array of edible plants---a 
wild, bitter gourd is encouraged to become an edible and nutritious 
squash; a simple and weed-like grass into corn---all done without 
GMOs!  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.

-end-

Santa Babara Permaculture Network Logo

(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie at sbpermaculture.org
www.sbpermaculture.org

PlPlease consider the environment before printing this email.

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