crunchy bits

It’s that time of year again here in the Northeast. The holiday whirl has subsided, we’ve had a month for quiet reflection and a string of family game marathons. We’ve peeked into our nooks and crannies and donated the things that don’t fit. Well, we’re still working on that last one, actually. It’s tough for a family of packrats to let things go easily.

The spring-like weather of the past week has gotten us thinking about what new plants we’ll try to grow this year. Some of our seed catalogs arrived back in December, when we didn’t have time to pore over the rainbow within. Today, now that the bitter weather has snapped back into place, we’re happy to snuggle up inside and do just that. I ordered online last year from several of these companies, but it’s lovely to have a paper catalog to leaf through.

Last year, I stumbled on an interesting book called “Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times” by Steve Solomon. As a previous owner of a seed company himself, he offered some ‘insider’ information about the quality of seeds offered for the retail market, and how to ensure that you get quality seeds. The bottom line is that, for the best results, you want to be sure that you buy from reputable companies. He recommended several, and I’ve parsed that list to include companies that sell seeds which thrive in the New England area, as well as those with a strong committment to sustainable agriculture and a non-GMO approach.

Baker’s Creek Heirloom Seeds offers open-pollinated heirloom varieties, presenting a collection of unusual, colorful and flavorful varities from around the world.

Seed Savers Exchange a non-profit, member supported organization that saves and shares heirloom seeds — more than 25,000 endangered vegetable varieties, most having been brought to North America by members’ ancestors who immigrated from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other parts of the world. SSE is the largest non-governmental seed bank in the United States

Seeds of Change offering 100% certified organic flower, vegetable and herb seeds, many heirloom, native and hard-to-find varieties

Johnny’s Selected Seeds is an employee-owned seed producer in Maine selling heirloom and hybrid vegetable seeds; medicinal and culinary herb seeds; flower seeds; cover crops, farm seed, and pasture mixes; fruit plants and seeds, and high quality, problem-solving tools and supplies for both the home gardener and larger customers. The opportunity to purchase in bulk abounds in this catalog.

Richters Herbs offers a wide variety of culinary and medicinal herb seeds, plants, extracts and herb-related products. If you need an obscure herb, this is your source. Last year was my first ordering from them, and I’m excited to see how my “leftover” seed germination rates are this year. They also offer bulk packaging.