The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food

I first purchased this book from the author when she was on a book tour, and I'm glad I did! I thought it would be a "how-to" book when I went to her lecture. I fell in love with the book, and with Janisse. I lent it out so much that I had to get another copy to keep! She later autographed it for me at another book event. It has won both the American Horticultural Society Book award and is a prestigious Nautilus Book Awards winner. Janisse's writing is honest and poetic. The book explains how seed saving has been discouraged and in many cases made illegal by modern seed sellers and the lack of diversity in current seed production practices. I laughed out loud at chapter 23 and applied the lesson of saving tomato seeds outlined in chapter 19. I was inspired to learn more about how to go about saving my own seeds. You will want to read more books by this author!

If you have read Gary Nabhan or Wendell Barry, if you know about Slow Food and the Ark of Taste, if you are a gardener, and especially if you are a saver of heirloom seeds, you should read this book. If you are none of these things, then you should really read this book to learn about them. Each chapter is beautifully written. My only criticism is that the chapters are disjointed without a clear narrative flow. It is more of a collection of essays. But each essay is a thing unto itself, well thought out and both clearly and beautifully written. I hope this book is widely read because it has an important message.

I certainly recommend The Seed Underground, which initiates us to what has nearly become the lost art of seed saving. With the rise of the industrial era, many of the old ways of doing have been all but forgotten, and many of us are coming to realize those old skills and sustainable ways of living are needed for future generations to have a world they can enjoy and thrive in. This book is as charming, fun, informative and inspiring as Janisse Ray's books always are, and this newest of her books will be especially fascinating to anyone who cares about clean, healthy food, gardening, seed saving and thoughts about how wonderful local community can be. While so many green writers these days write gloomy and disheartening books, Ms. Ray makes doing the right thing to help Mother Earth seem like a great good time. Ms. Ray is a Southern treasure, and her vivacious enthusiasm for her subjects always lifts my spirits.

How many times have we heard the old saw, 'the more things change the more they stay the same.' Corporations are in the business of making money and a profit for the shareholders. I have no beef with profits or business so long as it is done fairly and not at the expense of the worlds health through the total control of the very seeds of life that feed an increasing world population. Nature has taken a beating at the hands of men and appears that it will continue to be so. A very good book highlighting dangers to our food supply through the intentional hybridization of seeds decreasing the plant diversity. If it was not for folks like Janisse we would all be a part of the crowd and invisible. A work that matters. Marshall L Dell

Though I consider myself pretty well educated on the subject covered here, I learned from the account and thoroughly enjoyed the style the information was presented (as is always the case with Janisse Ray's work). Even if you never plan to grow your own vegetables, learn about the efforts of those who are, find the farmers who are growing these more flavorful, even healthier foods and find out what you've been missing!

This book is a must read about how people around the USA are saving our sees from extinction. Monsanto has bought out most of the seed companies and has engineered all seed to not be viable, be pesticide-resistant so they can use pesticides on them and to have other qualities that are artificially and chemically induced. GMO foods have at least 20 percent less nutrition, and have dangerous side effects that cause can cause neurological disorders to cancer. Other parts of the world have banned GMO seeds and products but not here.

This book is absolutely amazing! Not only a great read by a fantastic writer, but possibly one of the most important books ever written. Ray does a stellar job of taking the reader on a journey through depictions of her own journey. She not only uncovers, but upheaves a wealth of information that is imperative to the survival of our food system, as we know it. Her passion and expertise in preserving our delicate heirloom fruits and veggies is awe-inspiring! Everyone should read this book!

Janisse Ray is a splendid writer, for starters, and her craft is apparent in the fascinating profiles of seed savers as well as in clear explanations of plant science. She's making the case for preserving and planting all the fine old varieties of plants rather than sticking with a supermarket short aisle of hybrids that travel well. This is an excellent contribution to a growing body of work celebrating genetic diversity and thoughtful, local food choices. Highly recommended!