Rare Seed Specialists Have Unique Business Model

2021 - Volume #45, Issue #2, Page #09

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Truelove Seeds features unusual seed collections, like the African Diaspora, Italian, and Syrian collections.
Their website features stories about their rare seeds, like Bartram’s Garden and their Yellow Carrot-Shaped Radish Seed, first collected by the Bartram family in the mid to late 1700’s. Bear Bottom Farm is a mule-powered homestead in central Virginia that produces and sells Black Peanuts, Turkey Craw Beans, and Bronze Syrian Lettuce. Those just scratch the surface of a unique collaboration of growers and savers of seed from rare, open-pollinated and culturally important vegetables, herbs and flowers.
“We produce about half the seeds we sell, with the other seeds coming from almost 50 individual growers,” says Owen Taylor, founder of Truelove Seeds. “Our goal is to support their work with a business model that sends 50 percent of the profits for seeds back to the farms that grew them.”
Visit Taylor’s website and you’ll find 28 partnering farmer stories, including his own Mill Hollow Farm. He specializes in Italian heritage seeds celebrating his own ancestors, including Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco (Tongue of Fire Bean), Sicillian Rocket and Cucuzza Gourd. The latter is eaten like zucchini when 12 in. long but grows to 3 ft. or longer. The young shoots, leaves and tender fruits can all be eaten, and the fruit/gourd can be made into jam. The dry gourd keeps seeds viable for 20 years or can be used for musical instruments, birdhouses or storage containers and bowls.
“Our African Diaspora collection is very popular with African immigrants and African Americans. I see a lot of Italian last names on orders for the Italian Collection,” says Taylor. “At the same time, people are interested in growing nutritious food, especially staples like beans, grains and vegetables.”
In addition to fascinating seeds from around the world, seed descriptions are often filled with information on origin, planting, harvesting and seed keeping.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Truelove Seeds, P.O. Box 12648, Philadelphia, Penn. 19129 (trueloveseeds@gmail.com; www.trueloveseeds.com).

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Rare Seed Specialists Have Unique Business Model CROPS Miscellaneous Truelove Seeds features unusual seed collections like the African Diaspora Italian and Syrian collections Their website features stories about their rare seeds like Bartram’s Garden and their Yellow Carrot-Shaped Radish Seed first collected by the Bartram family in the mid to late 1700’s Bear Bottom Farm is a mule-powered homestead in central Virginia that produces and sells Black Peanuts Turkey Craw Beans and Bronze Syrian Lettuce Those just scratch the surface of a unique collaboration of growers and savers of seed from rare open-pollinated and culturally important vegetables herbs and flowers “We produce about half the seeds we sell with the other seeds coming from almost 50 individual growers ” says Owen Taylor founder of Truelove Seeds “Our goal is to support their work with a business model that sends 50 percent of the profits for seeds back to the farms that grew them ” Visit Taylor’s website and you’ll find 28 partnering farmer stories including his own Mill Hollow Farm He specializes in Italian heritage seeds celebrating his own ancestors including Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco Tongue of Fire Bean Sicillian Rocket and Cucuzza Gourd The latter is eaten like zucchini when 12 in long but grows to 3 ft or longer The young shoots leaves and tender fruits can all be eaten and the fruit/gourd can be made into jam The dry gourd keeps seeds viable for 20 years or can be used for musical instruments birdhouses or storage containers and bowls “Our African Diaspora collection is very popular with African immigrants and African Americans I see a lot of Italian last names on orders for the Italian Collection ” says Taylor “At the same time people are interested in growing nutritious food especially staples like beans grains and vegetables ” In addition to fascinating seeds from around the world seed descriptions are often filled with information on origin planting harvesting and seed keeping Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Truelove Seeds P O Box 12648 Philadelphia Penn 19129 trueloveseeds@gmail com; www trueloveseeds com

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