On May 23, 2015, the 7th Annual Ozark Seed Swap will take place in the Administration Building at the Ozark Folk Center State Park between 1:00 and 4:00 P.M. This event is cosponsored by ROOST (Revitalizing Ozark-Ouachita Seed Traditions) and the Ozark Folk Center State Park. All interested persons are invited to attend this free event. Call the Ozark Folk Center State Park at (870) 269-3851 or log on to OzarkFolkCenter.com for information concerning the Ozark Seed Swap.
ROOST may be found online at facebook.com/ROOSTseedsaving. ROOST is dedicated to protecting and improving the diversity of heirloom seed varieties, knowledge and practices throughout the Ozark-Ouchita bioregion. Students from Arkansas Tech document the seeds, grow them out in ROOST gardens to distribute the next season, and catalogue them in a database of local varieties. Arkansas farmers and gardeners have a legacy of heirloom seeds that are in danger of being lost. Sharing seeds will encourage production of diverse varieties for posterity.
Got Whippoorwills, Razorbacks, Red Rippers, Pencil Cob, Hickory King, Greaseback or Turkey Craws to trade? Are you saving dill, cilantro and parsley seed? We invite you to bring some seeds and stories to swap with other Ozark seed savers and yarn spinners. If you have no seeds to swap but want to get started, come along to mingle with gardeners and farmers who can help. Come with the intent to grow the seed you obtain and return in 2016 to swap what you save for even more varieties. If you do not have seeds, you could bring envelopes or garden implements, baked goods or tea, just anything to share or trade with other gardeners. In this way, we can observe the heritage of Arkansas.
