What We Sow: On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds
Jewell marvels at the beautiful, wild seeds she encounters on her daily walks and she shows how to know and care for seeds ourselves
By Jennifer Jewell
Timber Press,
Sept 19, 2023
In What We Sow, Jennifer Jewell brings readers on an insightful, year-long journey exploring the outsize impact one of nature’s smallest manifestations—the simple seed. She examines our skewed notions where “organic” seeds are grown and sourced, reveals how giant multinational agribusiness has refined and patented the genomes of seeds we rely on for staples like corn and soy, and highlights the efforts of activists working to regain legal access to heirloom seeds that were stolen from Indigenous peoples and people of color. Throughout, readers are invited to share Jewell’s personal observations as she marvels at the glory of nature in her Northern California hometown. She admires at the wild seeds she encounters on her short daily walks and is amazed at the range of seed forms, from cups and saucers to vases, candelabras, ocean-going vessels, and airliners.
What We Sow is a tale of what we choose to see and what we haven’t been taught to see, what we choose to seed and what we choose not to seed. It urgently proves that we must work hard to preserve and protect the great natural diversity of seed.
Jewell explores:
Natural history of seeds.
Loopholes in the seed supply chain for growing “organic” plants.
How agribusiness has patented genomes of staple foods like corn and soy.
Efforts of activists working to regain legal access to heirloom seeds that were stolen from Indigenous peoples and people of color.
