Summary: TweetJere Gettle – Founder of Baker Creek Seeds Jere Gettle always had a passion for growing things. With the help of his parents, he planted his first garden at age 3 and became enchanted by the possibilities of what could be created with seeds, sunshine, and soil. He began saving, collecting, and trading seeds. By age 13, preserving historical varieties had become his mission in life. At the age of 17, he printed the first small Baker Creek Heirloom Seed catalog in 1998 His little homestead near Mansfield, Missouri, now includes an impressive seed store, 2 huge warehouses for storing and packing seeds, multiple trial gardens, and an entire pioneer village consisting of a vegan restaurant, general mercantile, apothecary, flour mill bakery, blacksmith shop, outdoor stone oven and multiple music stages that serve as locations for traditional music during the monthly heritage festivals and huge Spring Planting Festival in May. The Gettle Family with a Melon Harvest Over the last several years, Jere and his wife Emilee have branched out into other related projects as well, including the nationally distributed Heirloom Gardener magazine, which is now in its 9th year of publication. They have also expanded to a location in Petaluma, California, with their Seed Bank, a beautiful historic bank building that houses their Baker Creek retail seed operation. The Gettle’s also purchased and are working to restore and preserve Comstock, Ferre & Company, the oldest continuously operating seed company in New England. They have recently published 2 books: a general gardening book entitled The Heirloom Life Gardener and The Baker Creek Vegan Cookbook. Jere and Emilee work extensively to supply free seeds to many of the world’s poorest countries, as well as here at home in school gardens and other educational projects. It is their goal to educate everyone about a better, safer food supply and fight gene-altered Frankenfood and the companies that support it. Resources for today’s show… Members Support Brigade Join Our Forum 13Skills.com Join Our Forum Walking To Freedom TSP Mint TSP Gear Western Botanicals – (sponsor of the day) Harvest Eating – (sponsor of the day) RareSeeds.com – The Baker Creek Website Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.
