John Coykendall

Saving The Living History Of Our Heirloom Seeds

The keynote speaker at the 5th annual Central Michigan Seed Swap will be legendary seedsman John Coykendall! John is the resident Master Gardener at the world famous Blackberry Farms in Walland, Tennessee. Traveling through Europe and across the United States, Coykendall has collected not only great stories but also seeds from the most successful gardens in the world. He brings the knowledge of decades to the garden, along with centuries old heirloom seeds that he has collected from all over the world. John will be sharing many of these exciting stories during his talk, helping us to understand the importance of saving the living history of our heirloom seeds.

11:30 AM-12:30 PM

GRAINS IN THE GARDEN

Everyone can (and should) grow grains at home!! Join Scott Hucker, a grower for the Great Lakes Staple Seeds company for this informative presentation. Scott will walk us through his experiences growing grains including selection, planting, cultivation, harvest and processing. 

12:45-1:45 PM

ALL THINGS TOMATO

Karen Golden founded her business, Michigan Heirlooms, in 1999 and she now sells over 16,000 organic starter plants every year! Karen’s presentation will feature ‘All Things Tomato’ and she will share with us her passion for growing, nurturing and enjoying the flavors of heirloom tomatoes, America’s favorite fruit!

2:00- 3:00 PM

THE LIVING HISTORY OF OUR HEIRLOOM SEEDS

Traveling through Europe and across the United States, John Coykendall has collected not only great stories but also seeds from the most successful gardens in the world. He brings the knowledge of decades to the garden, along with centuries old heirloom seeds that he has collected from all over the world! John will be sharing many of these exciting stories to help us understand the importance of saving the living history of our heirloom seeds.

11:15 AM-12:15 PM

PUMPKINS, THE NEW (OLD) SUPERFOOD

Sarah Tomac, a fourth generation farmer, is passionate about pumpkins and their amazing diversity. Her talk, ‘Pumpkins…the new (old) Superfood’, will share the many ways to enjoy and share this ancient fruit. If you’ve ever been curious about growing, preparing or saving seeds from your winter squash, you don’t want to miss this talk!

12:30-1:30 PM

SACRED ROOTS

Shiloh Maples will be joining us for an inspirational and powerful presentation about her work with Sacred Roots in Detroit. Sacred Roots is a food sovereignty initiative that aims at reconnecting urban indigenous people to their ancestors and the Earth through traditional foodways, seed saving and story telling.

11:30 AM-12:15 PM

GROWING YOUR OWN MICROGREENS

Sarah Longstreth is the owner of Good Stead Farm, a certified organic farm located right here in Midland County.. She will be teaching us how we can grow and harvest our own microgreens at home without fancy equipment or even a green thumb! This will be a fun and tasty workshop!

12:30-1:30 PM

CULTIVATING SEED LIBRARIES IN YOUR COMMUNITY

This inspirational presentation from Abby Harper will include tips for getting your community seed library started and building partnerships, as well as strategies, for fostering and maintaining broader community engagement.

Abby serves as a Community Food Systems Educator with MSU Extension and she has a background in leveraging regional food systems to foster community health, including serving as a community health volunteer with Peace Corps in Guatemala! Bring your ideas and successful strategies for sharing!