Today my mom and I attended the first annual public seed swap put on by the Colony Farm Community Garden members.  The event was well attended and there were lots of rare and unusual vegetable seeds to pick from.  I got some peas, beans, dill, tomatoes and  rare bean seeds all the way from Greece!  The Colony Farm Gardeners are a very dedicated group and their enthusiasm came through as they eagerly shared their seed knowledge with the public.  The highlight of the event was the guest speaker Anmore heirloom gardener Tatiana Kouchnareva, she is a seed preservation expert who has collected more than 3,000 varieties of vegetable seeds many of then rare varieties.  Tatiana is an expert in her field and she is passionate about preserving seeds to protect the genetic diversity of the different varieties.  Her presentation focused on her tomato seed collection and how she grows in one season about 300 different varieties and then collects the seeds to distribute to other seed collectors from around the world.  I purchased from her seeds of a black cherry tomato, a green slicing tomato and a pink and green striped one named ‘Anna Russian’.  The event was amazing and I came away with a greater appreciation for seeds and the importance of seed preservation.

http:/http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Tatiana’s_TOMATObase_-_Heritage_Tomatoes