Yesterday  Nick got interviewed about that viral image of Glass Gem Corn, and why the response has been so great: “When you first look at that photo it is beautiful, then there’s a realisation for people where it clicks: “That’s real.”

This is a corn that’s been developed over thousands of years and there’s a level of connection running back through human culture,” he said.

“You can’t buy that at a supermarket. It’s not the latest trend or fad; it goes much deeper than that.

Food is something we, as a western culture, do really badly. The way it’s being grown is not sustainable, ethical or ecologically sound. There’s tens of thousands of varieties of corns, same with tomatoes, but if you look in a supermarket you might be offered two or three varieties.

The major supplier of seed to farmers in Australia offers less than 12 varieties of corn, and most of those are for animal feed. It’s about economy of scale. Economy of scale is always in competition with diversity. But there is a wave happening around the world where people are realising the overwhelming lack of ecological soundness of western culture.

When you present people with a way to connect back with nature their passion is ignited.

People started this journey with shows like MasterChef and now they crave those real ingredients and are seeking them out through food providores and farmers markets, Nick said.

“People want a story with their food …read the rest of the article here

If you’d like to learn more about why heirloom seed stocks are so important, and how you can integrate them into you community’s food supply, Hannah Moloney will be going into detail on this topic as part of our Urban Permaculture Design Course in Sydney this July…