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The seed detective uncovering the secret histories of remarkable vegetables

"Have you ever wondered how everyday staples such as peas, kale, asparagus, beans, squash and corn ended up on our plates? In The Seed Detective, seed guardian and award-winning film and television producer Adam Alexander tells of his far-flung seed-hunting adventures, revealing the surprising histo...

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Main Author: Alexander, Adam (Producer) (Author)
Other Authors: Lang, Tim (writer of foreword.)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: White River Junction, Vermont ; London, UK : Chelsea Green Publishing, 2022
Subjects:
Vegetables > History.
Gardening > History.
Food > History.
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Summary:"Have you ever wondered how everyday staples such as peas, kale, asparagus, beans, squash and corn ended up on our plates? In The Seed Detective, seed guardian and award-winning film and television producer Adam Alexander tells of his far-flung seed-hunting adventures, revealing the surprising histories behind many of our everyday vegetables. How the common garden pea was domesticated over 8,500 years ago; that the first carrots originated in Afghanistan (and were actually purple or red in colour); how Egyptian priests considered it a crime to look at a fava bean and the Romans were fanatical about asparagus. Through tales of globalisation, political intrigue, colonization and serendipity, Adam shows us the vital role vegetables have played in our food story -- and how they are the undeniable key to our future." -- from back cover.
Physical Description:xiv, 306 pages ; 23 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-292) and index.
ISBN:9781915294081
1915294088
9781915294005
1915294002
Author Notes:Adam Alexander is a consummate storyteller thanks to forty years as an award-winning film and television producer, but his true passion is collecting rare, endangered but, above all, delicious vegetables from around the world. He lectures widely on his work discovering and conserving rare, endangered garden crops, is a former board member of the national charity Garden Organic, and his knowledge and expertise on growing out vegetables for seed is highly valued by the Heritage Seed Library, for which he is a seed guardian. Adam shares seeds with other growers and gene banks in the USA, Canada and the EU, and he is currently growing out seed of heritage Syrian vegetables to be returned to the Middle East as part of a programme to revive traditional horticulture. He has appeared on Gardeners' World and the Great British Food Revival, CNN's Going Green and Radio New Zealand.
Find out more: TheSeedDetective.co.uk / Twitter @vegoutwithadam / Insta @theseeddetective

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