For Immediate Release: February 4, 2014 Free Workshop: “How to Grow Vegetables for Seed Saving” Presented by Certified Organic Gardener Amy LeBlanc Sponsored by Littleton Community Farm, the Reuben Hoar Library, and the Littleton Conservation Trust Littleton, MA – January 21, 2014 – Seed saving is a way to conserve and promote America's culturally diverse but endangered garden and food crop heritage for future generations. If you’d like to learn about the process of collecting, growing, and sharing heirloom, open pollinated seeds and plants, you can attend a free lecture presented by Amy LeBlanc on how to grow vegetables for seed saving. LeBlanc is a certified organic farmer in the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). The workshop will take place in the Couper Room at the Reuben Hoar Library at 41 Shattuck Street in Littleton, MA on Saturday, March 8, from 1:00-4:00pm. The event is co-sponsored by Littleton Community Farm, the Reuben Hoar Library, and the Littleton Conservation Trust. Registration is requested. LeBlanc will explore seed saving techniques for annual food crops like peas, beans, tomatoes, herbs, garlic, and peppers. Attendees will learn practical basics about self-pollinating crops, insect and wind pollination and the problems with cucurbits. She will discuss vegetable varieties that grow well in our micro-climates, and how your family favorites may become the resilient building blocks for future varieties. Leblanc is a University of Maine Master Gardener, an educator and speaker on the subject of seed saving, with a specialization in tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Along with her husband Mike LeBlanc, she owns and operates the 100-acre Whitehill Farm in East Wilton, Maine, and she is active in agricultural research. Passionate about saving heirloom seed varieties, LeBlanc has been saving seeds for years. She is a contributing member of Seed Savers Exchange, and the Farmington Seed Savers; a member of and crop certification specialist for MOFGA; a member of and a presenter for the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA); a member of the Certified Naturally Grown Program; and a recipient of two Northeast SARE grants to study disease in garlic. Every three years she attends the Organic World Congress hosted by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements. She is planning her 2014 trip to Istanbul. She also compiles the Tomato Lovers Paradise catalog, which is appreciated by tomato enthusiasts worldwide. Amy saves seed for about 10% of the plant varieties she grows. Generally, these are the rarer varieties that are being maintained by only 2-3 people in the world. Her heirlooms preserve genetic diversity and educate others about the importance of that diversity and of knowing how to grow food. “We are delighted to have Amy share her expertise in the area of seed saving,” said Amy Tarlow-Lewis, President of the Board of Directors for Littleton Community Farm. “In this era of corporate agriculture it’s vitally important to conserve and promote America's culturally diverse but endangered garden and food crop heritage for future generations.” About Seed Library Littleton Seed Library Littleton is a partnership between Littleton Community Farm and the Reuben Hoar Library, and it was established to enable anyone in Littleton the opportunity to “borrow” heirloom and openpollinated seeds for free. The mission of Seed Library Littleton is to build community through the collecting and sharing of bio-diverse, locally-adapted seeds, provide education on seed saving techniques, and create a forum for discourse on the relevancy of local food systems to our community. For more details, visit http://littletoncommunityfarm.com/seed-library-littleton/. About Littleton Community Farm Founded in the summer of 2012, Littleton Community Farm is a non-profit organization that aspires to be a center for farm-based education and a model for traditional and innovative farming methods. Our aim is to inspire through hands-on, multigenerational exposure to farm, land, food, and volunteerism; growing for ourselves and for others. For more information visit www.littletoncommunityfarm.com #### To register, please call the Reuben Hoar Library: 978-540-2600 For more information about the Seed Lending Library, please contact: Workshop Coordinator, Katie Carruth [email protected]