January 2017

In Vermont and across the country, climate change poses increasing challenges for farmers: flood and drought, unpredictable weather, increased pest pressure and new strains of diseases. At the same time, the agricultural sector is a leading cause of the greenhouse gasses that lead to climate change. It doesn’t have to be, though. Just as the organic movement has offered an...

As many of our long-time customers know, we at High Mowing Organic Seeds believe that truly good food must start with good seed. For some, however, it is difficult to see the connection between where seeds come from and where foods come from. Recent research helps us draw a clear ancestral link between our modern food consumption practices and the...

Dr. Jodi Lew-Smith first encountered miniature sweet peppers while grocery shopping in the South. It was several years ago, and the Breeding Coordinator was taken with the tiny snack veggie right away. When asked why she wanted to grow them for seed, her reply was immediate: “They taste amazing,” says Lew-Smith. As the leader of High Mowing’s breeding program, Lew-Smith...

Inherent in High Mowing’s mission of providing high quality organic seeds is a dedication to building soil health in our production systems. Because our seed is developed in organic conditions with robust soils, the varieties we offer demonstrate characteristics that allow them to thrive in similar organic systems, on farms and in gardens that also recognize the importance of soil...

I grew up in a family of strict recipe followers; every baking project followed a structured procedure. Flour was always sifted twice – once before measuring, once after – and we used a special knife to accurately level flour in the measuring cup. Every instruction was followed precisely. As a rebellious teenager and young adult, I improvised everything in the...