Butzen Melons

“Butzen Melons”  While attending the annual Germans from Russia convention last summer in Pierre, SD, my wife Mary attended one seminar dealing with heirloom seeds where the presenter promoted the preservation of genetic diversity for future generations.  She bought a small packet of cantaloupe seeds from him called “Butzen Melons.”  They came from Russia with one of the waves of immigrants and have not been genetically altered since.  They’re growing in a large pot on our patio but need thinning.  Son Brandon will take some to transplant in his garden.  

It brought to mind a memory from my childhood.  In my grandparent’s garage the exposed rafters held dozens of large nails on which I remember some cobs of corn were harpooned.  It took many years before I realized why they were there.  They were Grandpa’s corn driers, and after shelling, the kernels would be planted for another crop.

The words of the workshop presenter in Pierre started echoing when he said Monsanto has gained access to the seed bank where these seeds and others have been preserved.  He posited that who knows what will happen to the purity of the strain now.

The Sunday New York Times published an article which deals with just such a theme: “Save Our Food. Free the Seed.”  Its author states that four giant companies control more than 60% of all the world’s seed sales.  One chart illustrates a large number of private seed companies that existed just recently but by last year had all been purchased by Monsanto.  In return Monsanto was in turn acquired by the German conglomerate Bayer making it the world’s largest agrochemical and seed company.  Three other major players are Corteva, ChemChina, and BASF.  Altogether they control most of the seed business in the world.

The author of the Times article, a chef, lamented the loss of biodiversity of vegetables, grains, and fruits and how flavors have suffered.  For instance a carrot raised in Oregon isn’t any different from one raised in Florida.  To complicate the whole affair “utility patents” are allowed and the large companies can claim exclusivity of seed varieties.  Furthermore, these huge companies control the chemical industry and therefore can develop chemicals that work with “their” seeds.

A movement toward organic food offers options for today.  “The food culture is experiencing a tectonic shift as the rebellious stakeholders of our modern food movement — farmers, independent retailers, nutritionists, educators, chefs and ever-more-informed eaters — upend the marketplace.”  Somehow I think there should be room for that concept to flourish beside the giant seed companies.