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Getting into the Seed Saving Swing

Getting into the Seed Saving Swing

Hey all, hope you're all finding ways to stay cool in this hot weather. Nate and I don't have air conditioning, so we've been drinking a lot of ice water and spending a lot of time in the basement. Here's this week's Montague Commoners news:

This Week in the Commons

  • Rank MI Vote: We had a big week for new volunteers, as well as for gathering signatures. We've got 5 new members of the circulating team, and we're up to a total of about 180 signatures gathered. Statewide, the campaign has more than 8500 signatures so far, which is a little over 1% of our eventual goal. Even if talking to strangers isn't your thing, you can help out by getting your friends, family, and neighbors to sign. We're happy with the results we've been getting so far, but we need to pick up the pace if we're going to get to 611,321 signatures by the deadline in January, and every little bit helps.
  • Dance for Democracy: Our weekly Weathervane protests have been continuing nicely. It was extremely hot this week, but we still had 50 or 60 folks in attendance. It's been a bit tricky to split my attention between collecting petition signatures and wearing the safety cam, so if you're up for helping on either side of that equation, I could really use a hand.
  • Treespeaker Woods: I finally managed to spend some time in the woods this week, and made some progress on the treenet. I forgot to take any pictures, but hopefully I'll be getting back there this week and I can include a full report in next week's newsletter.
  • Artisan Market: We sold a basket this week! We initially envisioned our Artisan Market booth as a fundraiser for Montague Commoners, but it's turned out to be more of an outreach opportunity that we will hopefully break even on. Still, it's been fun getting to see everyone every week, and we've been able to more than double our email list since it started, so no regrets. Plus, it makes it super exciting when we do actually sell something 😂

Coming Up Next Week

  • Tuesday, 6pm @ the Artisan Market - Our local Rank MI Vote group will be meeting up to eat snacks, swap petition stories, and turn in completed pages before heading over to the bandshell for the weekly concert. The band this week is Magic Bus.
  • Friday, 12pm @ the Weathervane - Dance for Democracy protest! Bring your sign (or borrow one from the sign pile) and shake off some stress to our playlist of protest songs.
  • Saturday, 9am-2pm @ the Artisan Market - Come browse our selection of baskets, tshirts, and other handmade goods! You can support our programs here in town, and get yourself a basket that will last for a lifetime. This week, we'll be starting our August upcycling project: turning plastic shopping bags and 2L soda bottles into EcoBricks, with a goal of eventually using them to build a shed out at Treespeaker. If you've got any 2L bottles laying around, we would love to get our hands on them! (We're also willing to accept plastic shopping bags, but they tend to be a lot more plentiful and we really need 2L bottles to balance them out.)

Plant of the Week - Feverfew

While we were folding seed packets at the Artisan Market this month, one of the most frequent questions we got was "What kinds of seeds are you going to put in them?" The broadest answer is anything smaller than an avacado pit 🤣. If it's a seed, it can probably go in one of our packets. But one of the specific plants I'm hoping to collect seeds from this year is the Feverfew that went absolutely bonkers in our garden this year. The seed collection process has a lot in common with that for daisies and other members of the Aster family, so I thought I'd share some of the things I look for when I'm deciding whether seed is ready to harvest yet.

I generally rely on two tests:

  • Is the plant still feeding the seeds? In most members of the Aster family, the stem behind the seed head will begin to wither once the seeds are close to maturity. If the stem is still green and feels strong, the seeds probably need more time.
  • Is the plant willing to let them go? Mature seeds are generally meant to go off on their own in the hopes that they'll find somewhere they can germinate and grow. I'll often run the pad of my thumb lightly over the seed head to how much pressure it takes for the seeds to detach. If the seeds come off easily and they're mostly dry, it's time to harvest. If they're still clinging tight to the plant or they come off but they're still green and moist, it's best to leave them alone for now.

Another trick you can use, especially if it's a plant you can check in on regularly, is to wait for the first few seed heads to start releasing their seeds naturally, and then to harvest the seed heads that look closest to that point. Worst case scenario, they all get naturally dispersed before you can harvest them, but you'll have some valuable experience to work with next year.

Solidarity Steps

People around the world have been working to break the IDF blockade of humanitarian supplies, from a Michigan human rights attorney who was arrested yesterday with the Freedom Flotilla, to Egyptians releasing floating bottles of lentils into ocean currents that might take them to Gaza. If you're looking for a way to help, the Zaynab Project is an organization that's been vouched for by Palestinian organizers I trust.

Recommendation Corner

I finally got around to making a spreadsheet of all of the newsletter issues so far, and all of the plants/groups/recommendations I've covered. I was pleasantly surprised that I hadn't repeated any by accident, but I was also surprised that I hadn't gotten around to recommending Movement Memos yet. It's a podcast by Kelly Hayes, and it's a great opportunity to hear experienced organizers talk about how they and their movements are responding to the current moment. I've been listening since it first launched during the first Trump administration, and it's been a valuable resource for me as I've navigated everything that's happened since. While many of the episodes are responding to current events, they often include timeless advice that applies just as well now as it did in 2020, and the archives are well worth a listen.

Concession to Capitalism

We're up to 99 members subscribed to this newsletter! And I bet one of you knows someone who might enjoy being number 100. You can share this newsletter with a friend simply by forwarding it to their email address, and they can sign up below or at https://newsletter.montaguecommoners.org/

This Week's Nails

You made it to the end of the newsletter! And I actually got it done on Sunday for once instead of having to push it off until Monday morning! Let's both celebrate with a look at this week's nails 😁 (For new folks: I generally write this newsletter each week while I'm waiting for 6+ coats of nail polish to dry, so I like to stick a picture of the finished result in at the end.)

Have a good week, and I hope to see you around town soon.