Before a farmer can grow a plant, someone needs to grow seed. For Hannah Marler’s family, it all started with a green-eyed pea. Marler is one of hundreds of growers for Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Co. She shares that her father grew up eating the green-eyed pea, a rare cowpea, and found a coffee can in the freezer where his mother had saved seeds before she passed away. The family began growing the seed 15 years ago, and Marler’s parents encouraged her and her brother to start selling seeds for college, where they graduated debt free with their earnings.
Marler describes the importance of isolation when growing seeds for cultivation as opposed to their fruit, and keeping the flavors of different varieties from commingling.