“These are the people on the cutting edge of food culture.”
—O, The Oprah Magazine
The Heirloom Life Gardener
The Baker Creek Way of Growing Your Own Food Easily and Naturally
Plump tomatoes, luscious strawberries, hearty squash—more and more Americans are flocking to farmer’s
markets for abundant fresh produce, enjoying harvests from their gardens and pots, and eagerly scanning seed
catalogues to plan next year’s plantings. The number of households growing food crops increased 20 percent
between 2008 and 2009. By 2010, there were four times as many farmer’s markets in American than in 1994.
Now, the man the New York Times calls “the Indiana Jones of seeds,” Jere Gettle, and his wife, Emilee—
key participants in the grow-your-own-food revolution happening in America—have written THE HEIRLOOM
LIFE GARDENER: The Baker Creek Way of Growing Your Own Food Easily and Naturally (Hyperion;
October 2011; $29.99), a cornucopia of their knowledge and experience and the first comprehensive guide to
heirloom gardening. Whether your growing space is five square feet or five hundred square feet, THE
HEIRLOOM LIFE GARDENER is an invaluable resource of planting, growing, harvesting, and preparation tips
for fifty amazing heirloom varieties, plus a primer on the centuries-old practice of seed saving.
Why heirloom seeds? Because heirlooms are “pure” seeds, passed down through the generations, which
haven’t been genetically modified. They taste better and contain more nutrients than genetically modified, mega
“hybrid” varieties and—importantly—reproduce properly, which many genetically modified and hybrid plants
cannot do, forcing farmers to buy new seeds every year.
Jere and Emilee Gettle run the nationally renowned Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, helping to save
flavorful and nutrient-rich heirloom varieties—some that have been grown for thousands of years—from extinction.
Gardeners from around the world send them seeds they feel are endangered, like those from the Iraqi man
concerned that varieties would be lost in the upheaval of war, and from the olive-green Malakhitovaya Shkatulka
tomato secured from a remote corner of Siberia in Russia. The Gettles sell more than two million seed packets a
year, promoting pure, healthy food that is free from genetic modification and toxic chemicals.
Raised by homesteaders who lived off the land, almost entirely self-sufficiently, in eastern Oregon,
Montana, and Missouri, Jere became fascinated at an early age with seeds, sunshine, and soil. He learned to read
from gazing at seed catalogs for hours with his parents. At thirteen, Jere noticed that a large percentage of his
favorite seeds were disappearing. By age seventeen, he was in business, creating a handwritten price list of unique
heirloom seeds and selling them from his bedroom. Emilee was in the garden when she was two years old, learning
a love of growing vegetables from her grandparents and parents. Today, they share a passion for getting America’s
food supply back to its wholesome roots.
In THE HEIRLOOM LIFE GARDENER, written with Meghan Sutherland, Jere and Emilee provide
seed sources, history, and fascinating stories, too, like where the Mortgage Lifter Tomato got its name, how
broccoli became popular in America after World War I, and how potatoes originated in Peru thousands of years ago
and were introduced to Europe after the Spaniards conquered the country. They also offer:
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An A to Z guide to growing fifty heirloom vegetables, from the superfood grain amaranth to watermelon, with
tips on growing, seed saving, uses in the kitchen, and pest and disease control for each
Suggestions for varieties that will thrive and surprise, like the Winged Bean, stunning striped Chioggia beets
from Italy, the tasty giant Cape Gooseberry ground cherry, Chocolate Habanero peppers, Japanese Giant Red
mustard greens, Blue Hubbard squash, Red Bartender radishes, and much more
Gardening tips for country and city, and how to use traditional methods such as mulching, irrigation, nontoxic
organic sprays, plus crop-by-crop guidelines for picking and winter storage
Jere’s early searches for “new” old varieties of tasty heirlooms in Mexico, Thailand, and Guatemala, where he
found a favorite tomatillo, the Purple from Cobán and others.
Preparation and meal-usage ideas, plus nutrition information on heirloom varieties, and more
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Gorgeously illustrated, and a captivating and informative guide, THE HEIRLOOM LIFE GARDENER
is Jere and Emilee Gettle’s invitation for you to join them in living a sustainable, delicious, and healthy heirloom
life.
About the Authors
Jere and Emilee Gettle run the nationally renowned Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, selling more than 2
million seed packets a year, and offering more than 1,300 different varieties of seeds from more than 70 different
countries. Their Baker Creek headquarters, located in the Ozark Mountains in Missouri, includes 176 acres and 6
gardens. They employ more than fifty people full time, and oversee two other retail operations—a seed bank in
Petaluma, CA, and the oldest continually operating seed catalog company in New England, Comstock, Ferre & Co,
based in Connecticut—key participants in the grow-your-own-food revolution happening in America. The
Heirloom Life Gardener is their first book. For more information, visit their Web site, http://rareseeds.com, or
follow Jere on Facebook and Twitter.
THE HEIRLOOM LIFE GARDENER:
The Baker Creek Way of Growing Your Own Food Easily and Naturally
By Jere and Emilee Gettle
Published by Hyperion Books * $29.99 * Publication Date: October 4, 2011 * ISBN: 978-1-4013-2439-1
For more information please visit: www.Hyperion.com
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