Katie Ruppel

I was first introduced to seed saving as a school garden educator when I had the opportunity to take a course with Rowen White and K Greene through Native Seeds/SEARCH. I'm a founding member of the Martha's Vineyard Community Seed Library and continue to help maintain and grow out the collection and host quarterly workshops and seed/seedling swaps. Growing, collecting, processing and trading seeds with others is how I feel most human. It was Truelove that sparked my interest in growing ancestral crops. I grew up celebrating my Greek heritage with food, dance and community, so I feel very connected to growing Greek food crops especially as I accept the parts of our culture my ancestors wanted or needed to forget. Seeds feel like a way to explore those missing parts of myself - they make me feel like I belong. My hope is for the seeds I grow to find the people who want to belong, too.