One of the Native Seeds/SEARCH founders was leading a solar cooking workshop at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix which I happened upon during my visit yesterday

…is an organization that I became aware of yesterday on my visit to Phoenix, they are doing great work to keep alive the heritage of the native seeds of the desert Southwest – more information from their website…

Native Seeds/SEARCH (Southwestern Endangered Aridlands Resource Clearing House) conserves, distributes, and documents the adapted and diverse varieties of agricultural seeds, their wild relatives and the role these seeds play in cultures of the American Southwest and Northwest Mexico.

We envision the Greater Southwest as a place where farms and gardens, kitchens and tables, stores and restaurants are brimming with the full diversity of aridlands-adapted heirloom crops; people are keeping the unique seeds and agricultural heritage alive; and the crops, in turn, are nourishing humankind.

The retail store is located at 3061 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719 – (520) 622-5561 – open Mondays thru Saturdays from 10am to 5pm, Sunday noon – 4pm.