humboldt and heirlooms
alexander von humboldt (1769-1859) is so famous that i'd never heard of him! with so many things named after him, it is a delight to discover him for the first time thanks to the well-written book by andrea wulf entitled the inventon of nature: alexander von humboldt's new world.
so much more than just an avid scientist or discoverer, humboldt soaked up the minds of contemporaries such as goethe and was the first to note the interconnectedness of all things (with both his mind and heart) and human influence on climate, as early as 1800.
his writings in turn influenced darwin, thoreau, wordsworth, and muir, to name a few.
perhaps my favorite paragraph thus far is, "nature was humboldt's teacher. and the greatest lesson that nature offered was that of freedom. 'nature is the domain of liberty', humboldt said, because nature's balance was created by diversity which might in turn be taken as a blueprint for political and moral truth. everything, from the most unassuming moss or insect to elephants or towering oak trees, had its role, and together they made the whole. humankind was just one small part. nature itself was a republic of freedom."--p. 125.
contemporaries with thomas jefferson, i couldn't help noting jefferson's ideal of an agrarian society as well as wondering what became of that idea?
because recently, calling upon the spirit of my great-grandmother nettie whose pantry helped feed people in hard times, i can't escape the idea that we are going to need to feed one another.
to do my part in this, i've pored over pages of the new heirloom seed catalog and just placed my order (january is an ideal time for the boost that comes from such an imaginative and colorful exercise).
restraining myself from all that i wanted, i ordered what i needed and enjoyed having so many varieties of vegetabless and flower seeds to choose from (armenian cucumbers and scottish onions!) not only that, but i'm excited that i will be able to save the plant seeds to use again.
if you too would like to dream of your garden, here are some links to help with that. having stuffed his pockets with seed, plant, rock, and moss specimens on his many adventures, i think humboldt would be proud.
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