Native Seeds SEARCH order

Navajo's believe that spring begins when the first thunder is heard on one of the four sacred mountains, and today, a day before the equinox, a loud storm swept through Gallup. Spring is definitely here. In tune with the season, my seed order from Native Seeds SEARCH also arrived today! NSS is a non-profit organization in Tucson that is dedicated to collecting and preserving indigenous varieties of crops, native to the Americas. I've ordered from them before, and been a member since 2007, and while slightly expensive, the results have never been disappointing. This year I ordered 3 varieties of winter squash (Navajo Hubbard, Navajo Grey Hubbard, Penasco Cheese) and a variety of popcorn called Navajo Copper. Most of these varieties were collected on the Navajo Nation (the Hubbards originally came from the 1901 Navajo Nation Fair in Shiprock) and have been grown-out and preserved by NSS. The NSS website/catalog describes the background and location of each seed variety sold, enabling gardeners to chose varieties that best suit the diverse growing conditions of their corner of the Southwest. In the past I've mostly stuck to Hopi and Navajo varieties, but have also had really good luck with blue corn and squash from other NM locales like Velarde and Penasco. NSS limits purchases to 3 packets of each variety, and provides free seeds to Native Americans.