Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - Seeds Glorious Seeds 9/4/2014

Some of the most important lessons we can gain from the Book of Mormon are the people who had to pack it up and move out. Why? Well, they packed and took the necessities of life with them ( a little more than just the shirt on their back) for spiritual and physical protection. When we learn what the necessities are, we are less likely to store the things that are of less worth. If time is money, so is the space to store essentials. Can you imagine these people carrying an acre's worth of fresh veggies for months of travel?

We learn from the Lehites (1 Nephi 8) a few things about their preparations before they left.  They "had gathered together all manner of seed" before they left into the wilderness. Before they went down into the ship (1 Nephi 18:6 ) they took fruit, meat, honey and the seeds they had gathered before they left Jerusalem into the wilderness.

Our second witness comes from the Jaredites ( Ether 1) they took animals, family (even though it may have been tempting to leave some of them behind )  , and "seeds of every kind" into the land northward. Before they entered the unique vessels to cross the ocean, again they gathered seed, honey, and animals (including fish and birds). I wonder if the animals traveled in a vessel by themselves because...woah, what a smell!
Seeds produce so much more than the "musical fruit"! Seeds are nearly magical the way they were designed, with so many varieties to choose from. The catch is, sometimes they don't grow so well in different climates. So practice is the key as well as learning how to harvest the seeds. 

If you are unsure of which plants grow here, this link will give you some starters:

http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/AZ/Safford
Now, how to store seed? There is a debate trying to understand if it is safe to put an oxygen absorber in with your seeds. Will it kill this dormant living thing to take away all oxygen?
USA Emergency Supply answers some questions in this regard with a Q&A page on their site:

https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/information_center/packing_your_own_food_storage/seed_viability/seed_viability_myths.htm#.VAiq_haBUTI

Heirloom seeds are preferred because they have been left as nature intended. Hybrid varieties often cannot produce a second generation. You can find many varieties that are not available locally at this site:

http://www.burpee.com/heirloom-seeds-and-plants/

Because you have stored and practiced using your seeds, you will be able to change your song from "Seeds glorious seeds...." to "Food glorious food!" within a matter of months. If you have no seeds...you will only hear crickets chirp.