“Saved by Seeds is as much a fervent love letter to seeds as an immensely useful how-to manual."—Dan Barber, chef and co-owner, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns; author of The Third Plate

Seed saving might seem like a simple, old-fashioned custom, but seeds offer a radical pathway to resilient relationships between people, plants, and place.

Symbols of renewal, seeds hold the promise of a greener future. But despite the powerful potential of seeds to adapt, modern seed saving often attempts to maintain varieties as they have always been—despite the challenges of ecological devastation and severe climate change. Seeking to explore agricultural diversity and promote resilience in food and farming, James Beard Award–winning author Chris Smith founded the Utopian Seed Project in 2018. In Saved by Seeds, Smith presents a passionate argument for seed diversity while presenting practical advice for everyone, from new gardeners to experienced farmers, to embrace the abundance of seeds.

“This is a book to be devoured.”—Adam Alexander, author of The Seed Detective and Accidental Seed Heroes

About The Author

Chris Smith is executive director of The Utopian Seed Project, a crop-trialing nonprofit working to celebrate food and farming. Within this work, Chris collaborates on the Heirloom Collard Project, hosts a seasonal Trial to Table event series, and publishes Crop Stories, a crop-specific multimedia project. His first book with Chelsea Green, The Whole Okra, won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2020, and he is the co-host of The Okra Pod Cast. In 2023 Chris received the Organic Educator Award from The Organic Growers School and was named a Champion of Conservation by Garden & Gun.