Seed Savers Handbook online

The Seed Savers' Handbook, 180 pages, is a complete reference for growing, preparing and conserving 117 traditional varieties of food plants. Written especially for Australian and New Zealand conditions in 1993 by Michel and Jude Fanton, founders of The Seed Savers' Network and published by Seed Savers' Network. 30,000 of the original edition sold with another 30,000 copies of translations and adaptations sold around the world.
 
We give you sample information about each of the 117 food plants from the Handbook below.
Below find a sample of The Seed Savers’ Handbook. Click on any heading and you will find the wild origins of that plant, its description and notes on varieties.

The full version with how to cultivate each plant, save seeds or otherwise propagate each plant, storage of the seed, the plant's medicinal and culinary uses, can be purchased here.

Please feel free to browse here, and remember that there are translations for the work, and you can always purchase a print version for your bookshelf or as a gift to a dear friend.

How to Use

Browse plants by their common name. Click on a plant name to see the full details.
Sourced from The Seed Savers' Handbook - available here (see more info).

AMARANTH
Botanical Family Genus Species
AMARANTHACEAE Amaranthus spp
ARTICHOKE
Botanical Family Genus Species
ASTERACEAE Cynara scolymus
ASPARAGUS
Botanical Family Genus Species
LILIACEAE Asparagus officinalis
BASELLA
Botanical Family Genus Species
BASELLACEAE Basella alba
BASIL
Botanical Family Genus Species
LABIATAE Ocimum spp
BEAN
Botanical Family Genus Species
LEGUMINOSAE Phaseolus vulgaris
BEETROOT
Botanical Family Genus Species
CHENOPODIACEAE Beta vulgaris
BITTER GOURD
Botanical Family Genus Species
CUCURBITACEAE Momordica charantia
BORAGE
Botanical Family Genus Species
boraginaceae Borago officinalis
BROAD BEAN
Botanical Family Genus Species
LEGUMINOSAE Vicia fava