Meet the Indiana Jones of vegetables and join him on his quest to save our heritage produce.
Named BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme "Book of the Year"
2023 GardenComm Media Awards Silver Laurel Medal of Achievement
Shortlisted for the Garden Media Guild's Garden Book of the Year Award 2023
Longlisted for The Art of Eating Prize 2023
"[This book] is a clarion call to think about our food in new ways and carefully consider where it comes from."-New Scientist
Did you ever wonder how peas, kale, asparagus, beans, squash, and corn have ended up on our plates? Well, so did Adam Alexander.
Adam Alexander is The Seed Detective. His passion for vegetables was ignited when he tasted an unusual sweet pepper with a fiery heart while on a filmmaking project in Ukraine. Smitten by its flavor, Adam began to seek out local growers of endangered heritage and heirloom varieties in a mission to bring home seeds to grow, share, and return so that he could enjoy their delicious taste-and save them from being lost forever.
In The Seed Detective, Adam shares his own stories of seed hunting, with the origin stories behind many of our everyday food heroes. Taking us on a journey that began when we left the life of the hunter-gatherer to become farmers, he tells tales of globalization, political intrigue, colonization, and serendipity-describing how these vegetables and their travels have become embedded in our food cultures.
"We are a nation of vegetable growers and this book explores the wonderful world of rare and endangered heritage and heirloom vegetables – and why we must keep growing them and saving their seed, not only for our gardening and culinary pleasure, but to pass these stories on – vegetables are truly our history on a plate."-The Seed Detective
"Copious but thoroughly engaging research . . . Alexander shares his excitement over the potential for rescuing this lost heritage. . . All of which makes this title worth a serious look."-Booklist (starred)
"[The Seed Detective] traces the origins and evolution of vegetables that have shaped human civilization."-Atlas Obscura
"[A] spirited introduction to the contemporary seed-saving movement. . . . With entertaining anecdotes that feature Syrian fava beans, Ukrainian sweet peppers and broad beans from Myanmar, Alexander's horticultural adventures will surely stimulate and unleash readers' inner gardeners."-Shelf Awareness
"For Adam Alexander seeds are more than just a job, hobby or passion. They're a lifeline."-Modern Farmer "Whether you know your vegetables by eating them, cooking them or growing them, Adam Alexander's book will enhance those experiences with his tales. Knowing their histories, and the impact they have had on the world, gives them such a special savour that you will never think of them as mere "groceries" again."-Barbara Damrosch, author of The Garden Primer and The Four Season Farm Gardener's Cookbook
"At a time in history when we have become dangerously disconnected from how our food is produced and when self-inflicted, diet-related diseases are the primary cause of premature death, this book could not be more timely. Catastrophic loss of biodiversity and climate change add to the perfect storm.
Adam's initial curiosity has taken him all over the world, collecting precious, often endangered vegetable seeds to grow and share with others.
His passion encourages us to seek out nutritious, flavourful, local varieties instead of the lacklustre, mass-produced vegetables that have contributed to the loss of interest in this vital and delicious food source.
One of the most inspirational books I have encountered in a long time."-Darina Allen, founder, Ballymaloe Cookery School
"A fascinating and original exploration of the horticultural heritage at our fingertips, and an inspiration to follow in at least some of Adam's footsteps. Informative, enlightening a
