Newsletter

"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy."

Guarding seeds for future generations

by Ann Wolski

Above the Artic Circle between Norway and the North Pole lies an island most vital for humankind. This remote territory called Spitsbergen, Norway contains a huge safety deposit box that, as of May, 2024, holds more than 1.3 million seed varieties originating from almost every country in the world. Built in 2008, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault's objective is to safeguard as much of the world’s unique crop genetic material as possible in the case of an apocalyptic event or a global catastrophe. 

What makes Svalbard the ideal location to store such valuable seed commodities?

1.   Svalbard is the furthest north a person can fly on a scheduled flight, offering a remote location that is also accessible.

2.   While the entrance may be visible, the seed vault itself is more than 100 meters or .6 miles into the mountain.

3.   The area is geologically stable, and humidity levels are low.

4.   The Global Seed Vault is well above sea level, protected from ocean flooding.

5.   Permafrost offers the Global Seed Vault natural freezing, providing a cost effective and fail-safe method to conserve seeds.

6.   The vault has the capacity to store 4.5 million varieties of crops. Each packet of seeds consists of an average of 500 seeds so a maximum of 2.5 billion seeds can be stored.

How are seeds preserved?

The seeds are sealed in custom-made 3-ply foil packages which are sealed inside boxes and stored on shelves inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault at a temperature of -18 C or -.4 F. The cold temperature and low moisture levels within the vault ensures minimal metabolic activity keeping the seeds viable for long periods of time.

444 million or 69% of seeds in the Global Seed Vault are grains such as rice, wheat, corn, millet and barley as well as legumes including chickpeas, beans and lentils. The world’s largest seed company, Monsanto, accounts for 23% of the global proprietary seed market. The top 3 companies, Monsanto, Dupont and Syngenta, account for 47% of the worldwide seed market. 

Global Seed Vault seeds are deposited and withdrawn by only one authorized person from the designated country of origin. Since there is no permanent staff on site at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a company in Sweden sends personnel to the island whenever the seed vault needs to be opened. A Norwegian company is responsible for the maintaining and the continuous surveillance of the vault.

There are as many as 1,750 versions of the Global Seed Vault called “gene banks” all over the world. The National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Ft. Collins, Colorado is the largest seed bank in the United States with billions of seeds and other genetic material sitting inside a giant storage vault. Genetic material from these local gene banks are also stored in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault as backup in case of genetic seed loss in war-torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Some genetic loss is due to natural disasters as in the Philippines which was damaged by flooding from a typhoon and later a fire.



The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the ultimate insurance policy for the world’s food supply. Millions of seeds representing every important crop in the world today offer future generations the chance to preserve food sources which might otherwise be destroyed through climate change, population growth, war or natural disasters. In these tumultuous geopolitical times, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is also an unusual and hopeful exercise in international cooperation of humankind.

SKI Around Town

Victory Field before/after shoveling the January snow storm. Over 300+ tons of salt was used to maintain SKI's snow accounts throughout the city.

Choosing the right oil for your next culinary masterpiece

When choosing the best cooking oil, there are factors to consider including how hot or how long you will be cooking the food and the smoke point or burning point of the oil. Below are several varieties of oil and how best to use them.

Vegetable oil is the best for frying at home. The term “vegetable oil” can be applied to any plant-based oil typically made up of corn or soybean oil, or a blend of soybean, canola, corn, cottonseed, or sunflower. Because vegetable oils have a high smoke point, they work well for stir frying, roasting or baking.

Extra-virgin olive oil is heart-healthy and is best suited for making salad dressing, drizzling on pasta or cooked vegetables, or using as dips for bread, replacing butter or margarine. EVOO is used with food that is cooked at a low heat.

When selecting oils to prevent sticking to pans, canola oil and avocado oil are good choices. Canola oil has a more subtle flavor and contains plenty of omega-3 fats. Because of the neutral taste and light texture, canola oil is great for almost any type of cooking. Avocado oil is considered heart healthy. It is ideal for baking as it has very little flavor. Avocado oil can be one of the most expensive oils but is good for sauteing, roasting, searing, grilling and drilling.

Peanut oil can withstand high temperatures before breaking down making it a great oil for deep frying and stir-frying. It generally has a neutral or slightly nutty flavor.

Sesame oil is a great general purpose oil for sautes, roasts and more.

Sunflower oil is a food, a medicine and a skin treatment. As a cooking oil, sunflower oil has a neutral flavor is often used by snack manufacturers because it contains healthy unsaturated fats and is less expensive.

Corn oil is used for making exceptional French fries. It has a neutral flavor high smoke point making it a favorite of professional chefs.

Grapeseed oil has a high smoke point making it great for deep-frying, stir-frying, and sauteing. Grapeseed oil can also be used in baked goods.

Blog

February SKI Tips, 2025



Taking away winter chill

Snowflake Man

Winter hideaways

This time of year is perfect for looking up to discover leafy clumps hiding in the trees. These squirrel nests called "dreys" can be intricate structures often made of twigs, leaves and bits of moss. Squirrels build dreys high up in the trees to stay safe from predators. They're also known to line the inside with soft materials like fur and feathers to create a warm abode during the cold winter months.

"Hurkle-durkle" is a 200-year-old Scottish term that means "to lie in bed or lounge about when one should be up and about".