Shomrei Qishu’im Booklet: Reconnecting with Ancestral Seeds

Our newest resource booklet is here: Shomrei Qishu’im: Reconnecting with Ancestral Seeds — a deep dive into the mysterious qishu’im, an ancient crop once beloved by our ancestors and nearly lost to history. Through Talmudic texts, seed stories, ethnobotany, diaspora memory, and the lived experiences of modern Jewish growers, this booklet explores what it might mean to reconnect with “Jewish seeds” in the present day.

Part history, part storytelling, part growing guide, Shomrei Qishu’im traces a 3,500-year relationship between Jews and a humble fuzzy melon while inviting readers into a larger conversation about exile, continuity, agriculture, and belonging. Whether you are a farmer, seedkeeper, Jewish history nerd, or simply curious about the plants that shaped our people, we’re so excited to share this project with you.