Adam Alexander

‘A special, important book of hope, action and integrity.’ Mark Diacono, food and garden writer ‘After reading Adam’s book, I won’t look at a handful of seed the same way again!’ Joe Swift, garden designer; writer; presenter, BBC’s Gardeners’ World Across the world, chefs, farmers, plant scientists and backyard growers are doing something extraordinary: creating new generations of fruit, vegetables and cereals, all bred specifically to flourish locally, taste delicious, and contribute to our food future. In The Accidental Seed Heroes, Adam Alexander dons his seed detective homburg to meet these twenty-first century seed heroes, who are not only championing traditional varieties but also breeding delicious new ones that will help create a sustainable future for our planet. We don’t all need to become backyard breeders or even, like Adam, accidental ones. We don’t even need to eschew, as growers, the modern hybrid cultivars our seed catalogues are stuffed with or, as consumers, boycott those same uninspiring specimens that populate our supermarket shelves. Adam just wants that choice to be better informed and infinitely more diverse and enjoyable. This story is a celebration of the locally and sustainably grown produce, whether traditional or innovative, that is at the heart of all our food cultures and empowers our rural communities and farmers. Adam believes these new varieties of fruits, vegetables and even grains will not just offer us all nutritious and delicious food but also be part of the solution to combating climate change and returning fertility to our soils and biodiversity to our land.

Radio 4's The Food Programme Book of the Year, chosen by Dan Saladino An Irish Times Best Gardening Book 2023 Shortlisted for the Garden Media Guild’s Garden Book of the Year Award 2023 Longlisted for The Art of Eating Prize 2023 ‘If you’re a vegetable growing addict or just curious about their origins, there’s something for everyone in Adam’s new book.’ Rob Smith, TV presenter '[This book] is a clarion call to think about our food in new ways and carefully consider where it comes from.' New Scientist Meet the Indiana Jones of vegetables on his quest to save our heritage produce. Have you ever wondered how everyday staples such as peas, kale, asparagus, beans, squash and sweetcorn ended up on our plates? Well, so did Adam Alexander. Adam’s passion for heritage vegetables was ignited when he tasted an unusual, sweet and fiery pepper while on a filmmaking project in Ukraine. Smitten by its flavour, he began to seek out local growers of old and near-forgotten varieties in a mission to bring home seeds to grow and share – saving them from being lost forever. In The Seed Detective, Adam tells of his far flung (and closer to home) seed-hunting adventures and reveals the stories behind many of our everyday vegetable heroes. How the common garden pea was domesticated from three wild species over 8,500 years ago, that the first carrots originated in Afghanistan (and were actually purple or red in colour), how Egyptian priests considered it a crime to look at a fava bean and that the Romans were fanatical about asparagus. Join The Seed Detective as he takes us on a journey that began when we left the life of hunter-gatherers to become farmers. Sharing storiesof globalisation, political intrigue, colonisation and serendipity, Adam shows us the vital part vegetables have played in our food story – and how they are the key to our future. ‘Informative, enlightening and entertaining but also important.’ Mark Diacono ‘One of the most inspirational books I have encountered.’ Darina Allen

Radio 4's The Food Programme Book of the Year, chosen by Dan Saladino An Irish Times Best Gardening Book 2023 Shortlisted for the Garden Media Guild’s Garden Book of the Year Award 2023 Longlisted for The Art of Eating Prize 2023 ‘If you’re a vegetable growing addict or just curious about their origins, there’s something for everyone in Adam’s new book.’ Rob Smith, TV presenter '[This book] is a clarion call to think about our food in new ways and carefully consider where it comes from.' New Scientist Meet the Indiana Jones of vegetables on his quest to save our heritage produce. Have you ever wondered how everyday staples such as peas, kale, asparagus, beans, squash and sweetcorn ended up on our plates? Well, so did Adam Alexander. Adam’s passion for heritage vegetables was ignited when he tasted an unusual, sweet and fiery pepper while on a filmmaking project in Ukraine. Smitten by its flavour, he began to seek out local growers of old and near-forgotten varieties in a mission to bring home seeds to grow and share – saving them from being lost forever. In The Seed Detective, Adam tells of his far flung (and closer to home) seed-hunting adventures and reveals the stories behind many of our everyday vegetable heroes. How the common garden pea was domesticated from three wild species over 8,500 years ago, that the first carrots originated in Afghanistan (and were actually purple or red in colour), how Egyptian priests considered it a crime to look at a fava bean and that the Romans were fanatical about asparagus. Join The Seed Detective as he takes us on a journey that began when we left the life of hunter-gatherers to become farmers. Sharing storiesof globalisation, political intrigue, colonisation and serendipity, Adam shows us the vital part vegetables have played in our food story – and how they are the key to our future. ‘Informative, enlightening and entertaining but also important.’ Mark Diacono ‘One of the most inspirational books I have encountered.’ Darina Allen

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

Are the whispers of your guardian angel a blessing or a curse? Riley's just come out of a relationship torn apart by lies. While nursing her bruised heart she's avoiding men at all cost. Ethan's brother's murder is still unsolved and he's convinced the cops aren't even trying to find the killer. He doesn't have time for love, not when his brother's killer is still free. When Riley meets a medium with a direct line to the angels, she's intrigued. The more she listens to the voices of angels the more she learns about a dimension few know about. But there is one angel that has a message only Riley can hear... A message that will change her world forever... Riley wants to know even more... When Riley and Ethan meet the attraction is instant, the romance undeniable. Regardless of being burned by love before they can't ignore the connection. As their newfound love is explored Riley realizes her angel has one more message for her. A message that will change everything. If your guardian angel had something to tell you, would you listen? Get your copy of Lips of an Angel today and find out