“Seeds: A Drought Tolerant Coloring Book” to Launch at Bookmans this August!

We made a coloring book featuring beautiful, local indigenous art along with seeds and stories to combat climate change.

In early 2021, we’d had two years without monsoon rains in Flagstaff. At Superyard Farms, we were asking ourselves this question: what could we grow that needed less water?

We decided to find out.

We set out on a mission to identify, plant, save and share seed from drought-tolerant greens that could be eaten like spinach and kale, but grown with a fraction of the water.

Over the course of the growing season, we trialed several varieties of different plants. We called our experiment the Dry Greens Project. In our trials, we looked for plants that not only survived extreme weather, lack of water, and average soil, but actually thrived in that environment. Four varieties emerged as absolutely the most successful: Hopi Red Dye Amaranth, Purple Saltbush, Chamisal Saltbush, and Magenta Lambsquarters. On top of these plants thriving and being nutrittious and delicious, they also happened to be extremely beautiful. It's funny that many of the greens in the Dry Greens Project are actually not green at all, but eye-catching renditions of purple, red, and magenta!

Now that we had grown the seeds, how would we share these seeds?

We have always believed that storytelling and art were the best tools for sharing information and keeping it alive. With that in mind, we are delighted to introduce our coloring book "Seeds: A Drought-Tolerant Coloring Book!" With the delightful artwork from Jara Nez and Meg Kabotie Adakai, we hope this coloring book brings home the stories of the plants inside, and inspires a Dry Greens renaissance in Flagstaff, where farmers and backyard growers are able to grow with little-to-no water at all!

What: Seeds: A Drought-Tolerant Coloring Book official release!

Come join author/Superyard co-founder Oakley Anderson-Moore, artists Jara Nez and Meg Kabotie Adakai, and Al Reinhard, other Superyard co-founder, who will all be in person to celebrate the launch and sign your very own copy

When: Friday August 5th, 12pm-3pm

Where: Bookmans Flagstaff, 1520 S Riordan Ranch St, Flagstaff AZ 86001

Cost: The event is free and the coloring book will be available for purchase for $15. Proceeds of sales will be split among the artists and Superyard Farms, specifically to help fundraise our a youth market farm opening in 2023.

If you missed out Bookmans event, the coloring book is now available on the shelves in person, or here on our online square shop.

Plant a seed, eat the greens, and remember our kindred plant relatives again!