RETRACING AN ANCIENT ROUTE
Bakehouse, Losæter. Credit: Monica Lovdahl
generation. They have endured a journey through time and space. The idea of a reverse seed journey began when Amy began to learn about the stories from the farmers of the origins of their grains, and she says, “Every farmer has a different story.” Grains are thought to have been domesticated in Mesopotamia, what is now Northern Syria and Southern Turkey. It is believed that these grains have traveled hand to hand through Siberia and Finland to Norway. Others claim that the seeds came from the south through Italy and the west coast up to Norway. The aim of the Seed Journey is to take the grains back to their origins, hear people’s theories and unravel the mystery of these seeds.
are “returning to their homeland” on one of the fourteen rescue boats designed by Colin Archer, the RS-10 Christiania. This boat is the tenth of fourteen in a fleet that was designed to rescue boats in distress. In her career as a rescue boat for the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue, the RS-10 Christiania has saved 257 people, 90 ships and assisted 2,881 boats with only sail and oar power. The design of the bakehouse at Losæter is inspired by the Colin Archer rescue fleet. Now the RS-10 Christiania is returning the seeds which generations of farmers have “rescued” from distinction. One of these rescue stories is that of the Svedjerug or Forest Finn Rye which was found in the board of an old rihii (sauna and barn) which was traditionally used to dry grains. Historian Per Martin Tvengsberg found nine grains which a local church planted in their herb garden. Seven of the nine grains
The Latin word for rescue literally translates as to return. It is thus fitting that the grains 80