Someone Might Need them 2000 Years from Now!

We may be reaching the point of no return for some kinds of fruit trees. When G-D created the world He created trees and plants that could bear seed after its kind and the LORD said “It is good (Genesis 1:1-12).”

Most Trees are Cultivated from Cuttings and not from Seeds

Today few people bother to grow trees or fruit trees from seeds. After all, you can get a clone of the tree with a cutting or a hard wood cutting. This will give you exactly the tree you want and in less time. Anyone who has grown seeds will know that you do not always get the exact kind of tree that the seed came from. A good example is the wild almond tree that once covered most of Jerusalem and is still abundant in places like Emek Halavan (the White Valley). You may plant a seed from a sweet almond with pale pink blossoms and get a tree that is a bitter almond with deep pink blossoms or vice-versa.

Devastating Disasters or Nuclear Wars may not Leave Live Trees for Taking Cuttings

Some of the devastating disasters that are taking place now on this planet such as the wildfires that are burning across many places in the world like California, Oregon and Washington show us that the time may come when there are no live trees left from which we can take a cutting. An even more terrifying scenario would be the mass destruction that would follow some terrible nuclear war or accident that could leave no living trees or plants from which to take cuttings. This is especially frightening for the kinds of trees that are only found in certain places in the world. For example, what if all the Red Wood and Giant Sequoias found only in California were consumed in some kind of horrific destruction? Unless someone has stored away seeds from these trees, they will go extinct.

Genetically Modified Fruits usually have Sterile Seeds

Another reason we may lose some of our favorite fruits is because of genetic engineering. In many cases genetically modified plants and trees may produce fruit, but if there are seeds they will be sterile and not germinate.

Seedless Fruits and Vegetables are in Danger of becoming Extinct

Seedless fruits, however, have been around for a while like Thomson seedless green grapes. However, today there is a plethora of seedless grapes of all colors shapes and tastes. I have not found proof that these are genetically modified, but since consumers are mainly buying these seedless varieties, many supermarket chains and fruit and vegetable shops do not even order grapes with seeds. This could lead to the extinction of seeded grapes like Muscat, Red Globe, Concord, Cardinal, Emperor and more. Every year we find it harder to find grapes with seeds. People don’t want to buy grapes with seeds that are bitter if you accidently bite into one. This is sad because grape seeds have been shown to have many healing and healthful properties.

Healing and Healthful Properties of Grape Seeds

Grape seeds have many healthy and healing properties especially for preventing diseases like cancer, blood circulation problems, eye diseases related to aging and more. Grape seeds have been shown to be able to lower blood pressure. Only eat about 4-5 grape seeds a day. You can chew them with the grapes.

Caution: if you are on blood pressure lowering meds do not eat grape seeds unless you have permission from your doctor.

Grape Seeds were Shown to Destroy 4th Stage Colorectal Cancer Cells

Research at the University of Colorado Cancer Center showed that grape seeds could destroy 4th stage colorectal cancer cells more easily than early stage cancer cells. Also, the grape seed extract did not harm normal cells. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Israel and the second leading cause of death in the United States.

Yes, We have no Bananas

Some of you may remember the song “Yes, we have no Bananas.” The banana is a fruit that for years has not produced seeds. Bananas can only be propagated by cuttings. However, should some global catastrophe occur or a disease or predator that attacks and ravishes banana plants, bananas will be extinct. Who knows if the seeds of bananas that are now extinct may have contained some healing and curative properties for some disease? This is now lost to us.

Citrus Fruits on way to becoming Seedless

I also find that many citrus fruits are also on their way to becoming seedless, and I strongly suspect that these may be genetically modified. Recently I bought something called an orange. It had the shape of a lemon, the color of an orange, the size of a grapefruit and tasted somewhat like a grapefruit. The rind was also more like grapefruit. There were no seeds at all. Only tangerines and lemons are still full of seeds. We will never know to what extent we are making ourselves ill by eating all of these strange genetically modified and seedless fruits and vegetables.

Seedless Cucumbers

Recently I have seen seedless cucumbers for sale. Why would anyone find any reason to choose a cucumber without seeds?

Where will it all end?

Advantages to Planting Trees from Seeds

There are real advantages to planting trees from seeds. A tree grown from a seed may be stronger and healthier than a tree propagated by a cutting. The seed has to overcome all kinds of things in order to survive. Usually you would plant at least two seeds in every hole. Invariably one will always grow faster and be more dominant than the other. This shows that it is stronger and healthier. It has overcome molds, diseases and predators that can attack a germinating seedling.

A Tree from the Garden of Eden

By growing trees from seeds, you may also get back more to the primal kind of tree or plant this once was. I often wonder what the trees and plants were like in the Garden of Eden? Every time I plant a seed I hope that it will sprout into the kind of tree that the LORD created from the beginning.

Miraculously 2000 Year old Date Seeds from Masada and Kumran Germinate

Miraculously, 2000 year old and even older date seeds that were found at Masada and Kumran in Israel germinated and have actually born fruit. Think of it. Who would have thought that a dried up seed that had turned white with age would germinate and grow into a tree? However, Masada and Kumran are in extremely hot and dry desert areas and these climate conditions helped to preserve the seeds. Kumran was also the site of caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

Masada was the site of the last stand of the Jewish revolt against the wicked Romans in 74 CE. When the people there saw there was no chance to hold out any longer, the men slew their wives and children and then themselves. This was to avoid being tortured to death, to protect women and children from being sexually abused and to escape being sold into slavery. After 2000 years of exile when Jews returned to Israel from all the four corners of the earth these seeds sprouted.

Judean Date Palms became Extinct

For the record, the magnificent Judean date palms that once covered the land of Israel in such abundance that they were cited in the Bible as one of the seven species of the land of Israel (Deuteronomy 8:8) became extinct. Dates that are grown today in Israel are mainly California varieties. Thousands of years of plunder and wars left the land waste. The land of “milk and honey” does not refer to the honey from bees, but from the honey from dates called silan.

First Tree that Germinated was a Male that could not Bear Fruit

The first seed that had been given to Dr. Sarah Sallon director of the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah Hospital germinated under the expert care of Dr. Elaine Soloway, Director of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. It turned out, however, to be a male tree that would not bear fruit.

Methuselah Pollinated Hannah and Hannah Bore Fruit

However, miraculously, other ancient date seeds found at Masada and Kumrun also germinated and two of them turned out to be females. Carbon testing showed one was about 600 years older than the male date tree seed found at Masada. This date seed was probably descended from dates carried back to the land of Israel by Jews who returned after the Babylonian exile. The male tree that was named Methuselah eventually pollinated this female tree named Hannah. Hannah bore fruit. Let us hope and pray that these trees will be the forerunners to restoring to Israel our ancient native Judean date palms.

Click to watch a video of these miracle trees.

Save your Seeds

So please, the next time you bite into a date or any fruit or vegetable, please save the seeds. Keep in mind that you can get vegetables within a few weeks or months after planting seeds, but fruit trees can take years before they bear fruit. Also, while herb and vegetable seeds can be bought in shops and nurseries, have you ever seen fruit tree seeds for sale? Can you imagine a world without fruit? Let us all do our part to save the Creation that our Great G-D gave to all of us for free by saving seeds from the fruits and vegetables that we eat.