THE SEED OF MY ANCESTORS

MAURITIAN CUCUMBER

Growing Heritage Seeds in the UK

This is a Mauritian cucumber.

To me, it is one of the most rewarding things I have grown and nurtured in my sanctuary.

My parents and my ancestors are from the tiny island of Mauritius. The seeds I used to grow this cucumber came from Mauritius, carried from my ancestral homeland to British soil.

For me, this plant represents much more than a vegetable.

It represents memory.

Heritage.

Family.

This plant represents the preservation and legacy of my plant ancestors. The ability to sustain the lineage of my roots as well as encouraging community, togetherness and sharing.

Growing Mauritian Cucumber in the UK

These Mauritian cucumber seeds were given to me by my dad. With guidance from my family in Mauritius, I have been learning how to nurture them in the British climate.

Fruit and vegetables from warmer parts of the world do not always find it easy to adapt to the weather in the UK. Growing them here asks us to pay attention to their needs, to understand their rhythms and to work with the conditions we have.

But these cucumbers are thriving.

Watching them grow in my sanctuary in the UK has been incredibly rewarding.

The plant becomes a bridge between two places: Mauritius and Britain.

Between where my family came from and where I am now.

We can establish relationships with new lines of seeds, or maintain planting rituals with saved seeds from your garden, friends and family.

We should all make an effort to start saving seeds. Not only is it a way to avoid the GMO varieties sold commercially, but seed starting offers us a chance to connect deeply with the seeds we plant - from sowing to harvesting, while establishing and maintaining the sacred lineage with our plant allies. 

The Story Inside a Seed

We often think of seeds as the beginning of a plant.

But a seed can hold much more than potential growth.

The seeds my father gave me feel like a family heirloom. They will be continued to be passed on from generation to generation, preserving heritage and passing on traits to future offspring.

By growing Mauritian cucumber in the UK, I am not simply growing food. I am helping to keep a small part of my family's plant heritage alive.

Why Seed Saving Matters

We can establish relationships with new lines of seeds, or maintain planting traditions by saving seeds from our gardens and sharing them with friends and family.

Saving seeds allows us to continue growing plants that have meaning to us.

It can also encourage us to become more self-sufficient and more connected to the food we grow.

Instead of thinking of each growing season as something separate, seed saving creates a cycle:

sow → nurture → grow → harvest → save → share → sow again

And when those seeds are shared between generations, they become living pieces of family history.

Heritage Seeds and Cultural Food Traditions

Heritage seeds can be deeply connected to culture and food traditions.

The plants we grow often tell us something about where we come from — the foods our families cooked, the flavours we remember and the landscapes associated with our childhood or ancestry.

For me, the Mauritian cucumber is part of that story.

It connects me to Mauritius through something tangible and living.

I can plant the seed.

I can watch it grow.

I can harvest the cucumber.

And I can save the seeds for another season.

That simple cycle makes heritage feel alive.

Preserving Seeds for the Future - Why Seed Saving Matters

There is so much potential contained within a single seed. Given the right conditions, it can grow, flourish, flower and produce fruit.

A seed can be a small act of sustainability. It can reduce our dependence on constantly buying new seed. It can encourage us to grow varieties that matter to our families and communities. And it can help preserve flavours and traditions that might otherwise disappear.

A seed can carry history.

It can carry flavour, adaptation, resilience and memory.

When we save seeds from plants that have grown successfully in our gardens, we are creating the possibility of growing them again in the seasons ahead.

This is the quiet magic of seed saving.

From Mauritius to British Soil

Perhaps the most beautiful part of this experience is knowing that these seeds travelled from Mauritius to Britain.

They crossed distance.

They crossed generations.

And now they are growing in my sanctuary.

The plant becomes a living reminder that our roots, traditions and flavours can travel with us.

May future generations be blessed with fresh fruits and vegetables for years to come.

 
— Moni Dajee, founder of The Wild Bee Company | artist, apiarist + alchemist

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