Ken Ettlinger

Ken Ettlinger is a retired botany professor as well as a life long seed saver and amateur vegetable breeder whose work spans decades and continents.  He began saving seeds in the 1970's and offered his knowledge to the public through the Long Island Seed Project.  In 2012 Ken met up with Steph Gaylor and together they formed the LIRSC.  He is well known for preserving the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin and for breeding regionally adapted vegetables.  

Steph Gaylor

Steph Gaylor has been a seed saver since her youth.  In 2005 she founded Invincible Summer Farms to grow and sell fresh produce, collaborate with chefs and the food community, and save rare seeds.  In 2014, she and business partner Cheryl Frey Richards began selling the saved seeds through Salt of the Earth Seed Company.   Steph works to preserve the history and story of heirloom plants and is a steward for orphaned varieties.  She maintains a seed bank that contains over 2000 different tomato varieties alone. Steph is one of the founding members of the Long Island Regional Seed Consortium and the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin Project.

Cheryl Frey Richards

Cheryl is co-owner of Salt of the Earth Seed Company and a director for the Long Island Regional Seed Consortium.  In collaboration with Steph Gaylor, she began the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin Project.   Cheryl uses her artistic talents to spread the word about seed saving and seed sovereignty.  She acts as mentor to beginner seed savers and directs the seed processing on the farm.  

Courtney Pure

Courtney is the fresh production farm manager at Invincible Summer Farms in Southold and a director for the Long Island Regional Seed Consortium. She has a history in film and animation and uses her talents to produce LIRSC's "Seeds and Suds".  Courtney was drawn to food culture through her work in film and poured herself into learning all she could about the local food system.  One of her many hats is being the marketing and social media extraordinaire for the team.