Palestinian Seeds Come to America, Stories and Artwork Included Feb 20, 2021 Vivien Sansour is bringing yakteen to the United States. Photography by Samar Hazboun 2K Shares Vivien Sansour founded the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library in the West Bank in 2014 as a way to both preserve Palestinian culture at home and to share it with the world. More than a half-decade later, those efforts—and her seeds—have found their way into the American marketplace, specifically in the form of the Hudson Valley Seed Co. seed catalogue. The New York-based company is selling seeds for Sansour’s yakteen gourd, which it believes marks the first time that a Palestinian heirloom variety has been available commercially in the United States.