How do you get grain seeds when you have no grain to start with?

[Styx]

I'm just asking so that I can plan ahead. I have a turnip field, but I eventually want to introduce some sort of rye or barley into my fields since the turnips alone don't seem to be nutritious alone, even in boiled form, to sustain me indefinitely and I'm hoping some bread will help with that in time. Back when shops didn't have dynamic inventories, the only option was to steal and thresh some crops off a village's fields and get started with that. I presume this still works, especially screens away from the village tile, but it feels like kind of a cheesy exploit and I want to play a character that isn't generally too dishonorable (plus who knows, the villagers might eventually connect the dots). I know that I could buy turnip seeds in the early spring, when I started the playthrough, but while I saw bags of grain I could grind into flour and then cook into bread, I didn't see any rye/barley seeds. What I want to ask is: will the villagers stock some grain seeds in their shops after the harvest? (Which at least will let me start planting them next year, I guess.) Or will I have to get a five-finger discount?

[spamgoose]

Actually the grain that you can grind into flour *is* the seeds. I'm not sure if it's always been this way... I found the wikis and old forums kind of confusing on this matter. But yes, you just plant from your bag of grains. Same goes for peas.

[Styx]

Oh, I see. Maybe if I was as knowledgeable about agriculture as my character, that might have been an intuitive solution I'd have tried anyways... Well, it's late Harvest month, so I guess it's all turnips this year.

[PALU]

If your character has a poor herb lore skill the grains may not be identified beyond something like "interesting grain" (but they can still be planted). However, all agricultural crops can be bought as seeds in villages that grow those crops (you won't have any luck in finding seeds among the northern tribes, as they don't practice agriculture), in particular shortly after harvest (when there may be a small window left for autumn planting), but I haven't seen much in the way of seeds during the summer (presumably all they have left after planting is for their own use).
Also, a small number of wild plants can be harvested and planted. Turnips are very good with a poor agriculture skill as they yield a good harvest (for the skill), while the more difficult crops may have you just get your seeds back (plus some agriculture experience), especially if wildlife starts to munch on your crops.
Turnips is the exception to the rule that the edible part and the seeds are the same thing (well, some wild plants can provide leaves and roots as well), as turnips provide both the root part (the turnips themselves) and separate seeds (and those seeds are edible as well, should you have a need for seeds in cooking and have an excess of seeds).

In general, a completely vegetarian diet is a difficult path to follow, as the nutrition value of vegetables is fairly low.