Learn the difference between different types of seeds, like GMO seeds, heirloom seeds, and hybrid.seed. Also learn fun and interesting fact about the history of food.

1. LEARNING
SEED LINGO
The First Step in Knowing how to Grow Healthy Food
This Slide Presentation is Sponsored by:
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2. HEIRLOOM (HERITAGE) SEED
An heirloom plant is an open-pollinated, cultivated
plant. Heirloom plants are not used in today's
large-scale agricultural operations, but they were
traditionally grown during earlier periods in human
history. Over the last decade, growing heirloom
plants has been finding popularity in the United
States and Europe.
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3. OPEN-POLLINANTED PLANTS
These plants are pollinated by birds, insects, wind,
or other natural means. Under these conditions the
plant will produce seeds naturally. When these
seeds are harvested and re-planted they will
reproduce the same plant as the parent.
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4. HYBRID PLANTS
Hybrid Plants are the result of controlled
pollination of inbred parent plants. The plant's
seeds are often sterile and, if they do germinate,
they will not reliably produce the same plant as the
parent.
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5. CERTIFIED ORGANIC SEEDS
These are seeds harvested from plants that have
been grown without synthetic chemical fertilizer,
pesticides and fungicides. As a result, seeds are
chemical-free.
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6. GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM (GMO)
A GMO is an organism whose genetic substance
has been changed using genetic engineering
methods. With these techniques, scientists are
able to take DNA from any species - bacteria,
viruses, insects, animals or even humans, and
engineer them into another organism.
An example would be selecting a gene, which leads
to the production of a chemical with antifreeze
properties from an arctic fish and splicing it into a
potato or strawberry in an attempt to make it frost-
resistant.
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7. WHAT ARE THE GMO FOODS ON THE
MARKET IN THE U.S.?
The most common genetically engineered crops are
corn, soybeans, cotton and canola. Other crops
that have been approved for sale include
papayas, potatoes, squash, and tomatoes. There
is also a genetically engineered hormone, BGH,
which is commonly injected into dairy cows in the
United States.
The best way to avoid genetically engineered foods
is to buy fresh organic food from local farmers or
grow your own food from non-GMO seeds. Food
or seeds are not allowed to be sold as organic if
they are genetically engineered.
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8. BENEFITS OF STARTING A GARDEN
Grow herbs and vegetables that are
fresher and more nutritional than their
store-bought counterparts.
Save money by purchasing seeds in
bulk and growing your own foods.
Engage your family, school or
community around a backyard or field
experience and educate children on
the importance of gardening for a
sustainable way of living.
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9. COOL SEED FACTS
 Seeds are time capsules, as recently proven in Israel
with the successful germination in 2005 of a 2,000
year old seed of the extinct Judean date palm that
came from an archeological dig at King Herod's
Palace near the Dead Sea.
 In 1978, a 12,000 year old lotus seed discovered in a
dry lakebed in China was also successfully
germinated.
 More recently, the Millennium Seed Bank successfully
germinated three species of plants from 200 year old
seeds.
 Successful germination depends on proper storage - 9

10. FOOD FOR THOUGHT...
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WHAT WE EAT
 Your dinner travels, on average, 1,500
miles prior to landing on your dinner
plate.
 Ten calories of energy are spent to
produce one calorie of food. Is that a
sustainable model for our agricultural
industry?
 Keeping the vegetable peels on is
recommended when possible, because
the peel and area just below it contain 10

11. FOOD FOR THOUGHT PART II …
 The word "Salary" comes from "Salt." Salt,
our oldest preservative, was extremely rare
in the past. So rare, in fact, that it was often
used as pay. Imagine...earning a couple of
tablespoons of salt for a hard day's work.
 Today, salt is so common that restaurants
give it away for free, and packaged food
contains so much that it's far too easy to eat
too much salt.
 The solution? Grow your own food as much
as you can and eat it fresh, flavored with a
variety of your own fresh grown herbs!
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12. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!
This slide show was sponsored by:
Makers and distributors of vegetable seed bank kits, with seeds packaged in re-
sealable Mylar® bags for long lasting storage. HumbleSeed.com.
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