1. The First Step in Knowing how to Grow Healthy Food This Slide Presentation is Sponsored by: 1

2. 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. 2

3. 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. 3

4. 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. 4

5. These are seeds harvested from plants that have been grown without synthetic chemical fertilizer, pesticides and fungicides. As a result, seeds are chemical-free. 5

6. 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. 6

7. 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. 7

8.  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. 8

9.  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 - avoid paper sacks. 9

10.  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 large amounts of nutrients such as fiber. 10

11.  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! 11

12. 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. 12