Seedsavers.org

My mother just hooked me up with a web site run by Heritage Farms that she and my sister visited in Iowa. They have tons of seeds in their seed bank that you can look at through this link plus this nice write up on Heirlooms:

What are Heirlooms?

SSE defines an heirloom as any garden plant that has a history of being passed down within a family, just like pieces of heirloom jewelry or furniture. Some companies have tried to create definitions based on date, such as anything older than 50 years.

The genetic diversity of the world's food crops is eroding at an unprecedented and accelerating rate. The vegetables and fruits currently being lost are the result of thousands of years of adaptation and selection in diverse ecological niches around the world. Each variety is genetically unique and has developed resistance's to the diseases and pests with which it evolved. Plant breeders use the old varieties to breed resistance into modern crops that are constantly being attacked by rapidly evolving diseases and pests. Without these infusions of genetic diversity, food production is at risk from epidemics and infestations.

Just how dangerous is genetic erosion? The late Jack Harlan, world renowned plant collector who wrote the classic Crops and Man while Professor of Plant Genetics at University of Illinois at Urbana, has written, “These resources stand between us and catastrophic starvation on a scale we cannot imagine. In a very real sense, the future of the human race rides on these materials. The line between abundance and disaster is becoming thinner and thinner, and the public is unaware and unconcerned. Must we wait for disaster to be real before we are heard? Will people listen only after it is too late.”

*As a historical note, Kent Whealy first used the term “heirloom” in relation to plants when giving a speech in Tucson in 1981. Kent had asked permission to use the term from John Withee, who had used “heirloom” on the cover of his Wanigan Associates bean catalog. John said sure, that he had stolen it too from Professor William Hepler at the University of New Hampshire, who first used the term “heirloom” to describer some local beans that people had given him back in the 1940s.
How to Save Seed

Both beginning and experienced gardeners can easily learn how to save all of their own seeds, resulting in substantial annual savings and ever increasing self-sufficiency.

Seed to Seed is widely acknowledged as the best guide available for home gardeners to learn effective ways to produce and store seeds on a small scale. Author Suzanne Ashworth has grown seed crops of every vegetable featured in the book, and has thoroughly researched and tested all of the techniques she recommends for the home garden. Seed to Seed is a comprehensive and invaluable reference book for all gardeners who are interesting in maintaining unique varieties and helping to conserve our vegetable heritage.

In 2002 SSE published the Second Edition of Seed to Seed, a complete seed-saving guide that describes specific techniques for saving the seeds of 160 different vegetables. The book contains detailed information about each vegetable, including its botanical classification, flower structure and means of pollination, required population size, isolation distance, techniques for caging or hand-pollination, and also the proper methods for harvesting, drying, cleaning and storing the seeds.

This updated and greatly expanded Second Edition includes additional information about how to start each vegetable from seed, which has turned the book into a complete growing guide. Local knowledge about seed starting techniques for each vegetable has been shared by expert gardeners from seven regions of the U.S. - Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast/Gulf Coast, Midwest, Southwest, Central West Coast, and Northwest.