Seeds!

I realized how important seed banks are after reading this article about seed banks 
(Re-enchant the Seed!)  by Crystal Cook

Saving seeds comes with responsibility  
Saved seeds helps preserve the variety. A side benefit is that year after year these seeds will become asclimated to the local weather and soil.
Great care should be taken to save seeds from only the largest most healthy crops, while [avoiding cross pollination] in order to keep the seeds pure and robust.  This means weeding out the small under performing plants within your crop, so as not to pollinate from a weaker plant.
Trading seeds with others in your community will help to insure genetic variety, but trade only with those you can trust.  Otherwise the seeds may produce less desirable offspring and the genetic trueness to type will be lost.

Saving seeds for yourself can be done in a laissez-faire mannor, but it is not ethical to swap seeds if the genetic purity and strength are not documented.
Keep detailed accounts of as much information you can about everything you can observe and know:

• color
• odor
• size
• soil
• water
• sun
• cultivation and harvesting time
• variations in the seed
• where you planted it
• scientific name (as the colloquial name of it may vary)
• popular names
• uses
• origin (where it came from)
• date of seed preparation, etc.

Not every seed is worth saving.  Until you learn to grow excellent crops you should practice the techniques but dont contaminate the seed banks with mislabeled inferior crossbred varieties or varieties from [F1 hybrids] . 

Chico Seed Lending Library

Chico recently had its 4th Annual Seed Swap  

Seed Savers Exchange
Well organized site with in depth information about each plant


Vegetable Seed Saving Handbook
Well organized descriptions of more than 50 common vegetables

SEED SAVING / SEEDS OF HERITAGE by workwithnature
These videos show some details you might not get otherwise, but tend to move slowly

Seed To Seed

Seed to Seed (Second Edition)
by Suzanne Ashworth
Complete seed-saving guide that describes specific techniques for 160 vegetables, including botanical classifications, flower structure andpollination, population size, isolation distances, and techniques for caging, hand-pollination, harvesting, drying, cleaning and storage.
This updated and greatly expanded Second Edition now includes how to start each vegetable from seed, which has turned the book into a complete growing guide. Expert gardeners from seven regions of the U.S. have shared their seed-starting techniques. An invaluable,
comprehensive reference book for maintaining heirlooms and preserving
our vegetable heritage.
80 black-and-white photos. Softcover, 228 pages.

Are you unknowingly supporting biotech seed companies?  This article from Seed Library will help you avoid funding Monsanto and other biotech corporations.  [CLICK HERE]