| This is an archived web presentation from the NMNH Education Department and is no longer being maintained. For questions about this site please contact: education@si.edu. |


Right this minute, people all over the world are eating, or shopping for food or preparing food to be eaten. It is a way of life. Everyone must eat to survive.
What are they eating? Often times that depends on where they live. What plants and animals live in that area? What kinds of transportation are available to the area? Can planes, ships, or trucks deliver food that was grown in another part of the world?
Long ago, people could eat only what they grew or what they could catch. They couldn't just go to the grocery store and buy whatever was on the shelf! In 1492, when Christopher Columbus came to America, he saw plants and animals he had never seen before. He took them back with him to Europe. Columbus' trips were the beginning of an exciting time in the history of food. People would be able to taste different foods; foods with flavors, shapes, and textures they had never experienced before!
Come and explore the world of 1492 with us! Find out what the world was like 500 years ago! Find out how you can move both forwards and backwards in history at the same time. You can do it all, and along the way, you will learn about yourself, your family, your friends, and the earth!
Welcome to our Seeds of Change Garden project!
For an introduction to this web site from Herman J. Viola, Curator
Emeritus of the National Museum of Natural History, see his overview called
Commemorating the Columbian Exchange. There is
also a Bibliography.
Begin your garden in Activities for all Seasons.
Use your garden to Learn about Each Other.
Explore the History of the New World through food crops.
Make some Delicious Recipes from the plants in your garden!
Send questions, comments, and corrections to the webmaster.
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