Fermenting seeds revisited.
 

Yes that time of year again and I just complete my first ever attempt with great success.
Took about 3 days.
Materials needed
One pint jar no cover.
One starting to rot mortgage lifter.
One strainer.
Time.
Squeezed out seeds juice and meat into jar added a wee bit of RO water.
Mat formed seeds sunk.
Strained off and or floated off gunk.
Washed and continued to float off gunk until seeds were clean.
Checked again in water to make sure there were no seeds floating.
Seeds on porcelain plate drying.
Will start germination test at end of week.

Worth

Sounds just like I'd do them Worth, maybe add a Coffee Filter to the plate though. I hope your germination test goes well. :D

Same thing here. I was running low on a few varieties. So far this year I've saved Spudakee, Big Cheef, Rebecca Sebastian's Bull Bag, Garden Peach & Stump of the World. I also used the coffee filters. It's really quiet easy.

I dont have coffee filters.:lol:
Worth

I don't get the coffee filter thing. :?!?: Don't they stick to it?
I just put my first seeds of the season to ferment this morning as well. Switching to mason jars after trying the ziploc method last year... I found them too easy to forget about. :evil: And some doubts about the seed quality as a result. :bummer: Maybe not enough air. Anyhoo, masons it is...

In warm weather, it does not take very long to ferment, especially if you are using a rotting tomato which is already on the way .
Like Worth described the washing process (after fermentation ), that assures seed quality. The floaters are discarded , the heavy sinkers are kept. With that , you can have 100% germination rate. I have been doing this way for years and never ever had germination problem with my own saved seeds.

I just squeeze the seeds into a bowl and add water then whisk them and the gelcoat comes off, rinse and whisk a few times then set them in a paper plate and let dry. 5 minutes and done!!! If you're worried about disease then add a few drops of bleach when whisking and rinsing.

Seeds separated easily from the porcelain.
Ready for seed package.
Worth
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Parchments,wax paper,butchers,paper will not stick seeds together.Sort ,count,I'd,fold oragamy style,mark with your butchers wax pencil(never needs sharpening) in the freezer they go.

So glad you posted this!
 

I've been pouring through TV archives to find instructions for seed saving. I'm trying for the first time. How long did it take for the mat to form? I squeezed pulp and seeds into a Mason jar with a screen lid last night. Should I add water? Room temperature here is 76 to 78 degF.

if you have enough liquid in the jar, you won't need to add water. i sometimes add a bit of water if i am lacking volume. otherwise the seeds get stuck in the mat, and it becomes a blob mess.

three to five days is about all you need with warm temperatures.
i use a jar with a loosely attached lid to keep the fruit flies out. it might have been Ted that gave that tip.
i dry my seeds on paper plates. i write on the plate what seeds they are, and the date i put them on, and forget about them until cold weather, when the wood stove is burning, and humidity is lower in the house.
seed germination is always good.

seeds may stick to the plate, but come off fine with a finger nudge.
cross off the variety, and use the same plates for next year.


keith

[QUOTE=MuddyToes;657017]I've been pouring through TV archives to find instructions for seed saving. I'm trying for the first time. How long did it take for the mat to form? I squeezed pulp and seeds into a Mason jar with a screen lid last night. Should I add water? Room temperature here is 76 to 78 degF.[/QUOTE]



Here are the basic steps -- [URL]http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Category:Seed_Saving[/URL]

And blue painter's tape is good for labeling jars, and then you can pull it off the jar and attach it to the paper dish or plate you're drying them on,

I use the method I learned from Carolyn - which is what Worth wrote. I do add a step to the process. I don't use the lid, but I very loosely use screen wire to keep the bugs out. I only saved seeds from a few varieties that are fun growing and tastes really good. I found two varieties that are striped that taste good and are not cherry tomatoes. I had three, but something knocked over the Striped Roman seed jar.

Thanks for all of the replies. :) I'm going to visit my mother for a few days. They should be ready to dry when I get back.

[QUOTE=MuddyToes;657039]Thanks for all of the replies. :) I'm going to visit my mother for a few days. They should be ready to dry when I get back.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't burn too may days waiting for a mat to form when the seeds sink and the gel coat is off they will be fine.
Letting them ferment for too long will cause low germination rate and sometimes the seeds will sprout.

I also dont find separating the seeds in the plate one by one is necessary.
dry for 12 hours or so and separate with thumb and forefinger let dry more do it again.

As far as the type of plate you should not use paper plates.
Paper plates are of poor taste.
You should use the best china you have for good taste and the best tasting tomatoes.:D
Sometimes the instructions are more complicated than the actions.

Why did I save (these) seeds?
I have never grown mortgage lifter before.
The plant was bought at the store.
It was planted in a container way late and produced fruit until it got way hot.
The darn thing is still alive and blooming in extreme heat even though the blossoms are dropping.
I was just going to buy seeds but thought to myself, 'No I want seeds from this plant.
This will insure the best chances of the same thing.
What if a label got moved around or something?
I would never find it again.
But I am sure it is what it says it is because the label clips into the little container they come in and very hard to get out.

My main concern is to get the gel coat off not disease.

Worth