Hi, Carol - Best thing to do is to let the eggplant go yellow, not all the way to rotting - so they swell, get their mature color, then after a bit they turn various shades of yellow. Don't let them go fully yellow - just 75%, say. They should be softer at this stage, but not mushy. I fill a bowl with water, cut the eggplant into quarters, and place the pieces under the water and run my fingers along the seed lines, freeing them into the water. If the seeds lave lots of stuck flesh, squeeze the mass and rub the seeds together. Pour off the floating flesh - add water, repeat until the seeds sit at the bottom of mostly clear water. Immature/bad seeds will often float to the surface. Drain off with a sieve, rinse, then spread on unglazed paper plates - let dry for a week or so. Separate the seed mass, let dry another week - depending upon the variety, I've had success rates of germination of from 10-100% - I think the trick is getting them at just the right time....
About Ichiban - this is an F2 selection (in the pic) - it differs from the hybrid in having a different shape (slightly) and less dark color.
__________________
Craig
|