[feldon30]

1) Start with fully ripened tomatoes, not overly ripe. Preferably save seed from 2 or more tomatoes. Use enough tomatoes to have a good amount of seed and pulp. The actual number will vary depending on the variety.

2) Collect the seeds and some of the surrounding "goop" and put it in a container. If you have an overabundance of tomatoes, you can just cut a tomato in half and squeeze the contents into a cup. I cut the tomato into slices and then carefully spoon the seeds and goop into a cup, leaving intact slices that I can then use on a sandwich. Putting the seeds into clear plastic containers are preferable so you can see the fermentation process.

3) Optionally, 1 tbsp or so of water and swish it around.

4) If you intend to put these containers outside (fermentation is quite stinky!), you may wish to cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes. Otherwise you will get a lot of insects. Some people don't mind the insects.

5) Clearly label the container with the variety name and perhaps the source of your seeds from the previous year.

6) Place the container outside in the shade or inside in a well ventilated place.

7) After 3-5 days, a moldy film will appear on top.

8) At this point the fermentation process has taken place which separates the gel from the seeds. It is also quite smelly.

9) Uncover the container and add water. Wait a few moments for the viable seeds to sink to the bottom.

10) Pour off the top layer of water and debris. Note: Bad seeds will float, pour them off.

11) Repeat steps 9 and 10 until the water is clear and you have clean seeds at the bottom.

12) Dump seeds out into a strainer and rinse thoroughly.

13) Optional step: If you want to help eradicate any seed borne diseases perform a bleach bath. Mix 5 parts water to 1 part bleach. Put seeds in bleach mix for 3 to 5 minutes. Rinse seeds thoroughly and I do mean thoroughly. Note: Use pure bleach not this modern stuff that has a bunch of other stuff in it.

14) Put the seeds on a plate or similar (I use paper plates) to dry. The drying process can take up to a week. Some seeds will stick together. Separate them.

15) Put the seeds in an old medicine bottle or envelope. Label with the variety and year.

16) Store in a cool dark place.


Some additional notes from Carolyn:

* Three days is sufficient for some folks and not for others.

* How long one lets stuff ferment depends on how thick or thin the container contents are, sometimes some varieties take longer than others, it also very much depends on the ambient temperature.

* I have never had a fermentation be complete in three days. Ever. And in the Fall of the year when I do most of my fermentations I've often had to wait up to 10 days b'c the ambient temperature was so low that the fermentation was drastically slowed down. Enzymes aren't happy at low temperatures.

* It usually takes 5-7 days for me, depending on all the variables I've mentioned.

* I always use clear containers, usually one pint deli containers, so I can see the bubbles that appear due to the active fermentation and I can also see the enzymatic action that tears apart the solids and also see how quickly seeds are dropping to the bottom. Lots of seeds will still be caught up in the debris, so effective multiple vigorous rinses are necessary.

* The first thing one looks for is the development of a fungal mat that covers the surface of the container contents, so that's why I use only clear containers, so I can see beneath that mat to follow what's happening.