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Do you need to ferment the True Potato Seed?
Jeff
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Only if I don't get around to the berries while they are still fresh and somewhat firm.
I collect so many potato berries that, yes, some of them ferment or rot down before I get to them.
Fermentation is Mature's way of breaking down the gel surrounding the seed. I prefer to break down the gel with T.S.P., or Trisodium Phosphate. TSP is acleaning agent, stain remover and degreaser, commonly used to prepare surfaces for painting.
TSP is a highly basic compound and dissolves the gel quickly when the seed is dumped from a strainer into a small body of water with about 3% of TSP for a few minutes. Using gloves, a quick rub of the chemical on the seed within a strainer works magic cleaning the seed in preparation for a chlorine rince. Nature just doesn't clean like TSP.
When I get time, I will post some step by step methods of berry collecting, curing times, crushing the berries with a blender, floating off the pulp, separation of seed from the water, TSP and Chlorine treatments, and drying. If you wish, I could include some digital photos, too.
Tom Wagner