Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old November 2, 2018   #1
whoose
Tomatovillian™
 
whoose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b
Posts: 333
Default Drying for Seeds

I have a mystery tomato I would like to dry and use next year. What are the tricks to be successful?
whoose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 2, 2018   #2
carolyn137
Moderator Emeritus
 
carolyn137's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
Posts: 21,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by whoose View Post
I have a mystery tomato I would like to dry and use next year. What are the tricks to be successful?
You don't want to dry the tomato as you said above,what you want to do is to take the seeds out of the tomato and process them.

And there are several ways to process seeds,like fermentation, oxidizing compounds, etc.

Then dry them for storage for next year and there are also different ways of storing them.

I hope others here will answer first since I'm kind of short of time right now, and perhaps later I can add more,fetch some links for you from Tville since all of this has been discussed many times here at Tville.

Carolyn
__________________
Carolyn
carolyn137 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 2, 2018   #3
carolyn137
Moderator Emeritus
 
carolyn137's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
Posts: 21,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by whoose View Post
I have a mystery tomato I would like to dry and use next year. What are the tricks to be successful?
I totally forgot to ask you why you call it a plant with mystery fruits on it.

So did what you got not match what you expected from the seeds you bought,but you liked it anyway.

Were your original seeds from a trade or swap or a commercial place?

Just trying to get a handle on this issue.

Carolyn
__________________
Carolyn
carolyn137 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 3, 2018   #4
whoose
Tomatovillian™
 
whoose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b
Posts: 333
Default Lost Label

My fault I miss labeled and do not know the orgins, but it was the most productive tomato I have ever grown, of course.
whoose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 3, 2018   #5
carolyn137
Moderator Emeritus
 
carolyn137's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
Posts: 21,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by whoose View Post
My fault I miss labeled and do not know the orgins, but it was the most productive tomato I have ever grown, of course.
Do you still have seeds that you saved?

Carolyn
__________________
Carolyn
carolyn137 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 3, 2018   #6
whoose
Tomatovillian™
 
whoose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b
Posts: 333
Default No

I do not know which seeds they were that is why I want to try them next year.
whoose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 3, 2018   #7
carolyn137
Moderator Emeritus
 
carolyn137's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
Posts: 21,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by carolyn137 View Post
You don't want to dry the tomato as you said above,what you want to do is to take the seeds out of the tomato and process them.

And there are several ways to process seeds,like fermentation, oxidizing compounds, etc.

Then dry them for storage for next year and there are also different ways of storing them.

I hope others here will answer first since I'm kind of short of time right now, and perhaps later I can add more,fetch some links for you from Tville since all of this has been discussed many times here at Tville.

Carolyn
So you are saying that you never took the seeds out of the fruits on that one plant or however many plants of that same kind that you had plantedout?

Carolyn
__________________
Carolyn
carolyn137 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 3, 2018   #8
SpookyShoe
Tomatovillian™
 
SpookyShoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: El Lago, Texas
Posts: 1,100
Default Mystery tomato plant

Do you know if your mystery tomato plant that you wish to save seeds from is a hybrid or an open-pollinated variety?

Donna
SpookyShoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 3, 2018   #9
carolyn137
Moderator Emeritus
 
carolyn137's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
Posts: 21,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by SpookyShoe View Post
Do you know if your mystery tomato plant that you wish to save seeds from is a hybrid or an open-pollinated variety?

Donna
Donna, that's what I've been trying to get at,with no luck so far.How far were his plants from a neighbor that was also growing other plants,could it be a bee cross, etc.

Carolyn
__________________
Carolyn
carolyn137 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 4, 2018   #10
korney19
Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest™ Co-Founder
 
korney19's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: The Niagara Frontier
Posts: 942
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by whoose View Post
I have a mystery tomato I would like to dry and use next year. What are the tricks to be successful?
To save the seeds from it to grow next year, cut a tomato in half, about half-way between the top & bottom (like the equator) and squeeze the seeds & juice into a cup. Let the cup sit for a few days until the seeds sink to the bottom and the top forms a white scum coating. After day 3 or so, the seeds should be sunk to the bottom (it helps using a clear plastic cup!); this is where I bring the cups into the bathroom and have the toilet seat up!

Pour off the scum. Add water to the cup rapidly though not to overfill it but just to get the seeds to swirl in the cup and pour off any other floating scum or tomato flesh particles or pieces.

I do this 2 or 3 times. Then I get the seeds swirling around again and quickly pour everything into a small strainer. Double-check the container or cup for any seeds that didn't make it into the strainer. You may need to get them moving so they get dumped into the strainer.

Here is where some folks differ on the next step. I run them under hot water, not over 125 degrees F. I also add a dab of toothpaste or anti-bacterial soap to the seeds in the strainer, and massage it in/on the seeds. If using toothpaste, try for one that is not a clear gel but rather a solid paste like the old days. (UltraBrite, etc.) Once well coated, I do a final rinse. THEN, I empty the seeds into my hand and firmly squeeze the seeds to remove the remaining water.

Finally, I spread them out on a piece of coffee filter or a sheet of paper towel. I let them dry a bit, transfer to a new sheet of paper towel and then roll up the paper towel, fold the 2 ends into the center, fold again, then label them with a Sharpie marker. I let them continue to dry on the hamper a couple days before storing them.

It's important that you really give them a good squeeze before putting them on the coffee filter papers or paper towels. During the temporary drying time on the paper towels, inspect the seeds to insure none have sprouted. Sometimes they sprout if you leave them fermenting longer than 3 or 4 days. Also, if doing many varieties, check the paper towels before each variety to insure you have no stray seeds from a previous variety.

This is how I usually save seeds. Only differences are if the tomato is rotting, sometimes I put the whole tomato into the cup and try to remove the skin if possible, otherwise everything else is the same. On tiny currant-size tomatoes, I use an old-style potato masher in a clear quart tall container, mash them, then the skins usually float after a couple days, so they can be removed.

I ended up buying 2 different clear plastic cups that use the same lid, I think one is 9oz and the other is 16oz. That handles at least a few tomatoes per cup or lots of cherry toms, and the lid already has a " + " cut for a straw, which lets any gas escape while keeping fruitflies out. Critters too.

Hope this helps!
korney19 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 4, 2018   #11
FarmerShawn
Tomatovillian™
 
FarmerShawn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Vermont
Posts: 1,001
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by korney19 View Post
To save the seeds from it to grow next year, cut a tomato in half, about half-way between the top & bottom (like the equator) and squeeze the seeds & juice into a cup. Let the cup sit for a few days until the seeds sink to the bottom and the top forms a white scum coating. After day 3 or so, the seeds should be sunk to the bottom (it helps using a clear plastic cup!); this is where I bring the cups into the bathroom and have the toilet seat up!

Pour off the scum. Add water to the cup rapidly though not to overfill it but just to get the seeds to swirl in the cup and pour off any other floating scum or tomato flesh particles or pieces.

I do this 2 or 3 times. Then I get the seeds swirling around again and quickly pour everything into a small strainer. Double-check the container or cup for any seeds that didn't make it into the strainer. You may need to get them moving so they get dumped into the strainer.

Here is where some folks differ on the next step. I run them under hot water, not over 125 degrees F. I also add a dab of toothpaste or anti-bacterial soap to the seeds in the strainer, and massage it in/on the seeds. If using toothpaste, try for one that is not a clear gel but rather a solid paste like the old days. (UltraBrite, etc.) Once well coated, I do a final rinse. THEN, I empty the seeds into my hand and firmly squeeze the seeds to remove the remaining water.

Finally, I spread them out on a piece of coffee filter or a sheet of paper towel. I let them dry a bit, transfer to a new sheet of paper towel and then roll up the paper towel, fold the 2 ends into the center, fold again, then label them with a Sharpie marker. I let them continue to dry on the hamper a couple days before storing them.

It's important that you really give them a good squeeze before putting them on the coffee filter papers or paper towels. During the temporary drying time on the paper towels, inspect the seeds to insure none have sprouted. Sometimes they sprout if you leave them fermenting longer than 3 or 4 days. Also, if doing many varieties, check the paper towels before each variety to insure you have no stray seeds from a previous variety.

This is how I usually save seeds. Only differences are if the tomato is rotting, sometimes I put the whole tomato into the cup and try to remove the skin if possible, otherwise everything else is the same. On tiny currant-size tomatoes, I use an old-style potato masher in a clear quart tall container, mash them, then the skins usually float after a couple days, so they can be removed.

I ended up buying 2 different clear plastic cups that use the same lid, I think one is 9oz and the other is 16oz. That handles at least a few tomatoes per cup or lots of cherry toms, and the lid already has a " + " cut for a straw, which lets any gas escape while keeping fruitflies out. Critters too.

Hope this helps!
I start the same way, up until the hot water and toothpaste, which I omit. To dry, I simply slap the seeds onto a cheap paper plate and tap with the sieve to spread them out. Since I always am drying several varieties at a time, I write the variety name on a post it and tape it to the cup when I put the seeds in. Then after cleaning I simply pull the postit off the cup and stick it to the paper plate. I stack the plates, using a straw or skewer to keep them apart for air flow. When the seeds are dry, a spatula will scrape them off the plate, and scrunching them a bit with my fingers will separate them. Then it's into coin envelopes for storage.
__________________
"Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!"
-- Tommy Smothers
FarmerShawn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 4, 2018   #12
whoose
Tomatovillian™
 
whoose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b
Posts: 333
Default

Thanks guys just what I needed to know.
whoose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 4, 2018   #13
korney19
Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest™ Co-Founder
 
korney19's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: The Niagara Frontier
Posts: 942
Default

That's a great method too Farmer Shawn, I think Carolyn uses the paper plate method too. I roll them in the paper towels because I can keep them in the PT's forever. I have also removed them from the PT and, using a #2 or #4 flat cone filter, I fold the rounded top down towards the center, enough that would close the top, then fold the "ears" inward, making a seed envelope about 3 inches tall & wide. I write the name & date on the flap.
korney19 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 4, 2018   #14
Nan_PA_6b
Tomatovillian™
 
Nan_PA_6b's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 3,194
Default

Alternate ways:


I've had success just scraping seeds from the tomato and wiping them on a paper towel. Let that dry & plant them next year.



A little more professional is to take the seeds, soak them in a little water plus Oxi-Clean detergent for about 45 minutes, then pour them into a fine mesh strainer. Rub them against the mesh (not too roughly), then rinse. Spread them on a plate, seeds not touching each other, to dry for a couple weeks.



Nan
Nan_PA_6b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 4, 2018   #15
carolyn137
Moderator Emeritus
 
carolyn137's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
Posts: 21,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by korney19 View Post
That's a great method too Farmer Shawn, I think Carolyn uses the paper plate method too. I roll them in the paper towels because I can keep them in the PT's forever. I have also removed them from the PT and, using a #2 or #4 flat cone filter, I fold the rounded top down towards the center, enough that would close the top, then fold the "ears" inward, making a seed envelope about 3 inches tall & wide. I write the name & date on the flap.
Yes I do Mark,but I'm not going to go through all the steps from getting seeds for a new variety,sowing those seeds, setting out X # of plants, etc. etc, etc.

Carolyn
__________________
Carolyn
carolyn137 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:36 PM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★