Saving Seeds

   In an effort to save money and not buy seeds next year we have started saving our seeds for next year. We also think it's kind of cool to keep growing from generation after generation the same vegetable ever year.
   Tomato seeds take a few more steps then just letting the seeds dry out and putting them in an envelope like we've been doing with other vegetables. First you have to cut the tomato in half and scoop out the seeds, if any gel or tomato chunks come out that's fine. Then you put them in a jar and add about an inch of water. Put a loose cover over the jars and store them in a warm place out of the way. After about three days or so, mold should start to grow on top. This represents what happens in nature when a tomato rots, the mold strips the protective covering around the seed allowing it to germinate when you plant the seed. Once you got a good cover of mold it's time to rinse and dry. What you do is either scoop out the mold with a spoon or pour some water in slowly until the mold flows over. If any seeds come out along with the gunk that's fine you only want the seeds that sink to the bottom. Discard any seeds that float.  Once you get all the stuff out, pour the water out leaving the seeds behind. Then scoop the seeds onto a paper towel and spread them out. Leave them in a dry space tell they completely dry out, and then store them in an envelope. If you do more than one kind of tomato, make sure you keep everything labeled so you know what type of seed your saving.

   We're looking forward to next year, to plant all the seeds we've been saving.