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Old September 5, 2011   #2
lakelady
Tomatovillian™
 
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: northern NJ zone 6b
Posts: 1,862
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I'm not as precise as you are

I cut the tomato in half (not through the stem side) and just squeeze each half over a bowl or wide mouth mason jar like an orange. Take a fork and pick out any big pieces of fruit that are not gel stuck to seeds and add a tiny bit of water if needed, then cover and let sit 5 days or so until I get the moldy covering on top. swirl jar to encourage seeds to settle on bottom, then pour off top with any floaters that might not be viable seeds. Pour the rest through a fine mesh sieve and rub while running water over the top. Dry the bottom of the sieve well, dump the seeds onto a paper plate and separate as best you can. Every day separate seeds more until the entire plate is very dry for a few days before packing away. I don't leave them on the porch, but in the house where it is much drier during the drying process.

Not very scientific, but it works for me and I get great germination rates on my saved seeds.

Oh, and my covering for the jar is cheesecloth which allows some air in but keeps fruitflies out.

Last edited by lakelady; September 5, 2011 at 09:54 AM. Reason: more detail
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