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Saving Tomato Seeds

August 15, 2013 by Lois Britton Leave a Comment

There’s a little fruit and vegetable shop on my way to the lake.  They usually have two kinds of tomatoes – one that’s big and bright red, the other is almost a grayish shade of red and smaller.  The former looked more appealing, but on my first visit, I decided I would try both.  I’m really glad that I did.

Since that time, I’ve got back specifically for the smaller tomato, which I now know is called pomidor malinowy or raspberry tomato.  I’ve never heard of that name in English, and my google research brought me to a tomato forum, where I learned that there are two varieties of Polish tomatoes called malinowy.

I like these tomatoes because they have a great flavor and unlike many tomatoes there isn’t a huge, hard core running through the center.  They slice very nicely.  I’ve saved the seeds from five or six of these tomatoes. Now that I know the name, I guess I can also check for a packet of seeds at the plant nursery.

Here’s the process for saving seeds if you want to try it:

Slice the tomatoes in half (horizontally) and scoop out the seeds.  Put all of that a jar and add a couple tablespoons of water.  Cover the jar with plastic wrap, put a small slit in the plastic wrap to allow for some air movement.  Leave this on the counter  for 3 or 4 days, swirling the mixture twice a day.
Fermentation will be taking place in the jar and it will remove the gelatinous seed coating.  I had been expecting a big, bubbly, stinky mess, but no such luck.  Very quiet tomato fermentation, but it did the trick.
On day number 4, I poured all of the liquid through a strainer.  Any bits of tomato flesh rinsed away easily.
After dripping into the sink, I spread out the seeds as much as possible in the strainer and left it sitting on paper towel for a few hours.
The final step was to spread out the seeds on a piece of parchment paper and put them in the oven for about 24 hours with just the light bulb on.  As they dried, I rubbed clumps of seeds between my fingers to separate them.
It’s very important that the seeds be perfectly dry.  If they’re just a little damp, the could become moldy and diseased before you have a chance to plant them.  Once they’re dry, store in an envelope or a jar until ready to plant.
Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

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Filed Under: Gardening, Misc., Summer, Vegetables

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