Saving Tomato Seeds Questions

[AlittleSalt]

Star, that is my thought to do tomorrow morning. Of course, I'm also hoping to wake up to see that they are all on the bottom already.

I'm also hoping to find out why such a large percentage of seeds floated.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I starting fermenting three varieties of OP Tomato seeds yesterday. One was Amish Gold. The method of fermenting is in a clear glass jar with nothing over the top. I put somewhere around 300 seeds and some tomato pulp in the jar along with 16 oz. tap water. Today, nearly all the seeds are floating. I swirled the jar and most of the seeds are still floating. I would guesstimate 10% are on the bottom of the jar and the other 90% are floating.

I should add that the tomatoes were never inside our air conditioned house. The seeds were extracted the same day they were picked fully ripe. The fermenting jar is sitting on a stainless steel table under full dappled shade (Never full sun) it is right beside an oak tree. The temperatures have been in the low 90s for daytime highs and mid 70s for lows. The last time I looked at these seeds fermenting was at 24 hours after putting the seeds in the jar.

Do you think this is just a batch of bad seeds, or do they still have a chance to sink?

You must be special since I have never known how many seeds I put in a fermentation.

Just a couple of comments. When you break open the fruits with your hands you should be putting ALL of the innards, if you will, in the container, and the juice that goes in as well, is almost always enough and there should be no need at all for adding water, especially 16 oz of it, which just dilutes everything and makes it almost impossible for fermentation to happen.

You said nothing about the development of that fungal mat that forms on top of the gunk that is necessary for fermentation. Was there a fungal mat?

If fermentation was happening, and I don't think it was in your case, you should also have seen bubbles of gas on the inside of the container.

Carolyn

[AlittleSalt]

What I have/had read about saving seeds is to use a cup of water. I used two cups of water in this situation because of there being so many seeds. I also used a 32 oz. container.

I just looked at the fermenting seeds. Around 50% of the seeds are floating.

There are no visual signs of disease, mold, fungal, etc. on the plants. There was BER on the inside of some larger tomatoes back in May - mid June. I did not save seeds from any of those BER infected tomatoes.

There's so much to learn

[seaeagle]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I starting fermenting three varieties of OP Tomato seeds yesterday. One was Amish Gold. The method of fermenting is in a clear glass jar with nothing over the top. I put somewhere around 300 seeds and some tomato pulp in the jar along with 16 oz. tap water. Today, nearly all the seeds are floating. I swirled the jar and most of the seeds are still floating. I would guesstimate 10% are on the bottom of the jar and the other 90% are floating.

I should add that the tomatoes were never inside our air conditioned house. The seeds were extracted the same day they were picked fully ripe. The fermenting jar is sitting on a stainless steel table under full dappled shade (Never full sun) it is right beside an oak tree. The temperatures have been in the low 90s for daytime highs and mid 70s for lows. The last time I looked at these seeds fermenting was at 24 hours after putting the seeds in the jar.

Do you think this is just a batch of bad seeds, or do they still have a chance to sink?

It sounds like your seeds haven't started fermenting yet and are sill locked in the gel since it has only been one day.I think they will gradually start sinking when fermentation takes place.One way to tell if fermentation is taking place is to sniff the container.If it smells like tomato juice you aren't fermenting yet.If or when it starts smelling like tomato wine you are fermenting.It is fine to add enough water to liquify your mixture, but not too much.

Disclaimer: This is my highly unscientific opinion

[AlittleSalt]

Seaeagle, that is what is happening. I would guess that 60% of the seeds are on the bottom now. It does smell like tomato juice.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

What I have/had read about saving seeds is to use a cup of water. I used two cups of water in this situation because of there being so many seeds. I also used a 32 oz. container.

I just looked at the fermenting seeds. Around 50% of the seeds are floating.

There are no visual signs of disease, mold, fungal, etc. on the plants. There was BER on the inside of some larger tomatoes back in May - mid June. I did not save seeds from any of those BER infected tomatoes.

There's so much to learn

But you still haven't told me if there was a fungal mat on top of the tomato gunk. It really is important.

Robert, I don 't know where you read that one should add a cup of water to your fermentation.

All I can share with you is that I've fermented seeds from several thousands of varieties and can perhaps count on one hand the times when I felt it was necessary to add water of ANY amount.And that would occur only when the tomato gunk was too thick. I guess it takes some experience to know that and heaven knows, being the old lady that I am I've had many decades of experience.

I use one pint plastic containers and will sit there and break open fruits and with my hands scoop out ALL of the innards and discard the rest, that firm cell wall, for instance. I keep adding the innards of more of the same kind until the pint container is about 3/4 full.

I never know in advance how many seeds are in there, it doesn't really matter, what does matter is that the fermentaion works. And Not to stir the contents as I think I posted in an earlier post.

Large beefsteaks usually have about 200-300 seeds per fruit, others have less, cherry tomatoes are essentially a bag of seeds so you get lots of seeds from them.

From what you've said I doubt that your fermentation is working, actually I know it wasn't working since you got so many floating seeds,so maybe when you set up the next one you can do it differently to be sure you have that fungal mat and don't add any water at all.

About BER. It is not due to an infectious disease, it's a physiological problem and there are lots of threads here about it. If you are in a situation where you have to use fruits with BER, not a problem. Just cut off the bottom third of the fruits where the BER lesion is and use the rest for fermentaion.

I just went back and re read what you said above about BER and you said it was on the inside of fruits. OK, that's called internal BER and happens from time to time, but is relatively rare, and I could tell you why it occurs, but maybe that's too much info overload. But in the case of internal BER and you HAVE to use fruits that have it, just cut out the black areas and use the rest of the innards to process seeds.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

But you still haven't told me if there was a fungal mat on top of the tomato gunk. It really is important.

Robert, I don 't know where you read that one should add a cup of water to your fermentation.

All I can share with you is that I've fermented seeds from several thousands of varieties and can perhaps count on one hand the times when I felt it was necessary to add water of ANY amount.And that would occur only when the tomato gunk was too thick. I guess it takes some experience to know that and heaven knows, being the old lady that I am I've had many decades of experience.

I use one pint plastic containers and will sit there and break open fruits and with my hands scoop out ALL of the innards and discard the rest, that firm cell wall, for instance. I keep adding the innards of more of the same kind until the pint container is about 3/4 full.

I never know in advance how many seeds are in there, it doesn't really matter, what does matter is that the fermentaion works. And Not to stir the contents as I think I posted in an earlier post.

Large beefsteaks usually have about 200-300 seeds per fruit, others have less, cherry tomatoes are essentially a bag of seeds so you get lots of seeds from them.

From what you've said I doubt that your fermentation is working, actually I know it wasn't since you got so many seeds that floated,so maybe when you set up the next one you can do it differently to be sure you have that fungal mat and don't add any water at all.

About BER. It is not due to an infectious disease, it's a physiological problem and there are lots of threads here about it. If you are in a situation where you have to use fruits with BER, not a problem. Just cut off the bottom third of the fruits where the BER lesion is and use the rest for fermentaion.

I just went back and re read what you said above about BER and you said it was on the inside of fruits. OK, that's called internal BER and happens from time to time, but is relatively rare, and I could tell you why it occurs, but maybe that's too much info overload. But in the case of internal BER and you HAVE to use fruits that have it, just cut out the black areas and use the rest of the innards to process seeds.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

The above was a duplicate and I can't delete it.

[seaeagle]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Seaeagle, that is what is happening. I would guess that 60% of the seeds are on the bottom now. It does smell like tomato juice.

The seeds sinking is great news and is a sign that fermenting is beginning.At the temperatures you mentioned, it should not take long.Good Luck

[AlittleSalt]

Carolyn, your information does help.

No mat yet. It usually takes a few days for the mat to start forming in the way I have saved seeds until today. I learned about using a cup of water from replies here at Tomatoville. I read them and used that method.

I read pages 33 - 36 in your book. I will be using your method starting today. I want the seeds I use and share to be right. I did buy paper plates too.

I will be saving a whole lot of cherry tomato seeds today and in days to come. I planted way more cherry size tomatoes than I planted larger sizes. Those that I grow tomatoes for love cherry tomatoes.

[Starlight]

Salt... Watch how long you ferment the cherry seeds. For me, I have found the smaller the seeds, as long as you have a mat, not to ferment them to long as they will start to sprout if water temps in cup are right.

First time fermenting the currant seeds. Teeniest things I ever saw. Four days and the whole batch had sprouted. Have to redo some now. Glad I didn't eat all of them.

[seaeagle]

Just wanted to add that if you added a lot of water to your jar you may not get a full fungal mat.It may just be some bubbles or a white or gray film on top of the water or just broken pieces of film.If you stir a lot you may not even see a film.But in my opinion if it smells like fermentation, its fermentation.Again, my highly unscientific opinion

[ginger2778]

Salt, my dear, IMHO you did add way too much water. I usually add only enough drops of water to allow seeds and juice left on the side of the glass to run down into the main mass. Its usually less than 10 drops. I like the tomato bits to be concentrated rather than diluted.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Salt, my dear, IMHO you did add way too much water. I usually add only enough drops of water to allow seeds and juice left on the side of the glass to run down into the main mass. Its usually less than 10 drops. I like the tomato bits to be concentrated rather than diluted.

Do you think I need to add water to this? I just started these seeds.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Do you think I need to add water to this? I just started these seeds.

No.

Worth

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Do you think I need to add water to this?

Nope! Looks perfect.