How to Preserve Watermelon Seeds

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Watermelon is a comfort food that reminds us of childhood's cherished memories. Choosing to preserve watermelon seeds for future planting is a joy and teaches your children about the importance of preservation. It's also a favorite snack food of Africa and other continents. Watermelon, an African fruit, is really a vegetable. It can be traced back to Egypt, where it was cultivated originally. Watermelon seeds are rich in protein and essential oils. Read on to learn more.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Preserving Watermelon Seeds for Replanting

Step1

Choosing the right Melon. Watermelons should be slightly overripe when harvesting their seeds for storage. Take the fruit when it is just past the point of where you'd want to eat it and clean the seeds out of the fruit. This is a great way to recycle the melons that have been on the vine just a "little too long." Make sure you get the fruit before it has a chance to start rotting, as the heat of decomposition can actually damage the seeds and make them unusable. Frost is another danger as the moisture can collect inside the seeds and make them unusable.

Step2

Wash the Seeds. Wash them in plain clean water. Tap water is fine.

Step3

Drain the seeds thoroughly in a sieve or colander.

Step4

Dry the seeds. Spread out the seeds in a single layer on newspaper, paper towel, or other drying media (an herb dehydrator works well too). Make sure the temperature does not exceed 110 degrees F.

Step5

Dry seeds for at least 7 days. Replace newspaper when the paper is damp. Store the seeds in a dry, dark, cool place. The drier a seed goes into storage, the better the chance for no diseases or rot. A seed that is dried properly will break when bent, not bend. You may also dry the seeds with silica gel. Put equal measures of silica gel and seeds in a tightly closed jar. This usually takes about 15 days.

Step6

Store the seeds. After drying is done, store in an airtight, cool, dark container for up to 12 months.

Preservation for Snacks

Step1

Extract seeds from melon using a spatula or a large spoon. Scrape all the seeds into a colander or sieve and rinse with tap water. This rinses off the "slime" and allows you to pick out the seeds. Pick only those that are ripe, firm, and have no pock marks.

Step2

Roast over a fire or under the broil setting on your oven, seeds should be crispy, but not blackened. They should "crack" open when you bend them.

Step3

You can grind them into white meal and use them as a "flour" substitute or eat them roasted as a snack, much like roasted pumpkin seeds.

Tips & Warnings

Watermelon is not a commonly allergenic food however, a person can always develop an allergy to any food, be careful when consuming large quantities of any fruit or its seed. If any allergic reactions occur, contact your doctor immediately.