Extracting Tomato Seeds
Seeds cling to the inner pulp of tomato fruits, making them difficult to remove and clean. If you prefer your tomatoes seedless for cooking or canning, you must extract the seeds without damaging the edible portion of the vegetable. Thorough extraction and cleaning is also necessary if you save your tomato seeds for planting each year. Does this Spark an idea?
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Squeeze Method
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Use the squeeze method for extracting seeds from tomatoes destined for cooked dishes or canning, as the squeezing ruins the shape of the vegetable. Cut the tomato in half. Squeeze the seeds out of the tomato and into a bowl. Squeezing out seeds causes the pulp to come out if you squeeze too hard or if the tomato is overly ripe.
Spoon Method
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A small spoon, such as a baby spoon, removes the most seeds without ruining the fruit or removing too much pulp, making it the best choice for tomatoes that are served fresh. Slice the tomato in half, revealing all the seed chambers inside the fruit. Scoop out the seeds into a bowl then slice the tomato as desired for serving. The spoon method removes most of the gel-like pulp from the tomato, which makes it a good option for salad tomatoes. If you prefer the pulp with the tomato when cooking the vegetables, separate it from the seeds by hand and add it to the cook pot.
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Fermenting
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If you plan to save your seeds for replanting, you must extract them from the gel-like pulp that clings to them after you remove the seeds from the fruits. Place the pulp and seeds into a small glass or bowl and add enough water to cover them thoroughly. The seeds separate from the pulp within three to five days. Once the seeds sink to the bottom of the bowl, pour off the water, leaving the clean seeds behind.
Drying
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Dry the seeds after extraction if you want to save them to plant in spring. A baking sheet lined with paper towels provides a compact way to dry the seeds thoroughly. Spread the seeds out on the towel and keep them in a warm and dry area for a week or two. Once the seeds are completely dry, store them in a tightly sealed jar in a cool location until spring.
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References
- Photo Credit half full of red tomato seeds on a white plate image by ESGatell from Fotolia.com
