LIBRARY NEWS
Whether you borrowed seeds from the Los Alamos Community Seed Library this year or you grew a variety of tomatoes of your own, it’s time to start collecting those seeds for next year!
To save tomato seeds, squish the jell and seeds into a small container. The seeds have a bio-film of jell around them, and fermenting will clean them. This step can prevent the spread of some tomato diseases.
The jell and seeds mixture will develop some mold naturally if you let them sit out, but you can speed this up with a few grains of baking yeast. Add a bit of water to your seeds to make a slurry and let it sit out, uncovered, until you see either some bubbling/foam or a few bits of mold (3-5 days). Next, add more water, swirl it around a bit, let it settle, and then pour off the liquid and any solids and mold, retaining the seeds. Pour the seeds onto a glass plate or coffee filter to dry. When the seeds are dry, store in a recycled jar or envelope and label with the variety name and year grown.