seeds Best strategy for processing large amounts of seeds from C. chinense pods?

[j.t.delaney]

Hi there,
 
It's harvest season again, and that means separating seeds from pods. Now, the first couple years of doing this, I spent weeks separating the seeds out from the pods with a knife and a pair of tweezers. It was tedious, but I got great results. With the number of pods I have to process, that just isn't even an option. I remember having good luck using a strainer and a pestle last year. I've read about people using a blender set on low to separate the good seeds from the bad ones... but throwing my precious seed stock in a blender sounds like a vaguely terrifying idea. Any ideas?

 

[wayright]

Dry em low
 
stick em in a baggie
 
slam it against the wall
 
Thats how I do it! 

Kevin

 

[Sarg3]

The floating/sinking in water test is a flawed method. I like Kevins idea lol.
 
I just picked through a sandwich baggie full of dried ghost pods that ghostpepperfarms sent me and even though I done it while taking my time and watching a movie, it was quite a boring job. 

 

[megahot]

I like Wayrights idea! I don't have a dehydrator, so I cut mine in half while fresh and let them air dry face up.

 

[Nightshade]

Exactly what mega said but I also remove the whole placenta using a knife after cutting them in half and let the seeds and placenta dry. This is very easy

I like Wayrights idea! I don't have a dehydrator, so I cut mine in half while fresh and let them air dry face up.

try putting the pods on paper and flip them over everyday dries them a couple days faster

 

[megahot]

Exactly what mega said but I also remove the whole placenta using a knife after cutting them in half and let the seeds and placenta dry. This is very easy try putting the pods on paper and flip them over everyday dries them a couple days faster

I just put a fan on em for about an hr a day. It seems to speed up the process quite a bit. Thanks for the idea

 

[queequeg152]

separating seed from plant material is actually pretty interesting... ive thought alot about this question.
theres a variety of seed sizers... grain cleaners etc, but all even the lab scale models are quite expensive.
 
id first try something like like a stainless steel food mill. you could probably use or adapt an existing mesh or screen included with the foot mill. the seed would hopefully collect on the screen/sieve, and be easily scraped off.
 
if thats not going to work, then id look at a set of test sieves, and a shaker. or maby making your own sieves.
 
crush dried pods gently, then add the material to the sieve stack. collect the material containing the seeds and similar sized plant material, then separate the seeds via their different specific gravities.
you could do this with a controllable stream of air. the seeds would seperate from the lighter weight material easily.
something like a clear pvc pipe and a very small blower w/ variable power supply or maby just a butterfly valve.
 
im guessing you could process an obscene amount of seeds like this .

 

[96strat]

I have a 4 heat sprout mats with thermostats that I put the placentas with the seeds attached. I also have a grow light(sunlight) bulbs on. Dry the seeds slowly in tin bowls. Cover the tins with a metal mesh. When the
Placentas are dry the seeds are ready to harvest. Seems like the seeds still get more mature attached to the placentas.

 

[kentishman]

I separate the seeds and placenta from the halved pods before drying them. I've got proficient and quick at this using a fork and a grapefruit spoon. The fork stabs and holds the pod in place. The spoon has a serrated edge and is very effective at ripping out the entire placenta, seeds attached. Then I let the placenta/seed material dry for a few days. Put the dried materaial in a bag and rub it between your hands and most of the seeds separate from the placenta. I don't even need to wear gloves because I don't touch the pods.

By the way j.t., I've been harvesting plenty of Mako Akoksrade pods from seeds you sent me. Mako Kokoo are taking longer to color up, but they're almost there.

Tom

 

[Gotrox]

The seeds I save I take out of 1/2 a pod-----note, I don't save huge amounts, or from every pod, just use a knife to pop it out of a halved pod, placenta included.
It goes into a plain white envelope on the window sill for a few days till dry.
Note that I live in single digit humidity, so mold and spoilage is not an issue.
 
Why with the placenta, you may ask?
 
Well, as a reminder.
When I am making my list, and checking it twice for the next grow, I can always nibble a piece to remember why I saved it.
 
And it is infinitly easier than processing each seed out.

 

[filmost]

I cut the placenta out then rub the seeds off with a spoon or fork and leave out to dry in a small open container.
 
That said, I think Gotrox is on to something here. If you can cut the placenta out and leave that out to dry for a day or so, you could feasibly put all the placenta's (separated by variety) into paper bags and shake them to knock off the seeds.