seeds What is your seed separating / cleaning technique?

[thoroughburro]

I suspect and hope that some of you have cleverer, cleaner, or more efficient techniques.

Currently, I wait for “enough” of a variety to build up before processing a batch. Then, I slice off the stem and halve the peppers, quickly trimming out most of the seeds and some placenta, but not obsessing. These halved and mostly trimmed peppers then get used, dried, or frozen.

I spread the seeds, both loose but mostly attached to trimmings, on a labeled paper towel and pop it in the dehydrator at 100F for 24-48 hours, depending. The annoying part is separating the seed from the rest after drying. It feels really finicky, and with my arthritic fingers I wind up with more debris than I would like among the saved seed.

I briefly tried separating the seeds from the trimmings before drying, and felt it was about equal overall… the seeds don’t break away as easily, so it’s more finicky work for sore fingers, but the resulting seeds are mostly free of debris.

What do you do? Is there a trick to it?

 

[Tinkerbelle]

have you tried using a teaspoon for scraping out the seeds?
I pop the seeds into a yoghurt container, stick it on the windowsill until it rattles then put the whole lot in a labelled envelope.
I suspect this isn't the technical answer you were looking for

 

[Norman]

I just cut the pepper in half and cut out the placenta along with the seeds with a pointy knife. Then I remove as much placenta as I can without worrying too much about getting it all. I fold that up in a paper towel and forget about it until I’m ready to plant.
The seeds separate easily when they’re dry and I sow two per pot and usually both sprout.

 

[Marturo]

I have always chosen a very ripe pepper cut it in half & spread the seeds on a paper plate, not paper towel to dry.
Then I take them & store them in a self made paper envelope for next spring.

Never felt the need for hot air drying, the seeds dry out well at normal air temperatures & keep for years.

 

[Downriver]

Here's what I said a while back, and I'm sticking to it! lol

Downriver 2022 - Pepper Time

Today is Jan 1, so time to start a Glog and THINK about what to grow. The answer is most likely somewhere in here. I'll figure it out shortly. :think:

thehotpepper.com

 

[jrm]

Last season I had good results from removing the seeds carefully (I like to keep as much placenta in the pepper as possible). Then putting them in a fine mesh strainer, put that in a bowl of filtered water, rub them around a little bit, then dump the seeds on paper towel, pat them dry, and then dump them on a paper plate to sit out until they are hard. Worked for me. Mileage may vary.

 

[HellfireFarm]

If you're growing more than one variety, doesn't this result in unexpected/unwanted crosses? How do you ensure purity of the strain?

 

[jrm]

I have yet to have that issues thus far. I do each type separately, with thorough cleaning of the strainer between varieties (should have included that in my original post ). I don’t isolate my plants , and they are all in close enough proximity, that they could very well hybridize in the garden.