Saving Cucumber Seeds (Part 2)

Several days ago in this PREVIOUS POST we talked about how to save cucumber seeds.  We left off at the point where we had left the cucumber seeds soaking in water to ferment.  Now it is 3 days later and we have a smelly mess percolating on the window sill.  It really smells foul and tells us that we have fermentation going on.  In reality this is what happens in nature.  If the cucumber is left alone, it will soften and ferment and the seeds inside of it will then sprout right out of it.  We've tried to mimic that on the window sill.  Right now, we need to clean this mess up.

Fermenting cucumber seeds

I pour all the smelly fermented cucumber seed liquid through a sieve and then spray water all over the sieve to wash away the foul smelling liquid.  The only thing left is our cucumber seeds that we're trying to save.

Cleaning the seeds

Next I get a paper plate and pour all the seeds on the plate.  I'll try to spread them out so that they will dry out easier and won't clump together.  I'll let this dry out for a few days until they aren't moist at all.

Drying out the cucumber seeds

After a couple of days, the seeds are all dry and ready to be stored.  I scrape them off of the paper plate and put them in a pile.  I try to check that none are moist at all and then I try to separate any that might be stuck together.

Dried cucumber seeds

Next I store them in supplement containers.  I find that they are perfect for storing seeds since they allow no light inside and allow no moisture at all inside.  I ensure that I label each container with the seed variety and the year in which they are saved.

Saved Cucumber seeds

Saving your own seeds is nice investment.  It is economical and enables you to prepare for the future.  I read on several websites that cucumber seeds saved properly will last up to 10 years.  Wow!  Talk about paying dividends!! Each seed will eventually produce numerous cucumbers.