Saving Tomato Seeds

It is rather easy to save your own tomato seeds for the next growing season; however, it is strongly recommended that only heirloom (not hybrid) tomatoes are used.  They are proven good producers and naturally resistant against pests and diseases.  .

The other morning, my husband came into the kitchen and he wanted to know what was smelling so badly.  I told him that it was tomatoes fermenting.  What?

A few days earlier, I had halved red cherry tomatoes and yellow sweet million cherry tomatoes and put them in separate glass jars with enough water to cover them.  I put a lid on the jars, not too tight, and set them in the darkest corner of the drain board and forgot about them.

The tomatoes fermented for a few days a scummy goo was formed on top of the water.  Oh, boy!

It was kind of smelly when the jars were fully opened but I persevered and removed the goo and gently washed the tomatoes in a sieve under running water making sure none of the seeds fell down the drain.


I squeezed out the seeds onto a paper towel and put them away making sure I labeled the seeds that should be dried within the week.  Then I'll put them in a small container, label, and store in the cup board for next spring.

Seeds from large heirloom tomatoes may also be saved in a similar method.  I cut one tomato in half through the middle, equator, and carefully scooped out the seeds, washed off the membrane, and put the seeds on a porcelain plate to prevent the seeds from sticking.  I skipped the fermentation phase. The seeds are still drying.

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