Re:[CH] How to preserve seeds

Bob Batson (bob@sky.net)
Mon, 27 Sep 1999 15:11:06 -0500 (CDT)

On Sun, 25 Sep 1999, Vikki <vikbill@gibralter.net> wrote:

> I've dried out seeds from my jalapenos and super chilis.  What do I
> store them in until next spring?  I'm in the southeast so it's humid
> here and I want to make sure they stay dry and intact.

		Tips on Saving, Drying, and Storing Chile Seeds

   Select chiles that are ripe, fully colored and show no signs of
   disease. When cleaning large-fruited chiles, break or cut the flesh
   off without damaging the internal core. The stem should be left
   attached to the core and will act as a handle. The blade of a small
   knife can be used to carefully scrape the seeds into a bowl.

   Chiles can also be cleaned in a blender or food processor, if the
   flesh is not going to be eaten. Cut the stems off the fleshless seed
   cores, adding enough water to cover the cores. Blend until the cores
   disintegrate and the seeds are free.Gently stir the mixture and the
   good seeds will sink to the bottom. The immature seeds and flesh
   fragments will float and can be pored off with part of the water. Add
   more water, blend the mixture, pour off more debris, and repeat until
   clean.

   Small chiles can also be cleaned using a blender or food processor.
   Cut off the stems and a little bit of their shoulders, before putting
   the pods and water into the blender. Always wear rubber gloves when
   working with hot chiles. Chile oil is very pungent and will remain on
   unprotected fingers even after washing. Touching any area of the face
   with hands that contain chile oil residue can cause extreme
   discomfort. Also, be sure to clean chiles in a well-ventilated room,
   because the fumes can cause severe respiratory distress.

   After all the debris has been poured off, dump the remaining water and
   clean seeds into a strainer. Wipe the bottom of the strainer on a
   towel and dump the seeds onto a dish or cookie sheet to dry

   Pepper seeds should be dried away from direct sunlight, until they
   seeds break when folded. If the seeds bend instead of breaking,
   additional drying is necessary

Additional Drying

   Containers used for seed storage should always be airtight. Glass and
   metal are the only common materials that are completely
   moisture-proof. Glass jars with good rubber seals under their lids,
   such as baby food jars or canning jars with new lids, provide a nearly
   airtight seal when screwed on really tight. Gallon glass jars that do
   not have a common-sized canning lid can be modified into excellent
   storage containers by cutting gaskets for their lids out of used
   automobile inner tubes. Lightweight plastic bags are not
   moisture-proof and make poor storage containers. However, seeds can be
   put into such bags before being stored inside a large, airtight jar.

   Color-indicating silica-gel is an excellent desiccant (moisture
   absorbing material) for drying seeds. By comparison, powdered milk is
   less than 10% as effective as a drying agent. Silica gel, which looks
   like little plastic beads, is often treated with cobalt chloride which
   indicates how much moisture has been absorbed. The beads are deep blue
   when completely dry, but gradually change to light pink as moisture is
   absorbed. Silica gel should be stored in an airtight container to keep
   the material dry until it is needed.

   The drying process requires a glass jar with an airtight lid, at least
   half a pound (1/4 kilo) of good desiccant such as color-indicating
   silica gel, and the seeds. Each sample of seeds should be placed in a
   paper packet and carefully labeled. Determine the total weight of the
   seeds and packets, and then measure out an equal weight of dark blue
   silica gel. Place both the packets and silica gel into the jar and
   screw the lid on tightly. The silica gel will immediately start
   absorbing moisture from the seeds.

   After seven or eight days, open the jar and separate the packets of
   seed from the silica gel. The seed packets are then stored in another
   moisture-proof container without silica gel in order to maintain the
   low moisture content of the seeds. The second container should be
   another glass jar or any similar moisture-proof container. Thoroughly
   dry seeds reabsorb moisture quickly, so always try to minimize the
   time the seed packets are exposed to the moisture in the air while
   being shifted to the second container.

   The very best place to store an airtight container of THOROUGHLY dried
   (less than 8%) seeds is in a freezer. The next best place is in a
   refrigerator, followed by any cool area where the temperature
   fluctuates as little as possible. When retrieving seeds from frozen
   storage, ALWAYS allow the sealed jar to reach room temperature before
   opening. Let the jar set out overnight, whenever there is sufficient
   time. If the jar is opened before the seeds reach room temperature,
   moisture will condense on the cold seeds and rehydrate them. Also try
   to limit the number of times seeds are retrieved from the jar, because
   temperature fluctuations gradually reduce the viability of the seeds.

   When removing seeds from storage that have been dried to low moisture
   levels, expose the seeds to the air for a few days before planting, if
   time allows. This will let the seeds slowly pick up some moisture,
   instead of going immediately from low moisture to a very moist
   planting environment.

   If you would like to save the seeds of other vegetables, the best
   reference source is a book called Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth. If
   you can't find this locally, you can order this book now from
   Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com), the Internet's largest bookstore.

   Information above from The Seed Savers Exchange (3076 North Winn Road,
   Decorah, Iowa 52101; tel. 319-382-5990, FAX 319-382-5872). They are
   the publishers of the book _Seed to Seed_ (ISBN 0-9613977-7-2). The
   book _Seed to Seed_ by Suzanne Ashworth is called _Saatgutewinnung im
   Hausgarten_ in German.


Sources for silica gel

   I got my silica gel from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (P.O. Box
   170, Earlysville, VA 22936; http://www.southernexposure.com/). NOTE:
   I'm not affiliated with them, just a very-satisfied long-time
   customer. I THINK Abundant Life Seed Foundation (PO Box 772, Port
   Townsend, WA 98368) sells it and I'm sure Territorial Seeds (PO Box
   157, 20 Palmer Ave., Cottage Grove, OR 97424) does. Their combination
   catalog/garden guide is $2.00 and might be free from their website.
   The catalog/garden guide, IMHO, is well worth the money. Two pages in
   the catalog are devoted to seed saving supplies. Silica gel is
   available as follows (in the 1999 catalog):


#85-113-A	1 ounce 	$2.80 (Packed in Seed Saver Vial)
#85-113-B	3 ounces	$5.10 (Packed in Large Seed Saver Vial)
#85-113-C	1 pound        $11.95
#85-113-D	5 pounds       $49.90
#85-113-W	5 pounds       $51.90 shipped west of the mississippi
#85-113-N	5 pounds       $61.90 shipped to Canada
#85-113-D      30 pounds      $245.00 (48 states only)

   Five pounds of silica gel beads (each bead is about the size & shape
   of a capital `O') fill 3 3/4 quart jars, so one pound is probably
   enough. Besides, " ... silica gel can be reactivated indefinitely by
   drying eight hours in a 200-degree F. oven. Batches weighing over a
   pound should be stirred occasionally to speed up the drying process.
   Always dry silica gel slowly, because temperatures that are too high
   can scorch and ruin it, turning the beads black. Silica gel can also
   be easily dried in a microwave which works on the moisture in the
   material. It only takes about 25 minutes to dry an 8" x 12" glass
   dish that is filled with silica gel to a depth of 1.5-2". Progress
   can be checked by watching through the glass door of the microwave as
   the silica gel changes from pink to deep blue. Whichever drying
   method is used, the silica gel is then stored in an airtight
   container to keep the material dry until it is needed ..."

   Color-indicating silica gel is also available from large craft shops,
   sold for drying flowers. Unfortunately, it's sold in the form of very
   fine powder and, in my experience, is a royal pain to use.

====================================================================
Bob Batson                              L 39 12 14 N  94 33 16 W
bob@sky.net                             Kansas City
TCS - Mystic Fire Priest                USDA zone 5b