The seeds that heirloom-seed gardeners hold in their hands at planting time are living links in an unbroken chain reaching back into antiquity. Old varieties are threatened today, not because of any deficiencies, but because they are not suitable for factory farmers and the food processing industry. The old varieties will survive and flourish only if they continue to be grown by backyard gardeners.

You, too, can preserve garden diversity. Seed cleaning methods can be divided into wet processing or dry processing (as covered last week). Here are three-step directions for wet processing seeds that are embedded in the damp flesh of fruits or berries, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, muskmelons or ground cherries.

Three Steps to Wet Processing Seeds

1. Removal of Seeds

Large fruits are cut open and the seeds are scraped out. Small fruits are usually crushed or mashed. The seeds, pulp and juice from the fruits may need to go through a fermentation process. During the fermentation process, microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast destroy many of the seed-borne diseases that can affect the next generation of plants.

2. Washing Seeds

The process for washing seeds to remove them from the surrounding pulp or to separate them from the fermenting mixture is basically the same. The seeds and pulp are usually placed in a large bowl or bucket. Add at least twice as much water as the volume of seeds and pulp, and stir the mixture vigorously. Viable seeds tend to be more dense and sink to the bottom, but poor quality seeds tend to float. Add more water and repeat the process until only clean seeds remain. The seeds are then poured into a strainer and washed under running water.

3. Drying Seeds