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Oz

how? last time i grew i cooked all the seeds(big max).
and are some seeds stronger because they are closer to the vine? mites are a huge problem here. vacume pack?
im going to donate some seeds to some local people and a school or two if i get enough.maybe ill set up a escrow prize for things,,,start small,grow big!lol

8/19/2003 12:58:43 PM

Southern WI

I don't know how the pro's do it but I just wash with light dish soap, get the slime off and lay them on paper or cardboard and let the sun & breeze dry them. I seal them in a baggie, as air tight as I can, and put them in the freezer. It's worked fine the last 2 years. I only keep the best looking seeds.

8/19/2003 3:37:23 PM

Ga.

put mine on a extra large pizza screen and put in front of a fan..Keeps them from molding..

8/19/2003 5:28:19 PM

Syracuse, NY

fanatically speaking, i see no need for anything but
a five-gallon bucket filled with pumpkin goop and seeds.
okay, there's more....manually go thru each pumpkin's goop and pick out only the seeds that don't go 'squish' when you gently squeeze them. you of course have the goop spread out on the floor on some kind of a giant lid or something----
the top to a blanket-storage container works well.
once you've got the best of seeds, you can dispose of the goop at the nearest hedgerow.
then, fill the 5-gallon bucket up about 1/2 full with warm, not hot, water only. pretend you've found buried treasure and are sifting through all the gold coins, as each one could grow for you the next world record! okay, after 2 minutes of this, which will help get the seeds free of all that (water-soluble) slimy stuff, you can use a big strainer-spoon to scoop-up the seeds into the kitchen sink, which is half-full of warm water, for a further evaluation of their worthiness, gently squeezing each one to ensure that they are full and viable. soon, your grip will improve and your handshake will be much-feared! place the seeds into a spaghetti strainer, or collander, with several paper towels under it to soak-up the runoff...: you can also just have the other side of the sink half-full of warm water as well, if you've been putting the good ones in there,and scoop-up the seeds with the spoon again. in any event, they will need to be placed on a group of paper towels or a folded-up bedsheet--nothing that will really stick to the

8/19/2003 6:52:13 PM

Syracuse, NY

seeds! if they are not allowed to dry here, they will be okay on the paper towels for a short time.
once they have all been placed on the drying sheet or paper towels, most of the water should be now gone.....
they can now be placed on a very large sheet of aluminum foil, preferably taped down so that while the fan(s) are blowing on it the foil doesn't get blown away or mix-up the seeds--(once they are drying, they are in danger of being blown-around because they have lost their water-weight!!)
ahem---make one layer out of all the seeds. they will stick to the aluminum foil, but they will peel away very easily. i would not use newspapers or paper towels. the seeds stick to the paper, the paper tears and just gets really messy in the long run.
they will need to be jumbled-up a couple of times a week until they are completely dry, which could take 1.5-2 weeks at room temperature, with fans on low. OH, BY THE WAY, LAST YEAR I USED A FOOD DEHYDRATOR ON ITS LOWEST SETTING, AND IT ONLY TOOK ABOUT 2-3 DAYS AT THE MOST TO GET THE JOB DONE! WORTH EVERY PENNY OF ITS $39.95 COST! AMERICAN HARVEST WAS THE BRAND. once they are dry, VERY dry, each seed type or cross should get its OWN airtight container, each with its own desiccant packet to keep the humidity at a minimum. label them, package them up in durable cardboard boxes and send them to:

pumpkinpal patch #2 Syracuse, NY 13207 attn: the nut;
AKA 'pal

8/19/2003 6:52:36 PM

lol

8/19/2003 9:26:16 PM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

Great stuff!

8/20/2003 1:36:22 AM

porterville,california usa

i put pieces of the pumpkin in my wheelbarrow and put my water hose in with it. let the water fill up and create a whirlpool effect that runs over the end of the wheelbarrow. the slimy goop is first to spill out, then the seeds wash over next. i use a piece of "rabbit wire" (1/2" sguare mesh) to catch them with. it helps to have a hole dug to catch the water and pumpkin pieces as they fall out. i leave them on the mesh and put them in my garage to dry.

8/20/2003 3:39:12 AM

Itzetown City

Let me guess, Your ancestors were gold diggers?

8/20/2003 2:18:46 PM

porterville,california usa

gold panners. {:<)

8/21/2003 2:05:21 AM