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Post by daylilydude on Apr 4, 2014 12:01:37 GMT -5
Was wondering whats the best way to save cucumber seeds? Do you leave it on the vine till it gets really ripe?
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Post by spacecase0 on Apr 4, 2014 13:06:49 GMT -5
I leave them on the vine till they turn bright yellow, maybe a month past optimal picking time for eating ? then leave them another few weeks inside, then take them apart and save the seeds, I use the fermenting method that I use on tomatoes, if you take to long to get the seeds out, some will have sprouted, so leaving them for 2 to 3 months past picking is less than ideal.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 4, 2014 13:27:38 GMT -5
Spacecase, I understand why you leave them on the plant until bright yellow - to make sure they are fully ripe. But why leave them for another few weeks inside before extracting the seeds? Do the seeds continue to mature after picking? Does it make the seed easier to get out? Thanks.
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Post by spacecase0 on Apr 4, 2014 14:25:32 GMT -5
there is no real logic in leaving them a few weeks, other than leaving them a few months is to much. no idea if they ripen more or not as I never tested it
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Post by paulf on Apr 4, 2014 15:46:04 GMT -5
I just buy a new pack of seeds every year.
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Post by coppice on Apr 5, 2014 4:46:21 GMT -5
Spacecase, I understand why you leave them on the plant until bright yellow - to make sure they are fully ripe. But why leave them for another few weeks inside before extracting the seeds? Do the seeds continue to mature after picking? Does it make the seed easier to get out? Thanks. Cucumber seed is about as good as it was gonna get for me once the rind has yellowed. When I lived up near the tundra in NH, it was a good year if they got that ripe... I scooped the seeds out with a spoon and whiped them up with a hand wisk. let them ferment for a few days and kept the sinkers.
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Post by spacecase0 on Apr 5, 2014 9:17:17 GMT -5
handy to know, I guess I did not have to be waiting to get the seeds out.
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mjc26250
Junior Member
Posts: 36
Joined: April 2014
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Post by mjc26250 on Apr 16, 2014 7:31:47 GMT -5
I've always left them on the vine as long as possible...sometimes totally yellow, others almost orange (color also depends on the variety). They will also tend to harden some, not as hard as a winter squash, but definitely a lot harder than any cuke that's going to be eaten ever needs to be.
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