Saving Seeds ~ Berries

Click for full size image. Strawberry. Photo by Scott Bauer, USDA ARS Image Gallery.

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Strawberry Banana Power Shake

This is a great breakfast shake. It is quick and nutritious. Eliminate the jam, if desired and use an additional 1/2 cup strawberries.

    1 cup skim milk
    3 tablespoons wheat germ
    1 tablespoon strawberry jam
    1/2 cup sliced strawberries
    1 small very ripe banana
    4 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender; blend on high speed until smooth, scraping down ingredients in blender if necessary. Divide into two tall glasses and drink with a straw. Makes 2 servings.

FAQs

Strawberry. Photo by Scott Bauer
USDA ARS Image Gallery.

Growing your own berries is a lot of fun. Choose to save the seeds of the best fruits in your garden, choose berries that are not only delicious but show resistance to disease and ease of care. More than likely these traits will show up in the new plants grown from the berry seeds you've selected to save and grow.

How do I save the seeds?

From the plant you've selected allow the fruit to over-ripen, let it get quite "squishy". Put the over-ripe berry into a kitchen strainer with a fine sieve. Gently and slowly push the pulp through the sieve...you want to just separate the seeds from the fruit, you don't want to push so hard you'll crush the seeds ;-)

Rinse the seeds well with gently running cool tap water...if you do it while they're still in the sieve you don't have to worry about them washing down the drain if they slosh out of a bowl.

Place the cleaned seeds onto a plate and allow the seeds to air dry for several days. Keep the plate in an out-of-the-way location so it can't get knocked over. You can stir the seeds every now and then to assure that all their surfaces are given a chance to dry.

Where do I get the sieves?

You don't have to go to a specialty garden store or purchase them through an expensive catalogue! Start by looking at the dollar store in their kitchen aisle...very often they sell sieves, or check out a store for cooks...many offer multi-packs of sieves with assorted screen sizes for an inexpensive price.

How do I know when the seeds are dry?

Dry seeds don't cling to each other, are separate from each other, and they move easily across a plate when you push them with your finger.

Good luck with your berries.....I hope they'll be just as yummy as you want them to be!

How do you store seeds? There's lots of wonderful ways!

A CD Rom storage unit for the wall holds packs of seeds inside vinyl pockets.

We'll show you how! Visit the Seed Storage Gallery.

Tip suggests these links for further study.

Saving Strawberry Seeds
Farmingfo.Com

You Can Help Expand The Strawberry Genebank!
by Joseph D. Postman, Plant Pathologist
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Corvallis, Wash.
TIP notes that this collection program is no longer active, but the information for saving strawberry seeds is fine!

Fun with Strawberrry Breeding
Chapter 22
The Strawberry:History, Breeding and Physiology
by George M.Darrow
Plant Genome and Data Information Center
National Agricultural Library

Strawberry Seed Culture Information
Territorial-Seed.Com





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			Strawberry Banana Power Shake This is a great breakfast shake. It is quick and nutritious. Eliminate the jam, if desired and use an additional 1/2 cup strawberries. 1 cup skim milk 3 tablespoons wheat germ 1 tablespoon strawberry jam 1/2 cup sliced strawberries 1 small very ripe banana 4 ice cubes Place all ingredients in a blender; blend on high speed until smooth, scraping down ingredients in blender if necessary. Divide into two tall glasses and drink with a straw. Makes 2 servings.
FAQs


		Strawberry. Photo by Scott Bauer USDA ARS Image Gallery.

		Growing your own berries is a lot of fun. Choose to save the seeds of the best fruits in your garden, choose berries that are not only delicious but show resistance to disease and ease of care. More than likely these traits will show up in the new plants grown from the berry seeds you've selected to save and grow. How do I save the seeds? From the plant you've selected allow the fruit to over-ripen, let it get quite "squishy". Put the over-ripe berry into a kitchen strainer with a fine sieve. Gently and slowly push the pulp through the sieve...you want to just separate the seeds from the fruit, you don't want to push so hard you'll crush the seeds ;-) Rinse the seeds well with gently running cool tap water...if you do it while they're still in the sieve you don't have to worry about them washing down the drain if they slosh out of a bowl. Place the cleaned seeds onto a plate and allow the seeds to air dry for several days. Keep the plate in an out-of-the-way location so it can't get knocked over. You can stir the seeds every now and then to assure that all their surfaces are given a chance to dry. Where do I get the sieves? You don't have to go to a specialty garden store or purchase them through an expensive catalogue! Start by looking at the dollar store in their kitchen aisle...very often they sell sieves, or check out a store for cooks...many offer multi-packs of sieves with assorted screen sizes for an inexpensive price. How do I know when the seeds are dry? Dry seeds don't cling to each other, are separate from each other, and they move easily across a plate when you push them with your finger. Good luck with your berries.....I hope they'll be just as yummy as you want them to be!
How do you store seeds? There's lots of wonderful ways!

We'll show you how! Visit the Seed Storage Gallery.


		Tip suggests these links for further study.

		Saving Strawberry Seeds Farmingfo.Com

		You Can Help Expand The Strawberry Genebank! by Joseph D. Postman, Plant Pathologist USDA Agricultural Research Service, Corvallis, Wash. TIP notes that this collection program is no longer active, but the information for saving strawberry seeds is fine!

		Fun with Strawberrry Breeding Chapter 22 The Strawberry:History, Breeding and Physiology by George M.Darrow Plant Genome and Data Information Center National Agricultural Library

		Strawberry Seed Culture Information Territorial-Seed.Com

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