Dehydrating seeds?

[elizabethbinary]

Quickly: Can you dehydrate seeds using a dehydrator so they can keep for later planting?

If so, how long and what temperature for what seeds?

Anyone have a guide?

Thank you!

PS: What else do you dehydrate that's 'different'? I dehydrate my peppers to grind up and make pepper flakes. P: But I also dehydrate dog biscuits.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Just let the seeds for planting air dry. Using a dehydrator would actually cook them and kill them. Not a good thing to do for seeds you want to plant.

We make jerky with the dehydrator. Also fruit leather, like roll-ups. I also dry herbs for tea or cooking on a low setting. Or even small flowers and fern bits along with the herbs, for potpourri.

 

[bluesub]

I spread mine on a unused coffee filter then put them in a glass jar with those desiccant packs you get in a box of new shoes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Something different? How about, when I take tomatoes out of the freezer to prepare them for canning, the skins slip off when you thaw them. I put those skins in the dehydrator, then run them through the blender to get a tomato flavored powder. One use. When you make a homemade salad dressing, add some of this for flavor and a bit of color. Is that different enough?

I agree. I would not run seeds for planting through a dehydrator. I'd be too afraid of cooking them.

 

[elizabethbinary]

Quote:
Yeah like that!

That's cool!

Okay no dehydrating the seeds that way.

 

[KristyHall]

Yes don't put them in a dehydrator. Nor an oven or a microwave. And store them in a cool DARK place. Light and temperature fluctuation will shorten their shelf life. The only things you don't want to dehydrate too much would be bean and legume seeds, which need a small amount of moisture to be viable. If you are really serious about seed saving, there is an excelent book called "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth

You can buy Silica which is reusable. You put it in with your seeds and it absorbs the moisture. It starts out blue and turns pale pink when it is "full" then you just pop the silica in the oven on low to dry it out and re-use it.
Also, there are great seed saving supplies, including silica, as well as great information on seed saving, at places like Seed Savers Exchange, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and Bountiful Gardens. Below are the links to their sites.
WARNING! Like chickens, seed saving and breeding your own vegetable and flower variates is addictive, fun, and a great way to supplement your diet. Have fun!

http://www.seedsavers.org/

http://www.southernexposure.com/

http://www.bountifulgardens.org/

 

[Pat skevington]

Think i killed my cherry seeds by dehydrating them over night. bummer.

 

[pigsmakesmiles]

Quickly: Can you dehydrate seeds using a dehydrator so they can keep for later planting?

If so, how long and what temperature for what seeds?

Anyone have a guide?

Thank you!

PS: What else do you dehydrate that's 'different'? I dehydrate my peppers to grind up and make pepper flakes. P: But I also dehydrate dog biscuits.

I have used my dehydrator to dry out my planting seeds. I found out that the larger the seed the better (squash, zucchini, cucumber, etc.). I used a low temperature of 90 degrees for approximately 24 hours. Around the 18th hour, I begin checking my seeds frequently. Just when I think that another 30 to an hour and they’re ready is when I turn off my dehydrator. I let it cool down by itself and when it does, the seeds are ready. My yield has consistently been 60 - 80% viable fruit/veggie producing plants. I found out that dehydration works best with 1st generations; 2nd generation had a yield of less than 25%. I never tried 3rd generation.

We dehydrate deer meat for jerky; smoked chicken or fish; & and normal fruits and veggies. My mini pigs love dehydrated banana chips, pineapple slices, steamed squash slices, and tomato slices the most.