cucumber seeds

so it is time to harvest cucumber seeds !
they are not that hard to get,
have to let the cucumbers ripen on the vine,
that will take longer, and they tend to get yellow, big, hard, and might even be rotting a bit (that will not hurt things)
how many should you save seeds from ?
for inbreeding depression reasons, the reccomented number is at least 6
read here for details

here are some ripe cucumbers (ignore the small round yellow tomatillos also in the picture)

now you open one and strip out the seeds with all the slime in the middle

then you do it to all of them

then you go wash your hands and add your cucumber outsides to the compost, but you could eat them if you wanted to, but they are a bit out of there prime

now you wait, stirring each day (or more often),
here is day one

here is day two

the seeds are still all mixed in with the gel coating on each seed,
but a fungus is at work, just stir the mold down in when you spot it on the top

here is day 3

many of the good seeds have sunk to the bottom, and the no good ones are rising,

one more good stir and let settle and all looks good at the end of day 3, if you leave it past day 4 you might get sprouting or death in the seeds, so don't leave them to long.

so I pull out the gunk at the top, I could have poured it off, but that mixes the seeds to much for me,
next time I will be floating the gunk on the top off by adding water slowly

then wash the seeds with clear water,
I use a wire screen strainer
and let dry,

and you are all set for spring and sharing some seeds through the winter