When we harvested the zucchinis back in September 2016 they were really big. They were that big that we called them "our pigs". We deliberately let them grow that size in order to collect the seeds. So how did I do that?
Cutting in half
I used a sharp knif to cut the zucchinis to halves or even to quarters (depends on the size - mine were pretty huge). That makes it possible to get into the center easily.
Collecting the seeds
Once I had access to the center I used a spoon to carve out the seeds. Most of them comes with the flesh. But that's something we take care of in the next step.
24 hours water rest
We don't need the zucchinin flesh that came with many of the seeds. In order to get rid of it we used a 24 hours water bath. I put the seeds into a bowl and covered them completely in water. And then I let them sit for 24 hours.
Removing the remaining flesh
After the 24 hours it was pretty simply to remove the flesh from the seeds. There were some very light, thin seeds that have a very yellowish white color and are easy to bend over your finger. I removed those seeds along with the flesh as those seeds have not grown inside the seed husk. I also tested some of the darker ones to see if there is something inside.
Drying and storing
I first let the remaining bath water run off. After that I put the seeds on our masonry oven, on a baking tray and some baking paper. The temperature there is about 25°C, which is perfect for drying seeds. Simple enough to get them dried in no time. After that we put them in small paper bags and store them with our other seeds untill spring.
