A Guide to Seed Saving: Hue Edition

Small variety of hue in hand to show their fully mature size

Hue come in a myriad of shapes and sizes and if you’ve grown your own, saving seeds is a simple way to keep that whakapapa going.

Harvesting for Seed

You don’t have to wait until they’re completely dried out on the vine. I used hue that were mature but still had some moisture inside. The key is that they’ve developed far enough for the seeds inside to be dark, firm, and fully formed. People usually keep their hue whole without cutting into or collecting the seeds. For this particular project I needed to cut into them. This gave me a good opportunity to harvest their seeds at a point where the flesh inside was still moist.

Collecting the Seeds

• Cut into the hue (you can make this cut inconspicuous depending on what you need for the final result) and scoop out the flesh and seeds.

• Give the seeds a good rinse to remove any flesh.

• Then soak the seeds in a jar or bowl with water. Dont soak longer than 24 hours. I left mine overnight.

  
  

  The good seeds will sink: they’re heavier and more likely to germinate.

  Floaters usually aren’t viable: I skimmed these off in the morning and composted them.

After Scooping the flesh and seeds*

I needed to use these hue for a project. After I scooped the seeds and flesh out I popped them into a pot of boiling water and boiled the hue for approx 5 minutes. After boiling I placed them on a drying rack to cool and dry. Once cooled I scrapped the tougher flesh inside that was hard to scrap out before boiling. The purpose of boiling the hue is to draw out the moisture within the shell. This process allows the shells to dry faster than if you leave to dry naturally.

Drying and Storing

• Dry the good seeds on a paper towel or cloth for about a week or two. I change the paper towel on the first day to speed up drying time. If the seeds arent fully dry they will grow mould and wont be viable.

• Once fully dry, store them in a paper envelope or jar somewhere cool and dark.

• Label them with the date and variety type. They’ll keep for a few seasons if stored well.

After 5 days of drying the hue and seeds have lightened in colour, the shell has hardened more. I have sorted through the seeds and have taken out any that were damaged.

Saving hue seeds doesn’t need to be perfect or complicated. If your plants were strong and the seeds are sound, you’re off to a good start for next season.

One season’s harvest is the next season’s beginning. What seeds are you saving for tomorrow?