Cleaning collected seeds

Karl Church 64kkmjr@gmail.com
Mon, 04 Nov 2013 20:25:14 PST
Thanks, I will give those a try. When I used the kitchen sieve I got almost
as much chaff as seeds.
Karl
On Nov 4, 2013 8:06 PM, "M. Gastil-Buhl" <gastil.buhl@gmail.com> wrote:

> Karl asked "how to separate the tiny seeds from all the chaff"
>
> Suggestions I have tried out with some success include a sieve and a
> gentle air flow. I use a kitchen sieve intended for sifting flour.
> Some seeds fall through while the larger pieces of chaff are caught. I
> have a few other mesh sizes from a plastic mesh bag, some tulle
> fabric, and a pasta colander which work with various seeds. The tulle
> fabric I hold tight between two plastic strawberry baskets. Then to
> remove the lightest bits of chaff, sometimes it works to swirl the
> seeds in a bowl while gently blowing over the surface. Another
> technique is to pour the seeds and chaff back and fort between two
> paper envelopes. The seed tends to roll out first so each time I tap
> out the left behind chaff in one envelope then pour back into it until
> the proportion of chaff is very low. Then, finally, there are the
> tweezers for those last few bits. Then to pour the seeds into a tiny
> envelope I place a funnel in the envelope, holding the funnel upright
> with a jar, and pour the seeds into the funnel. It it tedious and does
> not always work so well.
>
> I hope someone has perfected a much easier method because the way I do
> it is tedious and messy.
>
> In summer 2012 I made a couple short videos of the process.
> part 1: Sieve
> http://flickr.com/photos/gastils_garden/…
>
> part 2: Tulle fabric
> http://flickr.com/photos/gastils_garden/…
>
> I expect I miss-pronounce the genera. I only read them; I do not hear
> them said aloud. I once asked an expert on native flora how to
> pronounce Sisyrinchium and he said "confidently".
>
> - Gastil
>
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