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["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

If you opt for canning jars and want to do possible long term storage, get a 
Food Saver with the jar sealer attachment.

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gene GeRue" <genegerue AT ruralize.com>

> Okay, one more time: buy a copy of Seed To Seed. It has everything
> about the subject in it.
>
> But since I love you, I will one last time type a quote:
>
> AIRTIGHT STORAGE CONTAINERS
>   Vegetable seeds are at their peak when hey reach maximum dry weight
> on the mother plant. Vigor is the seed's ability to germinate rapidly
> with good disease resistance. Home-saved seeds will retain maximum
> vigor when thoroughly dried and stored in a moisture-proof container.
> The most vigorous seeds at harvest time will keep the longest in
> storage. The two greatest enemies of stored seeds are high temperature
> and high moisture. Seeds that are stored at fluctuating temperature
> and moisture levels lose their ability to germinate very quickly. As a
> rule of thumb, the sum of the temperature (degrees F.) an relative
> humidity should not exceed 100. In actuality, humidity is probably
> more important than temperature, because it allow for the growth of
> microorganisms which degrade seed quality. Always realize that seed
> vigor can be lost during storage well before the seed dies completely.
>   Containers used for seed storage should always be airtight. Glass
> and metal are the only common materials that are completely moisture-
> proof. Glass jars with good rubber seals under their lids, such as
> baby food jars or canning jars with new lids, provide a nearly
> airtight seal when screwed on really tight. Gallon glass jars that do
> not have a common-sized canning lid can be modified into excellent
> storage containers by cutting gaskets for their lids out of used
> automobile inner tubes.
>   Lightweight plastic bags are not moisture-proof and make poor
> storage containers. However, seeds can be put into Self Seal T-Bags,
> Seal-A-Meal bags, Zip Lock bags, small drawstring muslin bags, or
> paper envelopes, before being stored inside of a large, airtight jar.
> Each bag of seeds should be securely sealed and carefully labeled. The
> jar should then be stored in a cool, dry, dark place where the
> temperature fluctuates as little as possible. Locations at floor level
> are better than those near the ceiling, which can be be significantly
> warmer. The constant cool temperature of an under ground root cellar
> is excellent, for those lucky enough to have access to such a
> structure.  . . . ."
>
> She then goes on for a couple pages about LONG-TERM FROZEN STORAGE and
> then OVERWINTERING BIENNIAL PLANTS and more.
>
>
> Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable
> Gardeners (Paperback)
> by Suzanne Ashworth (Author), Kent Whealy (Author)
>     (24 customer reviews)
> List Price: $24.95
> Price: $16.47 & eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime
> You Save: $8.48 (34%)
> In Stock.
> Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
>
> 23 used & new available from $16.46
>
> 24 Reviews
> 5 star: (15)
> 4 star: (8)
> 3 star: (0)
> 2 star: (1)
> 1 star: (0)
>
>
>
>
>
> Average Customer Review
> (24 customer reviews)
>
>
>
>
> Share your thoughts with other customers:
>
> Most Helpful Customer Reviews
>
>
> 184 of 192 people found the following review helpful:
>  Save 'em or lose 'em., January 12, 2000
> By GENE GERUE "Author, Find Your Ideal Country Home" (Zanoni, MO USA)
> - See all my reviews
>
> This review is from: Seed to Seed (Paperback)
> Sixty million American gardeners buy their seeds from mail order seed
> companies. In the period 1984-1987, 54 of the 230 seed companies in
> the U.S. and Canada went out of business, resulting in 943 non-hybrid
> varieties becoming unavailable. One answer to the extinction of food
> crop varieties is Seed Savers Exchange, the publisher of Seed to Seed.
> Begun in 1975, SSE maintains more than 18,000 rare vegetable varieties
> at Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa. Another answer is for individual
> gardeners to save their own seed from non-hybrid varieties. Varieties
> that grow and taste exceptionally well in specific areas can be
> planted year after year from home-grown seed. A further advantage is
> protection from seed price increases. Ashworth provides definitive
> information on seed gathering, processing and storage techniques.
> Twenty family entries include taxonomy, pollination characteristics
> and techniques, general production and processing techniques. Each of
> the 160 species entries includes botanical classification;
> pollination, crossing, and isolation; seed production, harvest and
> processing; seed viability. Ample black-and-white photographs
> complement the text. Hybrid seeds are in the control of large
> companies. You can be in control of heirloom varieties that do best in
> your garden. Happy eating.
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