Don’t know if it would work but two pieces of silicone (think garlic peeler, those round tubes ). Would definitely save your fingers and if you use pieces that are big enough that they are bigger than your hands so you can roll them between. Hopefully this makes sense.
I'm wondering if they're just not dry enough yet. I'd try putting a portion of them in a room that's heated 24/7 for a week or more. If dry enough I'd think they would separate. Then herb stripping tool to save fingers. Pillow case and experiment with weight-rocks, golf balls, ping pong balls. Maybe a small hand cranked mortar mixer and again experiment with weights. Then a correctly sized mesh screen or sifter. Good luck!
if you have access to a 3d printer or 3d print shop there are designs out there for specifically designed basil threshers that could theoretically be used at scale, or at the very least make separating the seeds much easier than doing it by hand (I know a few people who have 3d printers and I'm MI based if it's needed). I believe there's one by J. Overton on printables that's even available for free and could be scaled up to some degree for processing larger amounts of flowers, and you could run the stems through something like a washer (or plastic lid with a small hole poked through it) to strip the flowers from the stem into a bowl or something for holding in the meantime
there is a youtube advertizement for some electric bill saving device that seems so AI but it is obviously you and your voice. Is that endorsed by you?
I have harvested basil seeds & they are rough to handle (I wore gloves lol). You've got a tarp down, maybe try a traditional grape method of walking on them but with flat shoes. From a practical side, it might work. I absolutely love your channel & am currently putting my first order with you guys. Prayers that something works…I want to add lime basil to my seed purchase list.
Shop Vac !! DIY attachments or buy cyclone separator. You are a farmer now! Can 3d printer too to make a thingy in a 5 gallon tub to rotate around and separate- Ai has that info on 3d printer. Or the tarp , fold over, run the truck over it ,get a box fan to blow in a container. 😅 Try seed saving hostas , long process . Can't find a easy way.
maybe try building a square frame and attach a piece of metal screen door mesh, set it on top of a large bucket and maybe use a wooden spoon to work it around and hopefully seeds will fall thru, either way looks like a nightmare to clean all the debris from seed….Good Luck!
I would say put a whole plant in a clear garbage bag and thresh it like you would with wheat. Then just remove the other material by winnowing with a fan.
Or, you could remove all the flower parts with the seeds and place them into a bag with a couple of pebbles/rocks and shake it up!
The only thing I can think of is maybe call bakers seed company in Missouri, they have alot of heirloom seeds they might know. They do things on a much bigger scale, so they might have ideas? good luck!
Use a pillow case and a rolling pin w/little to no pressure. The smell of lime basil is sooooo goooood! I love that you sell seeds & you're teaching us how to save our own seeds😊 Thank you for sharing!
Roll the branches between two rubber floor mats on a hard surface while applying pressure. The friction should crack the seed pods without crushing the seeds. Collect them by shaking over a tray.
Like you said 8 years ago, just smash the flowers. You did it by Hans for a small amount, I would put them in an inside-out pillow case and just hit it on the ground, stomp on it, or better yet, have the kids do it. Other videos I've seen, they do it with bean seeds. Then use a strainer like you did and see if you can run it thru your winnowing machine. Good luck 🙂
I would lay a row of stalks between two pieces of plywood and either use your body weight or actual weights, and move the top piece back and forth to release the seed.
I totally understand how you feel about saving seeds. I just kept the stems and kept them in the bed. 2 plants sprouted. For seed saving I would use gloves to scrunch them out. Or a vibrating machine with a screen❤
Maybe you could run the basil plants through a hand cranked pasta roller or old-fashioned clothes wringer that's set on a sheet to separate the seeds from the plants and collect the seeds?
You could try a Mill! That brewers use to Crack open grains in the mashing portion of Brewing beer. (I brew) The roller are adjustable. You just need the sweet spot. Than separate the big stuff from the tiny seeds. Which could be as easy as a vibrating screen with tiiiiny holes for the seeds.
I would try putting them in a bag or pillowcase and tumble them in a dryer with no heat, so that the seeds aren’t damaged. Add a few spikey dryer balls or tennis balls to shake the seeds loose. Good luck!
Does a mini rice or wheat thresher work for seeds? Someone "local" would surely let you borrow a machine to test if you call around to a large enough area. I looked on Ebay and a Dow transgenic seed thresher was like 200 dollars. Looked like it was for breeding/seed selling, but Idk.
Use the pillow case method or hand strip the flowers them pass them through a sieve that allows the seed to fall through but not the flower encasing? I suspect winnowing would not work.
Im looking at a basil seed thresher online, and it looks just like my food mill. I bought a small electric one on Amazon a few years ago for $15, it has 3 different sized holes, so even though it's small, it could be handy for more than just basil seeds…i love kemon basil btw…im going to try this with my basil seeds, ill let you know if it works…
Rolling pins seem to be the main ideas people are having. Mine is similar in a way. You ever see the towel ringers at the old car washes back in the day. You slide your towel in the center and turn the crank and it would wring out the water of your wet towel. Well something like that I would imagine could work just need to get the spacing right. This would allow you to make a simple funnel have the rollers on the bottom and now you can do your seed harvesting process. Nice simple and low tech. =)
What if you just used rubber gloves or leather gloves and rub handfuls together between the palms, then put it through your separator that you use for the beans if the seed isn’t too light?
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Don’t know if it would work but two pieces of silicone (think garlic peeler, those round tubes ). Would definitely save your fingers and if you use pieces that are big enough that they are bigger than your hands so you can roll them between. Hopefully this makes sense.
my first thought was rolling pin gently between newspaper so as not to crush or sell as a pod as well.
I'm wondering if they're just not dry enough yet. I'd try putting a portion of them in a room that's heated 24/7 for a week or more. If dry enough I'd think they would separate. Then herb stripping tool to save fingers. Pillow case and experiment with weight-rocks, golf balls, ping pong balls. Maybe a small hand cranked mortar mixer and again experiment with weights. Then a correctly sized mesh screen or sifter. Good luck!
if you have access to a 3d printer or 3d print shop there are designs out there for specifically designed basil threshers that could theoretically be used at scale, or at the very least make separating the seeds much easier than doing it by hand (I know a few people who have 3d printers and I'm MI based if it's needed). I believe there's one by J. Overton on printables that's even available for free and could be scaled up to some degree for processing larger amounts of flowers, and you could run the stems through something like a washer (or plastic lid with a small hole poked through it) to strip the flowers from the stem into a bowl or something for holding in the meantime
Sell it as 'rustic' seed with a couple blossoms
there is a youtube advertizement for some electric bill saving device that seems so AI but it is obviously you and your voice. Is that endorsed by you?
My thought is a portable concrete mixer used as a tumbler dump into a bucket use compressed air to blow away the hulls.
Run the little seed pods through a noodle or Oat roller, then into a seed screen basket
I have harvested basil seeds & they are rough to handle (I wore gloves lol). You've got a tarp down, maybe try a traditional grape method of walking on them but with flat shoes. From a practical side, it might work. I absolutely love your channel & am currently putting my first order with you guys. Prayers that something works…I want to add lime basil to my seed purchase list.
Shop Vac !! DIY attachments or buy cyclone separator. You are a farmer now! Can 3d printer too to make a thingy in a 5 gallon tub to rotate around and separate- Ai has that info on 3d printer. Or the tarp , fold over, run the truck over it ,get a box fan to blow in a container. 😅 Try seed saving hostas , long process . Can't find a easy way.
🎉🎉🎉🎉 IVE GOT I!! ❤ APIZZA PARTY AND ALOT OF US VOLUNTEERS!!! 🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂😂😂
maybe try building a square frame and attach a piece of metal screen door mesh, set it on top of a large bucket and maybe use a wooden spoon to work it around and hopefully seeds will fall thru, either way looks like a nightmare to clean all the debris from seed….Good Luck!
I would say put a whole plant in a clear garbage bag and thresh it like you would with wheat. Then just remove the other material by winnowing with a fan.
Or, you could remove all the flower parts with the seeds and place them into a bag with a couple of pebbles/rocks and shake it up!
The only thing I can think of is maybe call bakers seed company in Missouri, they have alot of heirloom seeds they might know. They do things on a much bigger scale, so they might have ideas? good luck!
I agree with the leather gloves and rubbing them on a fine screen idea the best. God bless and thanks for all the hard work you do! ❤️
In regards to the basil seed. You may be able to use a flax puller. its 2 long boards on a hinge that you shut the stalks between and pull.
Use a pillow case and a rolling pin w/little to no pressure. The smell of lime basil is sooooo goooood!
I love that you sell seeds & you're teaching us how to save our own seeds😊 Thank you for sharing!
Maybe put the flowers in a blender or food processor and pulse it to break down the flower so you can get to the seeds?
what if you wear cloves and rub the stems between your hands?
Roll the branches between two rubber floor mats on a hard surface while applying pressure. The friction should crack the seed pods without crushing the seeds. Collect them by shaking over a tray.
Like you said 8 years ago, just smash the flowers. You did it by Hans for a small amount, I would put them in an inside-out pillow case and just hit it on the ground, stomp on it, or better yet, have the kids do it. Other videos I've seen, they do it with bean seeds. Then use a strainer like you did and see if you can run it thru your winnowing machine. Good luck 🙂
I would lay a row of stalks between two pieces of plywood and either use your body weight or actual weights, and move the top piece back and forth to release the seed.
Get a sifter thats 1/12th of an inch. Crush the flowers over it and the trash will stay and the seeds will go through clean.
We put the while branch between 2 large silicone mats and roll over with rolling pin breaks it down pretty quick
I totally understand how you feel about saving seeds. I just kept the stems and kept them in the bed. 2 plants sprouted. For seed saving I would use gloves to scrunch them out. Or a vibrating machine with a screen❤
Maybe you could run the basil plants through a hand cranked pasta roller or old-fashioned clothes wringer that's set on a sheet to separate the seeds from the plants and collect the seeds?
You could try a Mill! That brewers use to Crack open grains in the mashing portion of Brewing beer. (I brew)
The roller are adjustable. You just need the sweet spot. Than separate the big stuff from the tiny seeds. Which could be as easy as a vibrating screen with tiiiiny holes for the seeds.
I would try putting them in a bag or pillowcase and tumble them in a dryer with no heat, so that the seeds aren’t damaged. Add a few spikey dryer balls or tennis balls to shake the seeds loose. Good luck!
Does a mini rice or wheat thresher work for seeds? Someone "local" would surely let you borrow a machine to test if you call around to a large enough area. I looked on Ebay and a Dow transgenic seed thresher was like 200 dollars. Looked like it was for breeding/seed selling, but Idk.
Great to see you in rubberboots again!! Regards 🙂
Use the pillow case method or hand strip the flowers them pass them through a sieve that allows the seed to fall through but not the flower encasing? I suspect winnowing would not work.
Im looking at a basil seed thresher online, and it looks just like my food mill. I bought a small electric one on Amazon a few years ago for $15, it has 3 different sized holes, so even though it's small, it could be handy for more than just basil seeds…i love kemon basil btw…im going to try this with my basil seeds, ill let you know if it works…
When was this filmed? It most definitely isn’t going to be in the low 50s anytime soon.
if u cant afford to pay min wage employee to deal with that it should only take a day or so then it aint worth saving
Rolling pins seem to be the main ideas people are having. Mine is similar in a way. You ever see the towel ringers at the old car washes back in the day. You slide your towel in the center and turn the crank and it would wring out the water of your wet towel. Well something like that I would imagine could work just need to get the spacing right. This would allow you to make a simple funnel have the rollers on the bottom and now you can do your seed harvesting process. Nice simple and low tech. =)
What if you just used rubber gloves or leather gloves and rub handfuls together between the palms, then put it through your separator that you use for the beans if the seed isn’t too light?
Maybe an old wringer washer on a metal washtub?
Basil seed…pillow case…slamb it on the ground….seve t al times.