We have been doing a lot of seed-saving lately, now that our collection of various vegetables is in full swing.

Here, my son is saving lettuce seeds:

If allowed to bloom, lettuces make small yellow flowers that pollinate, then dry into puffs reminiscent of dandelion seed heads, though much smaller.

Each lettuce plant makes many hundreds – perhaps thousands – of seeds.

You just have to roll the little dried heads between your fingers and let the seeds fall into your other hand. It’s best to save lettuce seed on a dry day so the seeds are also dry. Once you have a nice collection of seeds, put them in a baggie or a sealed jar and store them in your fridge until you are ready to plant.

Right now we are waiting for the rainy season to return – it’s too hot for lettuces!