I just rub the robes from top to bottom over a bowl or cut a bunch off and shake really good within a large paper bag than dump the seed/chaff into a bowl. Either way after you do that you can try taking your deep sided bowl outdoors on a slightly breezy day and winnow the chaff by blowing over the bowl hard enough to get the chaff to float out. The seeds will swirl around in the bowl :D The seed are not disk shaped but are tiny light pink (almost clear)beads. They do self-sow too, but nearly as much as 'Intense Purple'. Use the seed in breads, cereal, grind into flour,ect. Here is a link that might be useful: Mother Earth News~Amazing Amaranth

Yes they will cross pollinate but you will get some really nice colors that way. I take a large flat platter out to the garden and cut the the seed heads and lay them on the platter. Allow them to dry further and then tap them against the platter. The seed are tiny and usually rust colored. Its difficult to tell the difference from the chaff. It's also difficult to tell just when to harvest the seed but they set alot of seed so even if you are a little late you will still get plenty of seed. I winter sow mine. In the spring I will transplant to 4 inch pots and keep them potted up all summer because they are so small. I plant them out in the fall and in the spring I have nice sized plants. Mine have never self sowed in the garden. Don't know why. They are easy winter sowers. Have fun.

That makes me feel so much better! I have a whole bowl of tomato seeds that I saved this year. And I was wondering as I was mushing the tomatoes and setting them to ferment (I had to use two quart jars to allow enough space for them to sink to the bottom)...Just how many seeds do I really need? And since I couldn't come up with a rational sounding answer, I decided to save as many as my furniture surfaces would allow, LOL! My entire living room is full of saucers full of seeds and my bedroom has corn hanging on the wall drying. Is that obsessive or what? I've got enough tomato seeds to supply every person in the county. Which I will probably share a lot of tomato seeds with neighbors and such. I've been trying to talk everybody into growing gardens again. Most of them used to grow a garden and they got so busy earning a living they let it go. Now with prices the way they are, I think people are reconsidering the importance of growing their own food supply. So, I've got patty pans, white spaghetti, tomato, cukes, watermelon, hot bananas and such drying all over the house. Steph

Yes I just read your message above Alicia, I would love to send you an SASE, I know what that is but iim brand new here so no clue how to send messages etc,...I did change my account to recieve messages,.... but let me know I'm trying so hard to get my place growing, I just moved here and open to all kinds of ideas, flowers or veggies......I have a few seeds to trade but not much you probably have all them already or better. Thanks so much in advance:) Jessica