Saving Melon Seeds

These are search results for "how to save melon seeds" that were listed in forums

Melons in general:
A. Scoop out the seeds from a ripe melon and put them into a wire mesh sieve, then with running water over the seeds rub them gently against the mesh, using it to loosen and remove the stringy fibers. Next place the cleaned seeds in a bowl of water, stir it a few times. Some seeds will float to the top....these are immature or sterile melon seeds, they are hollow and/or light-weight and will float to the top of the water. Skim away these bad seeds and discard them. Stir a few more times and repeat the process until no more sterile seeds float to the the top. Drain the water from the remaining seeds.
Afterwards, line a heavy plate or baking pan with waxed paper, spread the seeds out in a single layer onto the waxed paper and place it in sunny spot to air-dry.
Stir the seeds occasionally during the next few hours to make sure all sides are exposed to fresh air, this facilitates even drying. After a day in the sun bring the seeds into the house where they continue to dry for another week or two, stir them daily so they dry evenly. If you've got rainy weather the increased humidity can prolong the drying process another week or so.
Melons have thick seeds so be sure they are thoroughly dry before packing them for storage. I like to store my seeds in paper packets.

Cantaloupe:
Q. We had the most delicious cantaloupe which we obtained from a little Amish farmer's market. Can I save some of the seeds - how do I save the seeds--and will it be as tasty when replanted, or do you lose the taste?
A. The answer is just wash and dry the seeds, let them sit out a few days to dry since they are big seeds. Then save in an envelope or something and plant when the time is right.

If it was a hybrid it won't breed true, but if it was especially delicious and from AMish farmers it is probably some open pollinated heirloom and the cantaloupe offspring should be just like the parent.
The way *I* save cantaloupe seed is like this: I scoop out the seeds and put them into my compost container. Eventually it gets dumped into my compost pile. That heats up well, but melon seeds are so big they don't usually get killed by the heat. Then I spread the compost, and melons and squash come up all over my garden as volunteers. :-) I have some interesting melons forming right now, quite hairy when small, then becoming greenish with a textured skin. Don't know what it is but if it gets ripe I will eat it! I tell you my method just to show how hard it is to NOT get saved cantaloupe seed to grow . . .