Hi sandpebbles,

Check out the link below about saving Tomato seeds.

while i realize i may end up with a surprise fruit (and probably not an heirloom),
You are right. It will likely be a surprise, and I would fear a bad one since most store bought tomatoes are hybrids, bred for storage and the ability to be picked green and end up tasting like cardboard by the time they ripen.

Since there are maybe 10,000 different tomato varieties, I wouldn't try growing something that might not turn out good.

If you are interested in growing some tomatoes, with little output on seeds, you might check out the Seed Exchange Forum. While you can't ask for seeds with nothing to offer in trade, you can respond to seeds for postage offers. Folks often offer up their excess seeds for postage. Just look for posts that say, sase, sasbe, free, for postage, etc.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ on saving tomato seeds

thanks Sue for the link. i tasted an orange tomato from a friend who wasn't aware of the name as it was given to her by another friend who recieved it from a neighbor. anyway, i'm always in search of that tomato. 10,000 did you say. LOL. but ofcourse. :)