Sunflowers

Oh, the sunflower. Such an interesting plant. Have you ever driven by a field full of them in the morning? They all face the east, watching the sun rise. Drive by during lunch, and they are all looking toward the heavens. Then drive by after work, and they are all watching the sun set.

I decided to first grow sunflowers to roast and eat their seeds. Our first year we grew several large, beautiful heads. storing them for replant was easy, preparing them for roasting was another matter.

One of my sunflowers in is glory

I read the book, really I did. But for some reason my brain did not process the information correctly. I filled a sealable plastic tub with water and salt. Placed the seeds into the water and sealed the tub. I allowed them to soak for two weeks, before opening the container and preparing them to be roasted in the oven.

Two weeks is too long. The book actually said one week. {Where is my impatience when I really need it?} So instead of the properly saturated seed, perfect for roasting and eating, I had about 30 lbs of seedlings and mold.

Starting to droop

Luckily for me, I still had a few whole heads that I had hung upside down in the barn to dry. I tried again, and this time I was successful.


Sunflowers are ready to harvest in mid-summer/early Autumn. Allow them to droop. The petals will fall off, and the green on the back of their heads will turn black. Cut the stalks low, and hang them upside down to dry for one to three weeks. Too long though and you are looking at stale tasting seeds.


Make sure there is little in the way of moisture when you are drying them, or you will end up with a soft, powdery gray mold on them. {not appealing} Once the heads are completely dry, you can rub the seeds right off the head.

petals have fallen

Sunflowers are one of the few plant sources of Vitamin D {just a little trivia to amaze your friends with}

If the seeds are still a little damp, set them out to dry longer. To store them correctly, they must be very very dry. Store them in their shell to retain the vitamins.

To roast them unshelled and salted. You will need 2 gal. water and 26 oz of salt. Stir and leave for one week {that's one week!} Stir them once in a while. Spread out on a tray and bake at 350f, mixing them every 10 minutes for at least one hour.

You can press them for oil {that's the plan this year} or make bread, cookies, top your salad with them.

I have been reading a new blog. If you have gardening questions, ask them at Gardening 1 on 1. Though I must warn you, it's not a completely pro-organic site. I still recommend it if you need help.