How to Sterilize Wild Bird Seed Substrate

Fill each jar with birdseed about half full. Pour all of the bird seed into the colander. This assures that the proper amount of birdseed will be prepared.

Rinse the bird seed under running water to remove any dust or debris. Dump the wet bird seed into the large pot. Fill the pot with water that covers the seeds with at least 2 inches of water. Pick out any seeds that are floating as well as any sunflower seeds since the larger seeds won't nourish the growing mushrooms.

Rinse the birdseed a second time and cover the birdseed with fresh water. Cover the pot and allow the seed to rest overnight.

Pour the birdseed into the colander and rinse. The seeds will look a little bit swollen. Pour the seeds back into the pot and cover with fresh water. Put the pot on the stove and simmer for half an hour. Watch the pot carefully and make sure that it doesn't boil. While the seeds are simmering, prepare the jars.

Thoroughly wash the jars in hot, soapy water, or run them through the dishwasher on sterilize.

Punch a hole in the lid of each canning jar. Loosely stuff the hole with poly fiberfill.

Cut a piece of Tyvek that is large enough to cover the mouth of the jar. Tyvek can be purchased int he hardware store in large quantities. But it easier to purchase a Tyvek mailing envelope and cut it up for this project. Cut pieces of tin foil large enough to cover the lid of each jar.

Pour the seeds into the colander for a final rinse. Rinse with cool water to make the seeds easier to handle. Allow the seeds to drip dry for 20 minutes to remove the excess water.

Split the seeds into the five separate jars. Place the piece of Tyvec over the mouth of the jar. Screw the lid with the poly fiberfill on top the jar loosely. Cover the entire lid with foil.

Place the rack int he bottom of the pressure cooker. Carefully place the prepared bottles on the rack. Pour 2 inches of water in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Tighten the lid in place.

Turn on the heat and raise the pressure to 15 psi and cook the seeds for an hour. Turn off the heat and allow the entire cooker to cool before removing the lid.