How to Harvest & Roast Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower heads can grow to be quite large, yielding edible sunflower seeds that can be harvested and roasted to eat. When you want to harvest and roast your own sunflower seeds, it's important to choose the correct time to harvest so that the seeds are not only edible but taste great as well. The proper roasting technique is also important, but once learned it is easy to repeat.

Paper bag
Baking sheet
Salt
Plastic bag
Cloth bag

Instructions

- 1
  Cut the head of the sunflower off after the disc on the back of it turns a yellow color. Store in a paper bag until the disc turns dark brown, the tell-tale signal that the seeds are ready to be roasted or stored.
- 2
  Rub your palm across the middle of the sunflower to loosen the seeds. Some may fall out on their own after this step, and some may need to be picked out individually with your fingers.
- 3
  Rinse the seeds well in a strainer. Set them evenly across a baking sheet.
- 4
  Bake the seeds in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 5
  Allow the seeds to cool and toss with the preferred amount of salt. Store them in a plastic bag.

Cheesecloth for Sunflower Seeds

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