| I planted sunflowers from the seeds that I saved last year and they are doing wonderfully. (They are about 8 feet tall) The problem is that last year when I went to harvest most of the seeds, worms (little white ones) or other insects ate most of them. This year I was wondering if I could wrap the heads of the sunflowers with cheesecloth so that as the seeds ripen they will fall off into the cheese cloth and I can save them to eat and replant.. Will the cheesecloth hurt the flower head?? Also, if this is successful how do I go about making the seeds edible?? Do I roast them or just let them dry out and then eat. Please let me know.. By the way, I was not going to wrap the sunflower heads until I saw them full with seeds...Thanks |
| You could wrap them in cheesecloth to exclude insects and feasting birds, but another key factor is in harvesting them early enough. The seeds will begin to change color and the head will begin to hang. At that point you can harvest the whole head and begin the drying process. Here are some basic instructions: Wait until the petals fall and the heads begin to droop. You'll notice the back of the seed heads will begin to turn yellow instead of green. Cut them along with about 2' of stem and hang them upside down to dry in a dry, well-ventilated place such as a garage or attic, until fully dry. Remove the seeds by rubbing two heads together, or by using a stiff brush. Spread out the seeds until fully dry and store in plastic bags (make sure there is no condensation on the bag or they will rot) , or soak overnight in a strong salt solution, drain, spread on a shallow baking sheet, and roast at 200F degrees until crisp. The recipes vary on the amount of salt to use. Try a half cup to a quart of water - if that's not salty enough, add more for your next batch. Depending upon size, your sunflower seeds can take 30 minutes to 3 hours to dry in the oven. Test often by taking a few seeds out of the oven, allowing to cool, and crunching between your teeth. You'll know when they're crispy dry. Store in an airtight container. |
