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Posted: Oct/22/2008 12:50 AM PST
I grew some giant sunflowers this summer. They are huge. Once the bacs turned a dark yellow, I cut the tops off and hung them. They have been p for several weeks now but I'm concerned b/c there is a fuzzy mold covering them. Is this common and onced washed & roasted are they still edible? Thanks for any help Shari |
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Posted: Oct/22/2008 12:53 PM PST
I don't know. I haven't seen any mold on my sunflowers, yet...  But how do you get the seeds out of the hulls?
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Posted: Oct/22/2008 3:28 PM PST
Oh, I'm too lazy to hull my sunflower seeds. But I love roasted pumpkin and squash seeds! I didn't notice any mold on my sunflower heads, but I would guess that as long as the seeds themselves don't get moldy, they should be o.k... |
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Posted: Jun/25/2012 8:33 PM PST
Hello, I'm new here but I just baked a second batch of sunflower seeds and what I did is cut the flower heads off the plant after the flowers died and set them out in the son until they dried out (brown) and rubs the seed out. hoped this helps. 
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Posted: Jun/25/2012 11:21 PM PST
Hello all,I grew hybrid sunflowers for a number of years they were huge they were in a paddock next to the road,traffic would stop an admire them,some folk alittle too much they would jump the fence and swipe them,wouldnt have been too bad,if they had been clean about it,instead they would break and bend the stawks,if on some the stawks didnt break then they would just leave it hanging there!. Anyway..concerning the mould,although its an old post,and the problem by now would have been long solved.In case anyone was wondering this can happen if they have been harvested while containing extra moisture,from perhaps dew or wet weather,then being placed in a area that also has moisture or is too shaded!. I wouldnt recommend eating those particular seeds,save them for replanting. If plants have mould then they will need dry air to kill it as mould loves moisture,a fan heater is good for this,even for a little while,if this is not an option!..then place them in the sun where its very warm,for a day or two. I always used the rubbing method already mentioned to remove the seeds,they must be completely dry though!. Sunflowers are choice!.. one of my favourites!..
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Posted: Jul/07/2012 7:17 AM PST
I planted sun flower seeds as well and I get excited seeing how much taller they are everyday. They are the grey striped sunflowers(I believe thats what they are called). They do not have the flowers yet but they are almost chest level now. I was told (not sure by who) that they would help my corn grow better because they will attract bees, is this true? Also I do look forward to eating the seeds too. My question came up when I read another post on here, do I have to do something speacial to save seeds to grow next year? I plan to have sunflowers in my garden each year. Thanks so much in advance I am very new to this whole thing lol. Oh one more question is there a book I can get to learn to harvest the seeds on the flower? Thanks so much. |
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Posted: Jul/07/2012 9:42 AM PST
http://www.sunflowerguide.com/drying-sunflowers.ht ml Take out any spaces that appear in the url. |
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Posted: Jul/07/2012 6:18 PM PST
sunflowers attracting bees to help your corn grow. Sounds highly likely,but then any flowers will attract bees,as long as your corn is in a very hot dry place with a light breeze it should do well..I dont think the bees will make it grow any better,they will pay a visit to the corn with or without help from the sunflowers,I'm inclined to think the sunflowers might attract the bees away from the corn,thats just my opinion,why not give it ago,all that could happen is that they will just grow at their normal rate,and yeild as usual. Harvesting sunflower seeds is a simple task,dry the plant as usual,hang upside down by the stalk in a warm dry spot for a least a couple of weeks,some may take longer and some less. Tap gently on the back of the flowerhead with a hard object,a teaspoon works well,if you hear a hollow sound, its good and dry and ready to release the seeds. Over the years I've found this method is the one that works best for me,others may have different ways of doing it,you'll find which way you prefer, you cant really go wrong which ever method you choose. this is the most common way that I'm aware of and can save time in having to collect scatterd seeds. In a box or similar,place a cloth big enough to cover the bottom,place flower over the box and just rub the seeds out,they should come out fairly easy,if not the plant is not properly dry!. Once all have been removed,leave them on the cloth and place in the sun for an hour or so,or longer it wont harm them. To store the seeds for eating,make sure they are clean and dry,hold the cloth by the four corners,give a couple of shakes,gently tip seeds into an airtight container,most of any plant matter will remain on the cloth,every so often during storage give the container a gentle shake. If you have many seeds use several containers rather than over filling just the one,half fill them. By the way rodents adore sunflower seeds and will chew through plastic or wood containers and scoff the lot. Hope this has been of some help to you.. 
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Posted: Jul/07/2012 6:38 PM PST
Thanks so much for the information, my husband is beginning to think he created a monster. I am finding that I really enjoy having and working in my garden. I am so proud of it lol. I have already began to get a lot of help from you all and I have only been here for a day lol. I can't wait til my sun flowers grow and I can harvest them as well. I have around 20 sunflower plants in my garden. It will definitly make my garden look pretty as well lol. Thanks again for this help and future help that I know I will need lol. |
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Posted: Jul/07/2012 6:52 PM PST
I forgot! If storing seeds for long periods it helps to keep them fresh by placing a sheet of cooking foil in the bottom of container. Again opinions may differ on wheather or not to store seeds in or out of their shells,in the shell works for me,its personal choice really. To remove the shells gently split them using a light pressure a thumb nail does the trick I find. Place back in container just a few at a time replace lid and give it a few good shakes,tip onto cloth,then gently shake back into container,not all the seeds will seperate from their shells at first,so just repeat the process!. You'll get the nack Im sure. Hmmm! love them roasted the best. 
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