Sunflowers: Drying and Roasting

Sunflowers are beautiful plants that attract pollinators to our school gardens and provide a delicious snack for our kids (or birds) with a little bit of work. Materials

• sunflower head • bowl • water • salt (optional)

• towel • cookie sheet • oven

Note: We recommend growing sunflower varieties with large seeds for snacking like

Russian Mammoth, Titan and Grey Stripe Confectionery. Procedure:

1. Cut the sunflower head off the stalk and let it dry in a warm, ventilated space for a few days.

2. Once the seeds have dried on the head, lay the head on a sheet or covered area and let students rub the front of the sunflower heads. The seeds should pop out fairly easily onto the covered area.

3. Carefully pick (or winnow) out the seeds for roasting and compost unwanted stems and other parts.

4. For salted (skip this step for unsalted) sunflower seeds, soak the seeds in a bowl, or other container, overnight. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of table salt to two quarts of water. Alternatively, place the seeds in a pot with salted water and let them simmer on the stove for 2 hours.

5. The next day, drain the salt water from the sunflower seeds and pat them dry with a towel.

6. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the dried sunflower seeds on cookie sheets and roast them for 30-40 minutes or until brown, stirring occasionally.

7. Seeds often develop a small crack down the center as they roast. After roasting, remove seeds from the oven and allow them to cool. To keep sunflower seeds, store them in an airtight container for future snacking.

How to grow Guide: Sunflowers

• http://www.westcoastseeds.com/how-to-grow/Flower-Seeds/Sunflowers/