I finally took down the last sunflower in the back garden, sending most of it to compost, saving a bit of the stalk to try to hollow out for a recorder and the flower for harvesting the seeds. They were just a bit damp from all the rain (wetted November on record!), but otherwise came out with ease. We filled a small bowl and then set about the menial task of breaking each shell open and removing the small seed. While most recipes for eating sunflower seeds leave them in the casings we chose to remove them for cooking...especially enjoying them with a bit Kale, butter and salt!
After a few hours and a little help from my dear wife we had a small bowl of seeds. They were then placed in a single layer in a small pan and placed into the oven at 150°C for about 15 minutes. However in retrospect this was a little too long. They also may have benefited from just drying out a bit more first as some of them 'puffed' a bit, probably from the residual moisture boiling inside.
I then took the seed head and the 'rejects' and placed them out in the garden in a pan for the birds. Many people claim to have problems with birds, but we would love to see few!
After a few hours and a little help from my dear wife we had a small bowl of seeds. They were then placed in a single layer in a small pan and placed into the oven at 150°C for about 15 minutes. However in retrospect this was a little too long. They also may have benefited from just drying out a bit more first as some of them 'puffed' a bit, probably from the residual moisture boiling inside.
I then took the seed head and the 'rejects' and placed them out in the garden in a pan for the birds. Many people claim to have problems with birds, but we would love to see few!
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