For the previous 3 years, I’ve grown a sunflower known as the Mongolian Large Sunflower. The flower grows as much as 14 toes tall and, as soon as full of mature sunflower seeds, the pinnacle will have as much as an 18-inch diameter. The seeds produced are massive and suitable for eating.
The sunflower heads/seeds have constantly been in a position for harvest by means of the fall equinox, which has now change into a favourite fall custom of ours. Relying on what number of seeds are totally mature, I both save them for regrowing (and sharing) the following 12 months, or (if I’ve sufficient) I avoid wasting and roast a small batch. It relies on if the squirrels harvest the seeds ahead of I do.
This system of roasting sunflower seeds is very similar to the way in which I roast pumpkin seeds. It’s lovely easy.
This recipe starts after you’ve harvested your sunflower head, got rid of the flower heads on every seed (the disc florets), got rid of the seeds from the sunflower and rinsed your seeds.
Yield: 1 cup
Substances
- 1 cup uncooked, totally matured sunflower seeds with the shell on
- Water, as wanted (about 3 to 4 cups)
- 2 tbsp kosher salt (or extra if desired)
Directions
In a medium sized saucepan, upload rinsed and ready sunflower seeds. Fill with water to hide the seeds 2 inches. Any seeds that glide to the highest are most probably empty seeds that didn’t mature and may also be scooped out and discarded.
Stir salt into water. As soon as the salt is dissolved, pattern it and spot if it’s salty sufficient in your liking. Upload extra salt if wanted.
Convey the seeds to a simmer and simmer for quarter-hour.
Pressure seeds and make allowance them to sit down within the strainer for 10 mins so they can dry. You’ll additionally unfold them out on a lint-free towel in short to take in extra moisture.
In the meantime, pre-heat your oven to 350 levels F.
Unfold out the sunflower seeds right into a unmarried layer on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for quarter-hour, take away from oven and stir them round with a spatula. Go back them to the oven and bake for any other quarter-hour. If now not performed, go back to the oven in 5-minute increments till they’re calmly browned and dried.
They generally tend to briefly pass from undercooked to overcooked, so set a timer.
Notes
In case you don’t wish to salt the seeds, don’t upload salt to the water previous to simmering.
Don’t prepare dinner any seeds which might be moldy.
After you simmer and pressure the seeds, be at liberty so as to add any seasonings you’d like ahead of roasting. Garlic powder and Cajun seasoning are two of our favorites so as to add to roasted seeds.