NUTRITION Sunflowers are a versatile crop, used for cooking oil and salted snacks as well as fed to a wide variety of animals, including birds, cattle, hamsters and rabbits. The seeds are generally made into a meal for livestock. Some Native American Indians used to use sunflower seeds for food and hair oil. 'Nut butter' is also made from the seeds, by grinding them until they produce a creamy spread. Salted in the shell as a snack or shelled for use in salads and other dishes, calcium and iron make them wholesome. No cholesterol is a big plus, too.
A quarter of a cup, which is a hefty serving of unshelled nuts, is about 180 calories.
The fat composition is mostly polyunsaturated linoleic acid.
HARVEST You can begin to harvest sunflower seeds as soon as the center flowers turn brown or the backs of the heads turn yellow, to prevent birds from stealing them. Cut them, leaving a piece of stem to hang them in a well ventilated place to finish drying. Cover them with netting, paper sacks with holes or cheesecloth to catch falling seeds as they dry.
They can be allowed to dry on the stalk, but you'll have to cover them this way to keep the birds from eating them all before you can harvest them for yourself!
If you've grown sunflowers for the purpose of feeding birds, you can either leave them in the ground, or harvest the heads as above, then hang them in the yard or garden when they are ready. This method has an advantage in that you can dole out the heads over the winter, instead of seeing the seed all eaten within a few weeks.
ROASTING When the seeds can be rubbed easily from the head, it's dry and the seeds are ready to be roasted for eating. First, remove them from the heads and pick out any pieces of stem or other debris.
Mix a quarter of a cup or so of plain salt to a quart of water, and soak the seeds in this overnight. Spread them on cookie sheets and roast in a very slow oven (150 to 200 degrees) until completely dry. Stir them once or twice during the drying time; this will take three or four hours. If you intend to store them for any length of time, put them in jars while still warm and close tightly. They keep very well in a cool dark place.
Variations call for mixing a teaspoon of melted butter with a cup of seeds while they are still warm from the oven, (these are for immediate eating) or roasting them until they are browned instead of just dry.
SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER 'Nut' butter, the butter made from various nuts and seeds, is a perfect spread for crackers or toast, or dip for vegetables. Start with raw seeds, and shell them by putting them in a cloth bag or wrapping them in a cotton cloth, then pound (gently!) with the flat side of a hammer, or something similar. Don't smash them, just crush them. When they're mostly crushed, pour them into cold water and stir a time or two to let the loosened hulls rise to the top. Skim these off, and stir again, as many times as it takes.
When nothing but sunflower kernels are left, (you may have to pick through them) pour off the water, and spread to dry.
There are various methods of grinding or crushing the seeds, but the easiest is to put them in a food processor and let it do the work. Alternatively, you can use a blender. More labor intensive, but perhaps more appealing, is to use a clean glass jar or bottle and crush the seeds against the bottom of a bowl. It takes more time, but connoisseurs claim that the butter tastes better when it's hand made.
If the butter seems dry and clumpy, add a little oil, about a quarter teaspoon, at a time, until you get the right consistency. Keep mixing until the butter is as smooth as you want it. You can add salt or not, but salt will help it keep better. Whether you do or not, store it in the refrigerator.
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