Quantcast
How to Harvest & Prepare Sunflower Seeds | The Old Farmer's Almanac

How to Harvest Sunflower Seeds

Caption

Harvested sunflower seeds

Photo Credit
KLSbear/Getty Images
Subhead

Harvesting and Roasting Sunflower Seeds

Print Friendly and PDF
Almanac Garden Planner

Become a better gardener! Discover our new Almanac Garden Planner features for 2024. It’s easy, fun, and free to try!

Ever harvested your own sunflower seeds? I mostly give my sunflower heads to the chickens and birds, but you can also harvest seeds from homegrown sunflowers to roast and enjoy for yourself! Here’s how.

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are native annual flowers that come in many different colors and patterns. Some reach for the heavens with one thick stem putting all of their energy into a single giant flower. Others spread out with many branches inviting you to pick them so that they can “come again.”

Many single-stem sunflower varieties are really quick to bloom, needing just 60 days from the seeding date to reach harvestability. Make sure that you are making the most out of your sunflowers!

Isn’t it amazing to think that these giant flower heads start from one little seed?!

About Sunflower Seeds and Oils

Sunflower seeds contain many nutrients and the best seeds come fresh from the flower head. They’re packed with calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. They are very fragile once they have been removed from their shells, so always purchase them in the shell or from a refrigerated source.

Sunflower oil is one of the few vegetable oils that is fairly stable. I use sunflower oil in my mayonnaise. The truly stable ones come in a dark bottle and are cold-pressed and unrefined. Once opened, the bottle should be refrigerated to avoid rancidity.

sun-flower-2495159_1920_full_width.jpg

When to Harvest Sunflower Seeds

It’s important to be able to recognize when the sunflower seeds are close to harvest. Here are the cues:

  • The large heads begin to droop and turn down. The backside of the head should turn yellow-brown. If it’s still green, it’s not close to ready.
  • The tiny petals covering the developing seeds have dried and fallen off, exposing tightly-packed mature seeds. If most of the petals are still attached, leave the sunflower alone.
  • The seeds are hardened and turn black with white stripes. If the seeds are still milky white they are not mature. Pull a few seeds to see if they have developed.
  • The foliage has turned yellow.

While you’re waiting for your sunflowers to mature enough to harvest, make sure you protect them from critters. Once you notice the petals wilting, cover the sunflower heads with brown paper bags, fine netting, mesh, perforated plastic bags, or cheesecloth. Use a twist tie or rubber band to secure the bag so the seeds don’t fall out. 

sunflower-man-gettyimages-1089522742_full_width.jpg
Image credit: Hirurg/Getty

How to Harvest Sunflower Seeds

It’s best to wait and let the seeds dry completely on the stem. Then, just cut the stem an inch below the heads.

But some folks want to beat the critters and dry indoors. In this case, cut the stalks about a foot below the heads when the outer seeds are mature and hang the heads upside down in a warm, dry place that is well-ventilated and protected from rodents and insects. Keep the heads covered as described above.

When the seeds are thoroughly dried (after a few weeks), dislodge them by rubbing two heads together, rubbing the seeds with your hand, or using a stiff brush. Dislodge them over a big bucket. Allow the seeds to dry overnight on a paper towel.

Eating and Roasting Seeds

Once dried, you can eat the seeds alone, mixed with dried fruit, added to salads, or even used in place of nuts for baking. Store seeds in airtight glass jars in the refrigerator to retain flavor.  

Roast the seeds to enhance their flavor, and lightly brown them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 300°F for about 15 minutes. We have also heard that many of our readers have had success roasting sunflower seeds in the air fryer! Try out this method by air frying them at 350° for 7 to 8 minutes and giving the basket a shake when they are halfway done.

You can eat the seeds on their own, or you can utilize them in your favorite recipes. We love incorporating our freshly roasted seeds into the Soft and Chewy Granola Bars and the Chicken Salad with Rice, Oranges, and Snow Peas

Seeds for Chicken Feed

I always give the seed heads to my chickens. As the seeds mature, I cut the heads off of the plants and, with a gloved hand, I rub the now dry brown “fuzz” off of the seeds. I then place them where they will dry. This includes my oven that has a pilot light and my picnic table when the sun is on it.

sunflowers-chickens-gettyimages-157439342_full_width.jpg
Chickens foraging in a sunflower patch.
Photo Credit: Pixelprof/Getty

Once the back is truly dry, I place them in bags upstairs. These I feed to the chickens when it snows. As they refuse to go outside during these storms, I give them some sunflower heads and a few pumpkins or squashes so that they will have something to peck on besides each other.

Sunflowers as Cut Flowers

Sunflowers also make excellent cut flowers. Many times, they do need to be wired in order for their heads to look straight ahead. Getting the wire from a florist, put it right through the thick neck bringing it into the middle then twist both sides down the stem. They generally like a prominent placement if you are going to put them in a mixed bouquet. They definitely have the ability to capture the audience’s attention!

sunflowers-vase-1719119_1920_full_width.jpg

Occasionally, a sunflower will act like it’s on steroids. I guess that’s what happened to this one!

Every so often, a sunflower grows larger than life!

Learn more about how to plant and grow sunflowers by referring to the Almanac’s Sunflower Growing Guide

About The Author

Celeste Longacre

Celeste is The Old Farmer's Almanac astrologer. She has also been growing virtually all of her family’s vegetables for the entire year for over 30 years. Read More from Celeste Longacre

2023 Gardening Club