Learning how to harvest and roast sunflower seeds is a great way to pass a pleasant afternoon. It even has something for all ages (even if that means just eating them!)! And during the fall you can find sunflowers all over the place!
Learn how to turn these beautiful flowers into a fun family activity!
On a recent trip to visit my husband's family, I saw some HUGE sunflowers in my mother in laws backyard... and that got me thinking... just how do you harvest and roast sunflower seeds??
So I did some searching and found that it's very easy! We had a great time harvesting, roasting, and eating this delicious fall snack!
NOTE: It is important that you only harvest for eating the seeds from an insecticide free sunflower! Ensure that your flower is pesticide free before continuing :-)
Now that you have a clean sunflower ready to go, the process of harvesting the seeds is really simple!
How to Harvest Sunflower Seeds
Just rub your hand across the face of the sunflower to loosen the seeds and then pick them out! While this is a simple process like I said, it can be time consuming, so gather all the kids around for this part.
How to Roast Sunflower Seeds
With a bowl full of seeds, you are ready to roast!
1. Rinse the seeds well. Pat dry.
2. Heat a skillet with a generous coating of your preferred oil. I like to use coconut oil, but olive oil, bacon grease, and non-stick cooking spray work as well.
3. Add seeds to the hot skillet. Keep the heat on medium and stir constantly to avoid burning.
4. Stir for 10-12 minutes, then sprinkle with the sea salt (Optional: add pepper, garlic, cinnamon, or sugar at this stage!). Stir for another 2-3 minutes.
5. The seeds will start to pop and lighten in color when they are done. Remove from the heat.
6. Eat hot or allow to cool!
Lindy says
I have never grown or roasted sunflower seeds. When would the seeds be ready for harvest? Should the flowers start to turn brown? Thanks for this post.
Victoria says
Hi Lindy! You can harvest the seeds when they are full (not flat) and look like they should. The flower petals will also have likely started to dry and fall out. I hope that helps!