How to Fix Sunflower Seeds

Fix raw sunflower seeds to become a tasty snack.

Put a bountiful harvest of sunflower seeds to use by turning them into a healthy and tasty snack. Raw seeds can be harvested from your own flowers or found at health food stores. Toasting the seeds adds crunch and enhances their flavor. Additional seasonings reproduce the taste of packaged sunflower seeds sold in stores without the preservatives. Unlike convenience store seeds, sunflower seeds fixed at home have a fresh flavor, unparalleled by anything in a bag. Fix a batch of sunflower seeds when you need them but store the rest raw in a sealed container in a cool spot until needed.

Things You'll Need

• ¼ to 1/2 cup salt
• 2 qt. water
• 2 cups sunflower seeds, in shells
• Small saucepan
• Colander
• Towels
• 1 ½ tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Baking sheet

Instructions

1. Combine the salt, water and sunflower seeds in their shells in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium low heat.

2. Heat the sunflower seeds for two hours in the simmering water.

3. Drain the contents of the saucepan through a colander.

4. Transfer the sunflower seeds to a towel and pat dry.

5. Toss the sunflower seeds still in the shells with the melted butter and Worcestershire sauce.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Lay the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned.

8. Remove the seeds from the oven and let them cool before eating or storing them in an airtight container.

Tips & Warnings

• To eat the sunflower seeds, crack the shell, also called the hull, between your teeth. Eat the sunflower kernel inside.

References

• Urban Extension University of Illinois: Harvesting and Handling Sunflower Seeds
• Seattle Times: How to Prepare Sunflower Seeds for Snacking