If you don’t have the time to soak the seeds overnight, bring water, salt and seeds to a boil on the stove, then turn down to a simmer and simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours.Īfter you’ve either soaked or boiled the seeds, run them through a strainer (don’t rinse them) and then pick out all of the sunflower bits. If you prefer unsalted seeds, omit the salt in this process and simply soak the seeds in water. Soaking, Drying & Baking Sunflower Seeds For Eatingįinally, something for you to eat! Soak seeds in a mixture of water and ¼ cup salt overnight. Making your own suet cakes is really easy to do and a great way to give your local bird population healthy food during the colder months. You can also buy the items in bulk to have them on hand when you run out. You can find all of these ingredients in the bulk section of your local health food store, which allows you get exactly the amount you need.
Store the homemade suet cakes in the freezer until you are ready to use them.Refrigerate the containers filled with suet cakes until they start to harden and then store them in the freezer until ready for use.Stir in the remaining ingredients and fill containers evenly with mixture.Next, remove from heat and let sit for several minutes. Melt the fat in a saucepan until completely liquid.
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How To Make Suet Cakes With Sunflowers - Directions:
Small plastic containers (sour cream, yogurt, freezer containers). 1 cup chopped cherries, raisins, or crab apples. Your local bird population will certainly appreciate your homemade suet cakes, and if you compost this is a great way to use leftover beef fat.įruit And Sunflower Seed Suet Cake Recipe How To Make Suet Cakes With Sunflower Seeds Store the seeds in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant. The seed will last for years if stored this way.Īllow the seeds to dry for several hours or overnight before storing. Label the container with the variety and the date you harvested. If you’re saving the seeds to re-plant, store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant. Rinse sunflower seeds before laying out to dry.Īllow them to dry for several hours (or overnight). Line a shallow cardboard box or wooden crate with newspaper and paper towels and scatter the seeds in a single layer to dry, leaving space in between each seed. If you’re planning on re-planting the seeds or making them into suet cakes, simply rinse the seeds in a colander and then pick out all the bits and pieces that aren’t seed. You’ll also get petals and other sunflower matter in with the seeds, which is fine you will remove that later. Firmly rub the seed head over a bucket to catch the seeds. You can wear gloves or not, depending on your preference. There is something oddly satisfying about de-seeding a sunflower bloom. Harvest Sunflower Seeds: Removing The Seeds It wasn’t a problem – I simply tied them together with twine and hung them in a warm, dry area for five days. I cut my sunflower blooms and noticed that several of them weren’t quite ready for harvest yet. If the sunflowers aren't ready yet, tie the stalks with twine. You can also cut the stalks before they are ready and hang them indoors to dry. If you're worried about the birds eating all of your sunflower seeds before you get the chance to harvest, tie a paper bag over the blooms right in the garden. Cut the stalk with sharp scissors or pruners, about one foot down from the flower head, and place in a container that can catch any loose seeds.Ĭut the sunflower stalk about a foot below the bloom. You’ll also notice the seeds are plump and somewhat loose. Once your sunflowers have died back completely and the backs of the blooms are brown, it’s time to harvest. This is undoubtedly the easiest and quickest part of the process. Sunflowers are ready to harvest when their foliage turns yellow, the petals die down and the seeds look plump. At the end of the season, it's easy to harvest sunflower seeds to dry for re-planting, baking up for a tasty snack, and re-purposing into suet cakes to feed the birds in the winter months. Also a delight for the gardener, their grandiose blooms make a cheerful statement in almost any sunny spot. They are tall and regal, looking down at the rest of the flowers and offering a source of food and nectar to any pollinator who stops by. Sunflowers are a staple of the summer garden. How To Harvest Sunflower Seeds For Planting, Roasting & Feeding Birds
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