saving sunflower seeds

[Curlykale]

When and how should I collect seeds from my sunflowers, and what else do I have to do with them before I can eat them?

[Two_Sheds]

Collecting for sowing? I just leave mine on the plant all winter, for the birds. I always get more than enough that fall to the ground and germinate too.

I've tried harvesting them for eating (leave them to dry then pull them out of the head), but tbh, it's a horrible dirty faffy job, hardly worth the effort.

[Rhona]

We have masses of sunflowers this year. Like TS, we'll leave most on for the birds, but I have successfully harvested some seeds by tying a paper bag over the heads of stems, then hanging upside down, so they drop into the bag. It's not perfect, but it's usually enough for next year's sowing if you want to start a new patch.

[Hans Mum]

i left some last year for the birds, some self seeded and those plants are much stronger & bigger now than the ones which got grown from saved seed

[Hazel at the Hill]

...what else do I have to do with them before I can eat them?

De-shell them.

[taff]

wait till the leaves have fallen off, the pollen spikes have gone, and the head looks a bit shrivelled. Then break apart the head on a newspaper, separate the seeds from the crappy bits [ put them in a small tray or similar, throw them in the air when it's slightly windy, the wind will carry off the loose bits leaving behind the seeds, or blow on them, de-shell, eat.

[Curlykale]

Great - thanks all.