Many
a traveler has sighed at the sight of a field of golden sunflowers waving in
the breeze. And it’s very likely that the traveler has a bag of sunflower seeds
in the car. Whole sunflower seeds are a great summertime travel snack. But it
doesn’t stop there. The ways sunflower seeds find their way into our diets are
many.
Sunflower seed butter spread on toast, roasted kernels sprinkled on
salad, bread made with kernels nestled in the dough or pressed into the top of
a loaf. The possibilities are endless.
Farmers grow two types of food sunflowers. Small black seeds, used
primarily for cooking oil, represent 75 to 80 percent of the market. The larger
striped “confectionary” seeds go for foods ranging from snacks to breads.
There’s demand for both, experts say, but you have to be a lot more
diligent with insect control on confectionaries. As
farmer Steve Evert bluntly puts it, “When you bite into a sunflower seed, you
don’t like to bite into a bug.”
Smooth and creamy
Sunflower butter is working its way to health and grocery stores near
you. “It tastes like roasted sunflower seeds, with peanut butter consistency,”
says Mike Williams, general manager of Red River Commodities in
“I like to stir a spoonful into my oatmeal in the morning; it just adds to the
flavor.”
Sunflower butter doesn’t carry the allergens that peanut butter does and
is high in Vitamin E. Even school districts are showing increasing interest,
Williams says. Twelve states now include this product in school lunch programs.
Red River processes SunButter in
facility. Options include creamy,
natural crunch, honey crunch, and organic.
Learn more at www.SunButter.com or visit our Web site at www.Grit.com.
Ready to roast
If you want to enjoy sunflower
seeds from your garden, the National Sunflower Association (www.Sunflower
NSA.com) tells you how.
To harvest: Heads
are ready to harvest when backs turn brown. In northern areas, this might be
after the first killing freeze. In warmer areas, the plant will dry down
naturally.
Snip the head off the plant and
rub seeds out by hand. If birds or other pests attack the heads, cut the heads
and hang them upside down under cover or in the garage to air dry. But make
sure the seeds are mature. Remove any plant debris.
To roast in-shell seeds: Cover
unshelled seeds with salted water, using ¼ to ½ cup of salt per 2 quarts of
water. Soak overnight. Drain and pat seeds dry to remove excess moisture. (You
can roast seeds unsalted, by simply skipping the soaking process.)
Heat oven to 300°F. Spread
seeds evenly on cookie sheet or shallow pan and bake 30-40 minutes, or until
golden brown, stirring occasionally. Seeds often develop small cracks down
centers as they roast. Taste after each stirring to see if seeds are completely
roasted. After roasting, remove seeds from oven and allow to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.
Variations call for mixing 1 teaspoon melted
butter with 1 cup seeds while still warm from oven; these are for immediate
eating. Some experiment with seasonings, such as barbecue, Cajun and taco.
Enjoy the bounty
The versatile sunflower seed
can be used for all manner of cooking. The National Sunflower Association
offers the following simple recipes:
Roasted Sunflower Kernels
Heat oven to 400°F. Evenly spread 1 cup raw sunflower kernels over
jellyroll or large roasting pan. Bake 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Let
cool and store in airtight container. May be frozen up to 1 year. Get creative
with this recipe by adding your
favorite herbs and spices to make
barbecue, dill pickle or other flavored varieties.
Caramel Sunflower Rolls
2
packages active dry yeast
¼
cup water (110-115°F)
½
cup granulated sugar
2
cups warm milk
1
teaspoon salt
¼
cup light molasses
2
eggs, beaten
4½
cups all purpose flour, divided
1
cup whole wheat flour
¼
cup sunflower margarine
½
cup raw or roasted sunflower kernels
1
teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3cup brown sugar, packed
In large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, milk, salt and
molasses; mix well. Add eggs and 1 cup all-purpose flour; mix. Add wheat flour
and mix well.
Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each cup, until dough
is soft but not sticky. Knead 4-5 minutes. Roll ¼ inch thick and at least 18
inches long and spread with margarine. Use rolling pin to finely crush kernels;
sprinkle over margarine. Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar over kernels. Roll
dough, jellyroll fashion, and cut into 24 rolls. Place in pans on top of the
Caramel Sauce (see below). Cover and let rise for 1 hour in warm place.
Heat oven to 325°F. Bake 25-30 minutes. Invert onto serving platter.
Caramel Sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons sunflower margarine and add 1½ cups
brown sugar and ¼ cup honey. Cook over low heat until mixture begins to boil.
Pour caramel into two greased 8-by-12-inch pans. Sprinkle ¼ cup raw or roasted
sunflower kernels over each pan.
Yields 24 rolls.
