Dry your own sunflower and pumpkin seeds at the end of the summer.
Sunflowers and pumpkins each produce an abundance of seeds that you can collect for planting and eating. It is easy to dry sunflower and pumpkin seeds, making the project a good one to do with children. Divide the seeds into two groups, one for planting the following season and one for roasting and snacking on.
Harvesting
Pick pumpkins from the garden at the end of summer before the first frost, when their skins are hard and thick. Cut them just above their stems with a knife. When you cut pumpkins open to use in cooking or as jack-o-lanterns, save the seeds. Place the seeds in a colander and rinse off the wet fibers. For sunflowers, snip fully-developed blooms including 1 foot of their stems at the end of the season. Hang blooms upside down in a dry place, tying paper bags beneath them to catch their seeds.
Drying
Lay clean pumpkin seeds on paper towels or newspapers lining a cookie sheet to dry for about a week. Store them in a jar in the refrigerator for planting the following year. Seeds for roasting don't need to dry out completely. Sunflower seeds are dry when they fall into the paper bag. Save them in jars or paper envelopes in a cool, dark place for planting the following year.
Planting
Plant pumpkin seeds in spring when the weather has warmed. Make small mounds of dirt about 1 foot in diameter and 4 inches tall. Plant 4 or 5 seeds in each mound, 2 inches deep. Thin the seedlings to two or three per mound, when they develop a second set of leaves. Plant sunflower seeds in early spring. Plant them several inches apart at a depth of twice the length of the seeds. Water seeds thoroughly after planting. Don't let pumpkin or sunflower seedlings dry out completely. Once they have grown considerably and developed a strong root system, water them only after long dry spells.
Roasting
Roast sunflower and pumpkin seeds for 15 minutes or until they are crisp in a warm oven, about 300 degrees F. Roast pumpkin and sunflower seeds separately as they may require different cooking times. Keep sunflower seed hulls on or remove them before roasting. Coat seeds with 1 1/2 tsp. Worcester sauce, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. melted butter for a savory snack. Use butter with sugar for a sweet treat. Combine mixtures of dried herbs for other effects. Make curried seeds with turmeric, cinnamon, coriander and cumin. Use chili pepper for spicier seeds; mix chili powder with brown sugar for a sweet and spicy combination.
Tags: pumpkin seeds, planting following, sunflower pumpkin, sunflower pumpkin seeds, following year, planting following year, pumpkin sunflower
