De-hulling Sunflower Seeds

[Reagan40]

This year, we planted a bunch of sunflowers. They are about to bloom. As I am realizing that we are about to get a bunch of sunflower seeds, I am thinking about what to do with them. Some we will roast and eat. Others we will use for bird feed. We like to put the seeds on salads, but that means cracking a bunch of shells. I have been looking online and some say that a grain mill set to the proper setting will do this without crushing the seed. Others say it won't. I haven't really found anyone who has actually done it. Does anyone else use any type of mechanical mill or other device to de-hull sunflower seeds in larger quantities? If so, how do you do it?

 

[PGRChaplain]

Feed them all to the Birds. Buy shelled ones for the Salad, much less labor.

 

[Leadeye]

^ This. It's the same with black beans, not worth the trouble.

 

[patience0830]

^ This. It's the same with black beans, not worth the trouble.

Yup. I'd have to be really bored to waste valuable time hulling either.

Fresh peas are a different story.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Yup. I'd have to be really bored to waste valuable time hulling either.

Fresh peas are a different story.

Yep. With those you buy the right kind and eat them hull and all!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Birds and squirrels will take care of it for you.

 

[Reagan40]

Guess you guys don’t share that same sense of doing it yourself to the same nonsensical degree that I do. . Buying them from the store is not nearly as much fun.

 

[Double T]

Depends on how you value your time. The amount of time I'd spend doing what you plan to, it's definitely worth the 2-5 bucks for the work to already to be done.

 

[two70]

Season and bake lightly with the shells on, then shell them with your tongue and teeth as you eat them. Spit hulls out and repeat.

 

[eldirector]

I have not tried any of these, but here you go:
https://www.leaf.tv/articles/diy-sunflower-hulling-methods/

 

[Reagan40]

I have not tried any of these, but here you go:
https://www.leaf.tv/articles/diy-sunflower-hulling-methods/

Thanks Eldirector. I ran across that article a few days ago. I just can't find anyone who has actually done any of those methods to verify it works.

 

[Reagan40]

Season and bake lightly with the shells on, then shell them with your tongue and teeth as you eat them. Spit hulls out and repeat.

I will definitely do this with some of them. My wife frowns on the idea of me spitting seeds on her salad though.

 

[Reagan40]

Depends on how you value your time. The amount of time I'd spend doing what you plan to, it's definitely worth the 2-5 bucks for the work to already to be done.

Most of the time, I am with you on this idea. This year we have had fun doing a lot of pickling and freezing things we grew in the garden. We could buy pickles for much cheaper, especially if we put a value to our time. For us, its about doing the task together as a family and learning new things. We do these things together in the evenings, and my daughter is really enjoying it. I guess it is more like a hobby, so as long as we are enjoying it, we don't need to think about the value of our time.

 

[eldirector]

Most of the time, I am with you on this idea. This year we have had fun doing a lot of pickling and freezing things we grew in the garden. We could buy pickles for much cheaper, especially if we put a value to our time. For us, its about doing the task together as a family and learning new things. We do these things together in the evenings, and my daughter is really enjoying it. I guess it is more like a hobby, so as long as we are enjoying it, we don't need to think about the value of our time.

This ^^^^^

My wife and kiddo helped me make pickles over the weekend. They don't even LIKE pickles, but we had fun.

Same with our chickens. Eggs can be had pretty cheep (see what I did there?), but we know what these birds are eating and my daughter ADORES them.

Heck, I just looked out my office window, and my girls are in the garden (human and avian). La Directora and La Directorette are picking veggies, and los pollos are eating bugs and weeds. I may be able to live cheaper, but I doubt I could live any better.

 

[Reagan40]

This ^^^^^

My wife and kiddo helped me make pickles over the weekend. They don't even LIKE pickles, but we had fun.

Same with our chickens. Eggs can be had pretty cheep (see what I did there?), but we know what these birds are eating and my daughter ADORES them.

Heck, I just looked out my office window, and my girls are in the garden (human and avian). La Directora and La Directorette are picking veggies, and los pollos are eating bugs and weeds. I may be able to live cheaper, but I doubt I could live any better.

Well said. We have chickens for eggs as well. We are going to experience our first batch of meat chickens soon as well. I will get the chicks on Aug. 3. It is definitely more time consuming and expensive than getting chicken from the store, but we know what they will be fed and we will enjoy the experience... At least most of it. We have been getting free range chicken meat from a farm down the road. It is so much tastier than what they sell at the store and so much better for us. We are not "homesteaders" by any means, but my daughter enjoys getting to experience things that her friends have never done. She definitely has stories and is more well rounded for it.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Guess you guys don’t share that same sense of doing it yourself to the same nonsensical degree that I do. . Buying them from the store is not nearly as much fun.

Nope. Grew up doing this sort of thing because it was necessary. Snapping and stringing beans to dry to dehydrate, digging and storing potatoes in the pump house, cracking walnuts, picking berries, etc. I don't see the fun, but I do plant some sunflowers for the wildlife to eat.

 

[Hop]

I used to have two pet Chinchillas. They were fantastic little sunflower seed huskers. Good luck getting that seat away from them though.

 

[Reagan40]

Nope. Grew up doing this sort of thing because it was necessary. Snapping and stringing beans to dry to dehydrate, digging and storing potatoes in the pump house, cracking walnuts, picking berries, etc. I don't see the fun, but I do plant some sunflowers for the wildlife to eat.

My mom doesn’t understand why we have chickens. When she was a little girl, she had to get the eggs from her grandmothers hen house. She developed a phobia of birds because of it. She will acknowledge that our eggs taste better than their store bought eggs, but still it makes no sense to her. I’ll admit, I have had an easy life compared to many and have never had to do these types of things. I wasn’t exactly spoiled. I was expected to work and work hard, but the grocery store was just a short car ride away, and we never even had the thought that we would go without. It’s funny how life experience changes what we perceive to be fun or enjoyable. Kind of like food network celebrities raving about “peasant food”and the locals are like “yeah, that’s the only thing we can afford to eat.”

 

[two70]

I will definitely do this with some of them. My wife frowns on the idea of me spitting seeds on her salad though.

 

[Talonap]

Birds and squirrels will take care of it for you.

But you have to be real fast to get the inside seeds the second they get the hulls off. Little critters tend to try to eat them themselves!