sunflower seed confusion....

[Non]

I'm reading contradictory information on the internet. Some sources say that hulled sunflower seeds still have the shell, some say unhulled means they still have the shell. They also say that one is used for greens and others for sprouts.

I bought a whole bunch of sunflower seeds WITH shell thinking that only those will sprout, though I can't find any instructions for sprouts with shells, and specifically how to sprout them so that the shells don't get in the way.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i never use the one with the shell on unless i wanna munch while watching a movie...

[Mary Kay]

That is so funny you are bringing this up! A couple wks ago, I taught my homeschooling co-op class about sunflower greens in my class entitled "Let's Grow Stuff and Eat It!" Cool, huh? Just this week, we brought them in for a taste/growth test.

Anyway, we did an experiment: I soaked organic hulled (meaning the shells are removed), and two diff't varieties of unhulled - large striped and smaller black oil seeds. We labelled them in flats and covered them with a little soil. Each child got their own flat (there are only four students).

Well, the kids are 6 & 7 and they did put too much soil on top of them, including my daughter. The unhulled seeds fared better with the excess soil on top. The hulled ones got a little moldy.

Now, I've done this experiment myself, and got good results from all of them because I covered them with just the right amount of soil. But when you "abuse them" by putting on too much soil, it appears that the unhulled ones grow better.

Now, here's my problem. Only the hulled ones were organic, so now I'm worried the others may have been GMO. I got them in the hardware store!

Actually, the striped seeds were larger and produced greens that were larger, so this might be my first choice if I can make certain they're non GMO.

BTW, the kids loved 'em!

We also did an experiment and I brought some in plain with a little salt, mixed in with a pb and j rollup, and dipped in various dressings. I was surprised that most of them liked them dipped into a little bit of sea salt the best!

Mary Kay

[DebB]

I'm reading contradictory information on the internet. Some sources say that hulled sunflower seeds still have the shell, some say unhulled means they still have the shell. They also say that one is used for greens and others for sprouts.

I bought a whole bunch of sunflower seeds WITH shell thinking that only those will sprout, though I can't find any instructions for sprouts with shells, and specifically how to sprout them so that the shells don't get in the way.

If you want to grow sunflower greens, you'll use them with the shells on. Have you thought of growing them in dirt into greens? It's really easy, just takes a bit of time is all.

Shells off are for sprouting. I let the tails get about as long as the seed and then I dehydrate them.

I have the Hippocrates Health Institute's DVD on growing these as well as wheatgrass etc. and he doesn't recommend the striped shells because he says (he being the man in charge of their green house and growing them) they don't dislodge nearly as easily as the pure black ones from the green.

I was also surprised when he said you do not need to buy organic seed - to just buy bird seed (black oil) and you'll be fine. *Ü*

[Mary Kay]

You know, DebB, I think he's right...the striped ones did seem a little difficult to get off, but he's growing them in bulk and we only grow one tray at a time, so isn't any kind of a big deal to me.

The birdseed ones, really did well, but I'm wondering if he's not thinking about the GMO potential.

I saw the Hippocrates vid a long time ago....I think they put a tray on top of the sunnies, right? Every time I did that, I got mold. Even when I used hyd peroxide, so that is why I top with a little soil. I actually like a very lightweight seed sprouting medium to top it.

Mary Kay.

[DebB]

Yes, they do put a tray on top of the sunnies. They do this at Tree of Life in AZ (Gabriel Cousens) too. I also do it that way after seeing their videos and (knock on wood!) I've never had a mold problem with the sunnies.

Now - my wheatgrass + mold = different story! *Ü*