Harvest the head, the leaves had all turned yellow, the black had white stripes on them, where full and plump in feel..
rub the seeds out, take care because the faster you go and more mess you make the more you will need to clean them later, they come out pretty fast once you get the swing of it..
Raw seeds, now they need to either be soaked over night in salt water or simmered on the stove in salt water or if you want unsalted, you can move right onto wash, rinse and into the roasting stage.
Into the oven for 40 min at 300 give or take, stir at least once at the mid mark, cool, and enjoy or if you need that extra salt punch, a tiny bit of oil and a sprinkle of salt over them fresh and hot out of the oven, let cool and enjoy! Store in a airtight glass jar ideally.
As these were simmered, I really didn`t find I needed any extra salt on them after roasting..
Don`t they look just yummy, now I must have a feast! of a yummy home grown 0 mile Splits!
Just another Day on the Farm 
Yum! I grew some years ago when I lived in-land. The winds that blow through here are to much for them.
Those sure are gorgeous Sunflowers you grew this year. What variety are they? (Other than Striped Spitz, of course; )
They are Russian Giant sunflowers.. and I will for sure explore different kinds over the next few years, but no so far, I have not grown the black oil seed
Say, d’you ever grow Black Oil Seed? They’re awesome little guys that only grow to 4-5′ tall, with multiple flowers per plant (and ‘way better for windy locations like Sherri’s; )
Are those raised for human eating or just for the birds and hamsters?
Human eating, the birds and rabbits are extra`s for us first
Hi Sherri! By the name, I’m guessing that they were originally used for oil; but they are QUITE tasty, and easier to crack open as well: )
I’ve used seed straight out of the bird feeder (ever since I saw how well the Chippy’s planting went in my flower pots; )
Good going! Mine are not quite ready and now we are going to be -5 the next 2 nights then 0 then back into warm 20’s, dang Alberta cold front!
We do this too. They’re also good for bird feeders and be sure to save some for planting next year. It only takes one or two heads for us to seed a large garden.
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