Why to eat Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds contain large amounts of healthy fat acids and
can be enjoyed fresh or used in bread and dishes. They are very
popular in candy in deserts and many sunflower lovers make their
own brine to spice up the taste of the sunflower seed. Creating
your own brine is easy if you follow the simple steps outlined
below. The first humans that enjoyed tasty sunflower seeds were
the Native Americans. They even used them to cook and bake
cakes; sunflower seeds were grounded into a nutritious flour
that could be used for a wide range of dishes.
If you want to try making your own sunflower seed brine you
should begin by washing the seeds. Place your sunflower seeds in
a large bowl filled with cold water and stir them around until
dirt accumulate at the bottom of the bowl and any dust particles
float up to the surface.
If you prefer sunflower seeds without shells, you don't have to
make any brine. The brine is only a way to add taste to
sunflowers without having to remove the shells. With shell-less
sunflower seeds, you can simply add salt and spices directly to
the sunflower seeds. If you coat the shell-less seeds with
cooking spray or vegetable oil, salt and spices will stick
better to the kernels. Sunflower oil is of course a good choice
here.
The next step is to roast your sunflower seeds. This is not
mandatory, but roasted seeds can be stored much longer than
fresh ones. If you plan to eat your seeds soon, you can skip
this stage. The easiest way of roasting sunflower seeds is to
spread them out on a plate in a single layer. Heat to oven to
approximately 275 degrees Celsius and place the plate in the
oven. After roughly 10 minutes the seeds will be finished. It is
important to keep an eye on the seeds since they can turn dark
rapidly if left to long in the oven.
When you have let the sunflower seed cooled down they are ready
to be immersed in seed brine. The brine described below is
suitable for roasted sunflower seeds as well as non-roasted
ones. This basic recipe will create moderately salted sunflower
seeds and you can easily add your own spices to the brine to
create your own favourite sunflower seeds.
Begin by filling a bowl with around 1 litre of water and 2 dl
salt (any type of salt will do, you won't need any special type
of salt). Stir the mix gently until the salt has dissolved.
Place the sunflower seeds in the brine and let them soak for at
least 12 hours. Lift up the seeds from the salt brine and let
them dry thoroughly. Proper drying is extra important if you
plan to store your sunflower seeds. Once the seeds are dry, the
can be eaten or stored. If you store your sunflower seeds in a
dry place where the temperature is not too high, they will keep
their nice taste for months.