How do I harvest and clean sunflower seeds?

I grew many sunflowers this year, and they have dried up and died, but there are thousands of seeds in the flowers. How do I get these out and clean them to store for next year and to send to people and possibly sell? There are a LOT, so I would need to know how to deal with this many.

How do I harvest and clean sunflower seeds?
Take the head off the plant, hold it over newspaper or plastic and rub the seeds with your hand. The seeds will fall off the head fairly easily. Putting the seeds in a paper bag and bouncing it around should dislodge any blossom parts still attached. Spread them out in the sun so they can dry, they can mildew if they are not dried.



Then google "Sunflower seeds" to find a good "Cook and salt" recipe.



Good luck and have fun. I have about 30 heads to process.



The seeds can be set out for birds and squrrils this winter.
Reply:Excellent advice above, but do not give any salted seeds to wildlife.