Harvesting Sun Flowers

[shelbylovesmelby]

I'm hoping someone can answer this.

My oldest dd & I planted some sunflowers. Well they are getting droopy & in the way of other flowers that need the full sun. I'd like to cut them down & save the heads & let the seeds "ripen". Can I do that? Or do I have to let them dry on the stalk??

[Law6]

My sunflowers were planted too late in the year for the seeds to develop properly so I didn't get any nice heads. I like to leave one or two in the garden over the winter for the birds.
To keep the birds away and get them to dry, you will need to cover the heads with a paper sack. This will allow them to dry and keep the critters off. When the seeds start to fall into the bag, remove the head from the stem with a sharp knife. Remove seeds by brushing them out of the head and roast in the oven. Do not brown. You want to add salt water. Should be quite salty. (I use sea salt) All you are doing is trying to complete the drying process. Do not brown.