We’re a little sad around here because frost is coming, and it doesn’t look like our sunflower seeds are going to completely ripen in time.

We planted the sunflower seeds late in the season because it took longer than anticipated to complete the construction of the garden beds. So we knew it was a long shot that we would be able to harvest the seeds, but we were still hoping.  

We’ve actually gotten some seeds out of them, but not as many as we could have.  The children are a bit sad about it, but the goats will be very excited, because they will get to eat the ones that didn’t fully ripen.  Sunflowers are actually very easy to grow, but they do require a long growing season.

The children all love to snack on raw sunflower seeds from the garden.  It’s so much healthier this way because they’re not roasted and salted.  I also prefer it when they have to remove the seeds from the outer shell themselves because it slows them down so they’re not consuming fistfuls of the seeds at a time.

When we first started growing them, I wondered how good for you they are.  It turns out that sunflower seeds are a great, healthy snack for many reasons.

Sunflower seeds are high in Vitamin E which is an important antioxidant that can help with asthma, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer.

Sunflower seeds contain Phytosterols which can help regulate cholesterol levels and reduce risk of certain cancers.

Sunflower seeds contain Magnesium which can help lower high blood pressure, decrease asthma severity, and prevent migraines.

Sunflower seeds contain Selenium which is necessary for proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Most soil in the US is deficient in selenium.  We actually give our goats booster shots of selenium because they need it for their health.

Sunflower seeds contain Potassium which is very important for optimal kidney function and regulating blood pressure.

Sunflower seeds are a good source of healthy fats which help you to feel full so you’re not as tempted to overeat.

Sunflower seeds are high in protein which are needed to build, repair, and maintain cells and tissue in your body.

I love to cook with sunflower seeds too, but that is the subject of another post.  Do you ever snack on sunflower seeds?