Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Bird House & Barn

...a Farm Report

The sunflowers we planted, sometime... in June?... have grown, and grown, and grown. Some have done all they can, while the Mammoths are still turning toward the sun. I am tempted to plant a whole new crop. It might work. Seems like our summer weather always stays through October.


I like to imagine they are bowing their heads in quiet meditation. More likely, they are stooped over in utter inelegance, worn out by a week of excessive heat and humidity. That's how I feel, anyway.


The really story... their heads are heavy with beautiful sunflowers seeds! It's harvest time.


Maria and Alex joined me in the garden. Following directions Alex read, we cut the flower heads, leaving them at least twelve inches of stem. We brushed off loose bits, then slipped each one into a paper sack, where they can dry, with air to freely circulate around them.


The bags, with these flower heads inside, are hanging in the barn. When they are dry, we'll loosen the seeds, then consider our options. I hope we can successfully toast them, a bit. I should ask Annie how they prepare pipas, en España.

7 comments:

judy in ky said...

Wow, those are huge! You must have very good growing conditions at your farm. Fascinating about preparing the seeds... I've never even thought about it before.

Tami @ Lemon Tree Tales said...

This reminds me of the sunflower fields that we see in Willows, CA. They grow the shorter ones and let the entire field dry up in the sun. I wonder how many bags of sunflower seeds they can get from one little field? Have fun with yours. :-)

Jenny said...

Cool! I'm curious to see how you prepare them and how they taste.

Kim said...

Oh yum! That is neat. I'm interested to see how they taste. I would imagine that you might have to soak them in extra salty water and then toast them, just like pepitas.

ArtyZen said...

Vaya, lo siento mucho - so far, we haven't grown anything at all in Spain, so have no experience in preparing pipas. I think they are toasted or lightly fried and then sprinkled with salt. What I am an expert in is eating pipas in true Spanish style, gently breaking open the pointy end of the seed shell, extracting the seed with my tongue and spitting out the husk onto the floor. Takes a little practice but that bit I can do! Axxx

Sarah said...

I love sunflower seeds! ... but never tried growing them myself. You've inspired me though, I think I'll have to give it a try next year (it's probably too late this year where I live). Your little red tomato peeking in the one picture looks so yummy too :) Fresh tomatoes right out of the garden are one of my faves!

nikkipolani said...

Isn't that the way with many things? Inelegant, but useful, practical, and yummy :-)