This week we try making a flour substitute from SunFlower stalks and we're amazed at how well it turned out! This is the link to the grinder that we use: www.amazon.ca/...
Before you remkve the center for flour, peel them. Then scoop and chop the stalk to eat. Use like celery, tastes about the same. The leaves are edible, cook like greens. Try for younger leaves. Plants are amazing
@@woodsie5796 Ive ate the leaves. I guess its better when you use younger leaves, but all is edible. Older leaves are more bitter. I tried older, and they were bitter by their self. I did find that adding them to veggie soup was actually not bad, so older ones would be better in stuff like that.
For what to do with the outer stalk fibres, check out Sally Pointer's historical rope & textile making youtube videos - sunflower stems could make very long rope, twine, or thread fibres if you stripped it off before cutting the stems down into sections.
Great job! Gonna definitely try this I live in the desert and process the dry mesquite pods for flour so this is useful to me since I always grow sunflowers like mesquite flour I believe that a ratio of one part mesquite or sunflower flour to 2 parts corn flour will work for baking just about everything Have a Blessed day
I've been researching this topic for quite some time and hae discovered that sunflower flour is 100% cellulose, which is indigestable by people (non-ruminants) ... it just goes right thru the system with zero calories and no nutrition. It also causes gas, bloating and other GI upset. My question is are you still using it and did you find it to be helpful? I can see it as an extender for bread in a very serious long term grid down situation but not for the day to day. Are you using it still? Thanks for any info you have.
I love your your whole homestead life your surrounding area is gorgeous! But I would love more info on the type of grinder you used for the flour and thanks for the video!
The stalks make excellent fire starters, the outer fiber is very strong. I agree, follow Sally Pointer for tips on processing. If you are looking for insulative materials, these are amazing because of their airpockets. I am harvesting the inner pith now for food. I am finding the soft, green flesh is easier to cut out then the dried, white.
Maybe another use for the outer dry stalks (similar to what is done with sugar cane): let them dry and use them in any fire you might need (wood stove, heating, etc). Best if you use them mixed with the regular wood.
I look forwards to finding out what it's like to eat. Another possible tool for scooping out the core is one of those lttle hook knives used for carving spoon. Or a miniature version of those avocado or coconut scoop tools. You could make one with a narrow strip of metal, sharpened a bit on one edge and both ends pinned to the end of a stick. The leftover stalk would probably make good kindling or as fuel for a camping woodgas stove.
I only have three sunflowers but I am going to try this for sure. I love what you guys are doing I am trying to be as self sufficient as I can. I live in Calgary so can't grow outside in the winter but I do have grow lights that I can use to at least try spinach and other assorted greens. Can't wait to see what you guys do with the flour good luck.
Thanks for all the resourceful info , ...dont forget that the flower heads can be roasted in olive oil or butter and taste like artichoke hearts , dont skimp on the garlic!!
I'm curious if you think the dehydrated stalks would be good to eat by themselves, maybe with some butter, salt and pepper? Looking forward to hearing how the flour works in a recipe. Am enjoying your channel!
Might be a bit dry. Quick search on the web shows you can eat the younger stalks fresh like cellery and cook whole sunflower heads (with the green removed). I've never tried any of these things! :) Its the pith from within the stalk that its making the flour.
Cool stuff man I'm really glad you found a different tool for that. Also enjoyed because it's so easy to imagine me as you with my property and my chick someday good for you man awesome home adventure! That flour is a lot of work though...
If you have a chipper you can chip the stalks just like you would small branches for either the compost pile, directly on the garden or even drying and using for chicken or pig bedding. You could also dry and save for staking up plants the next gardening season.
Thanks for following. We apologize but the honest answer is we didn't do a follow up video :( However we found the flour was very fine and would not raise for baking. It was good to use for thickening soups and gravies, etc... And if we mixed it 50/50 with other types of flour it worked ok for baking (but still not as good)
A piece of 3/4''' Conduit sharpened on one end like a round knife would work great for that, maybe sharpen both ends and elongate one end for the narrow pcs.
You can take all the petals off the young heads and rub with some oil or grease over the young seeds then add some salt and spices and bake them in an over or grill them on a BBQ
Was that a grinder that you used to sift the flour? Brand and where did you purchase? Looks wonderful and love that you can use every part of the sunflower. 🌻🌻🌻
This might be a stupid question, but is this flour gluten free? My 12 year old has coeliac disease. What sort of things can we use ty is flour for also? Thank you. I have a stall ready to harvest 😁I’ve been cutting the sunflower heads and keeping some to plant and other to roast. I knew you could make things with the stalk but not flour. Great video!
This lady (lowcarbrecipeideas) on YT has an excellent recipe for bread using sunflower flour and yes it’s gluten free and low glycemic. I make it with great success.
Hi I was wondering what other animals you guys want in the future I recommend goats because they will eat most of the weeds in your garden and give you milk
appreciate your video. Can’t wait for the next video. I was going to throw away some real beauties of large sunflowers. Right before I sound your video I cut up the stalks into small pieces. Lol now I have around 60 pieces of stalk to harvest for flour. Lol timing on my part sucks lol 😂
"I got you a bouquet of flowers!" lol Imagine your hubby coming back, thinking he got you some big ass geraniums! lol We usually dried our stalks for stakes for our lighter plants. Rain and rodents destroyed even our volunteer plants this year. All we have to show for sunflowers, is a leggy 2/3 foot with a small flower. Luckily, we still have seeds saved to try again next year. Is sunflower oil obtained by the leaves? If you can't use the 'kindle' stalk for craft then surely it can be dried for heat?
Im wondering now if the leaves and whole plant are edible usually if one part is the other parts are I think. They do the leaves of other plants so Im sure one could also make sunflower leaf essential oil.
If nothing else, use the stalks as kindling. My old uncle would sayv "You never leave an axe head in a chopping block" ... old wives tale.... you're inviting death. He would be over 100 years old now.
Tried looking for the video/pic of what you made but guess its too far back. Has anyone tried this with wild sunflowers? The kind on roadsides with 20 small flower heads.
A narrow small shoe horn...you know like the old school shoe stores had then take it and shave it on the edge to sharpen it a bit ... Then you got it. Just be real careful though...
YES!!!! Someone sent us the link a month ago and I haven't been able to track down the video again. I searched Sunflower Flour and it wasn't coming up for us. I'll pin a comment right now!! Thanks for messaging and thanks for the video :)
Yes. In our first year we grew wheat grass. We ate the young shoots for nutrition and then let it grow to wheat that we Milled. Was definitely a lot of work for a small amount of flour, but was a great treat. There's a video a few weeks back on that
