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sunflower seeds

how do you know they are really raw? i read that even if they are in the shell they are dried in factories. any recommendations/thoughts?

Comments

  • kevin7197kevin7197 Raw Newbie

    I would think a simple test of sprouting the seeds should answer the question. If the seeds won’t sprout, they’ve been treated in some fashion and are no longer raw.

  • True. I was hoping to buy some tonight though and was wondering if anyone who regularly buys them had some tips.

  • kevin7197kevin7197 Raw Newbie

    I buy sunflower seeds pretty reguarly at Wild Oats or my favorite little natural foods store here in town and I haven’t noticed any problems. I guess I find sources I can trust and I rely on them to offer good products.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    I just wrote to the Sunflower Association and asked specifically how they are prepared commerically and at what temperatures, because I’m finding that no one can be trusted as far as stores go. I see so-call “raw” nuts and seeds sold all the time that are not truly raw. And the store owners often know this. “Raw” just means that the nut/seed has not been roasted but it does make me seeth to see consumers be taken advantage of with words by owners. Trust that almost all pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamias and pistachios NOT to be truly raw unless the owners have actually found this to be true. (visited the processing sites or have had someone visit for them) Certification means nothing when the product comes from overseas for the most part, as many times “certificates” mean nothing or have been forged. Just ask questions and then stick to the source you trust.

    I’ll let you know if the guys from the Sunflower Association say anything:-)

  • Mine are raw, because they sprout. I think it is the best way to decide it.
    Organic seeds, especially if you buy them at the Farmer’s market are the most reliable.

  • Thanks Alix1962!! You’re the best. Definitely let me know. I have been doing some research and seems like all sunflower seeds are “dried” before they are sold—apparently it’s difficult to hull them or do anything else to them when they are wet.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Right, you can’t hull them until they’ve dried—that’s why we always let them dry on the flowers until they were ready to be harvested and eaten up. But you’re right about commerically sold seeds, they dry them with blowers or something. I just don’t know what temperature. I”ll definately let you know:-)

  • This year, I am going to grow my own – tons of sunflowers (the variety with edible seeds). I may dehydrate some, freeze some for later use, etc.
    Until then Living Tree Community has true raw nuts and raw products.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Living Tree Community is where I get my raw nuts from:-D (when I buy any, that is) They are super people there.

    and good for you for growing your own!

  • Good to know! Yeah I don’t consume nuts or seeds on a regular basis, but wanted to try a recipe or two.

    Thanks for letting me know about Living Tree Community.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Here is teh answer from a John Sandbakken from the Sunflower Association: “Here is an answer to your question. Raw sunflower seeds that you purchase in a store are not exposed to high temps. They are dried naturally in the fields they are grown in and harvested with no further processing other then to clean and bag them. Roasted sunflower seeds are processed in roasters and seasoned before being placed in bags.”

    I hope so, because I have almost 3 pounds sitting in my hutch, hee-hee!

    Edit—oh, I hope he mean hulled seeds, too! Wait, I’ll ask him again!

  • So exciting! I actually read that hulling has nothing to do with heating—it’s just a machine that gets the hull off by cracking the seed. Yay!!

  • Excellent!
    Thank you for inquiring =)

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Alix 1962, Thanks for all the information. I have been wondering why macadamia nuts don’t appeal to me now (I just decided to go 100% raw about 3 weeks ago).

    lapetitemort, Thanks for the source info.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Umm . . . okay, I got another answer about the kernals(hulled seeds) but he didn’t tell me how they were hulled: “If they are raw kernels then they are unheated.”

    The reason why I hesitate with this kind of answer is that it is almost the same answer I got from pecan growers until I specifically asked if they used hot steam on the shells before deshelling. Also, when I asked organic company Cascade Farms if they blanched their frozen vegetables I got an evasive answer until I pressed for the process. (They blanch veggies)

    I can ask him again and ask for the hulling process if you guys want. Probably I should let him eat his lunch first, lol!:-D

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Angie, I know, I know:( I was disappointed on the macademias because I wanted to make the Raw cream cheese. So I’m going to ask the lady at Living Tree Community how she knows her nuts are raw. I’d like to have a little of the macadamias and I would LOVE some real raw cashews, those are especially hard to find really raw.

    You know, maybe I should just buy them in the shell and shell them by hand.(excpet for cashews) I mean, I can’t eat a lot of nuts becuase I’m so damn fat anyhow. Most nuts in shell haven’t been exposed to heat, or so I understand. I’ll ask on that, too, when I find a store that sells like that. By the way, I get my pecans from a company that uses “cold water” method(bleach water) on the shells. I know they’re not organic and I hate bleach, but hey, they’re totally raw and a nice golden color. You have to assume organic nuts have been heated, too, unless your seller actually knows and can tell you how they know.

  • Alix1962 you are a warrior!! Thanks for all of your hard work. Yeah I don’t know how I feel about bleaching—why do those companies make life difficult!

    I’m shocked about Cascade Farms. Please tell me they don’t blanch their frozen fruit. I don’t buy fruit from them but another frozen fruit company…

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    OH, no no, I”m sorry, kelly! No, they don’t blanch their fruits! As a matter of fact, it’s not the standard anywhere to blanch fruits. They don’t stand it very well and turn into mush. (but you know the industry would do it if it could. I htink they’re very hot on sterilizing so they can be sloppy pigs and not keep a clean business myself)

    On the bleach—I know, sucks. It’s been done since the 1960s but more companies are turning to the bleach for cost. At least you can test the shelled pecans for bleach residue. I’m really concerned about the cold-pastuerizing methods for almonds, which involves using a very strong cancer-causing fungicide. It makes me sick how out in the open this is>:(

  • I totally agree. We just have to get all of the knowledge we can and then just try to do the best we can. Good to know about fruits at least!

  • So is there any nut that i can safely buy from a health food store?

  • Hmm, nuts I don’t know, but seeds like flax, sesame and pumpkin are usually raw, unless the packaging says they are roasted.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    LIke I said, smoothielove, don’t assume the nuts from the health food store are really raw. My health food store sells nuts that have been subjected to heat in the shelling process. They call them “raw” only because in the nut business “raw” ONLY means they are not roasted. So don’t be shy about asking the owner for the name of the supplier. They have to. Then you can write or email or call the supplier and ask:-)

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    Even the nastiest, cheapest non organic bird food quality sunflower seeds I have bought all sprout perfectly. I have never known them not to sprout – they are full of such enormous life energy!

  • I think I may just buy all my nuts online! And just buy seeds at the store

  • I was just reading everybody comments and it is so depressing to realized how much untrustful people can be, they sell you something that you think is good quality and it’s not. Some times I just feel like giving up but them I see how unhealthy people are around me; and then I say to myself it has to be way to survive in a world where almost everythin sold at conventional store is bad for you.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Alix 1962, I looked at the weblite for Living Tree Community and it said the almonds are alive, but the cashews, Brazil nuts, and pecans don’t say they are alive. I called the company to ask about the cashews, and the man told me they are “flash-heated” and about 97% of the enzymes are still intact. They won’t sprout because of the 3% that are killed. The reason they chose this is that he went to Indonesia where the really raw cashews are shelled by hand, and he said it is a toxic job, and that the workers aren’t paid enough for the hard work they do.

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