Cleaning Wildflower Seed?

Michael584

I'm beginning to harvest wildflower seed from a meadow that I planted this year, and have been researching how to separate the seeds from the husk... After doing a little research I've discovered that the basic idea is to gently crush the cases then sieve or filter out the seeds. Is there anyone who has any clever ideas to speed this progress up or make it more effective?

Guernsey Donkey2

That is exactly how I separate the seeds from the husk @Michael584.  I usually collect the seed heads in a paper bag or similar paper holder from the middle towards the end of a hot dry day - say 12 - 4 p.m. I bring the seeds indoors, lay them on a plant pot saucer or an old plate, leave them resting here for another day or two and then start to gently crush them with my hands so all the seeds are released from the heads and collected.  Once this is done I then sieve the seeds so the rubbish is left in the sieve and the seeds fall through the mesh, they can be collected into an envelope, marked with name, date and any other relevant information. The husks are ditched and the envelope of seeds is stored somewhere cool, dry and dark until needed. If someone knows a quicker way (I am quite happy using this routine) then please share it with us.  I can do this whilst either watching television, or having a quite few minutes or listening to the radio.