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1. Sunflower heads will mold long after they seem to be dry. Err on the side of keeping them in a drying environment longer than seems necessary.

   1. Thank you for this excellent comment. Many large seeds are thick and hold moisture a very long time. After collecting the still maturing seed heads into boxes and buckets and leaving for a week or so to finish maturing, we will likely shake the seeds off and then spread the seeds out on screens inside (away from birds) for drying for four to six weeks. When storing any seed we grow, we not only leave it to dry an extra long time but we toss and turn them periodically to aerate them as well. Mold is a very bad thing in seed. One moist seed put into a jar can cause mold to grow and ruin the whole batch. (I’ve sadly learned this lesson the hard way.) Thanks again!

2. Dear Ms. Latimer,
   Thank you for your very informative articles. You might check out the little known Yellowhorn nut tree as a perennial source of oil. The fruit is 40% oil and the seed alone is a whopping 72% oil. Best article is at:
   http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2013/10/29/permaculture-plants-yellowhorn/
   Order plants at http://www.onegreenworld.com or seeds at http://www.treeseeds.com

3. Sarah,

   I’m enjoying your series very much. I know that you don’t want to use lard and I understand your reasons; they are mine as well.

   I’ve been thinking that sources of fat will be at a premium come hard times and have been looking for a way to fill this gap for my family, so your article particularly caught my eye. I want some animal fat for cooking, but the fat from the standard small livestock we can raise on our little farm is pretty piddlley, and wild game is too lean to give much fat. I do not have the pasture to support a cow, unfortunately, so no suet or butter for me. I am also concerned with the low smoke point of unrefined sunflower oil because overheated oils can be carcinogenic. https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points So I’m cautious about the plant based oil route, too. What to do, what to do… 🙂

   In an effort to provide essential fats for my family, I’ve taken to raising ducks as an experiment. They are easy to raise and I can grow all their food if necessary, which makes them prepping friendly. I’ve read that their eggs are higher in fat than a chicken’s and they have a good bit of fat to render for cooking. I’m hoping this will be a good option for us. I thought I would mention it as a possible option for your situation as well.

   This youtuber, Guildbrook Farms, intrigued me with her frugality and the way she recycles and renders fat from her cooking. It’s simple and honestly, something I should have considered long ago. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_9HlT1_37oc

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