stockpiling sunflower seeds

March 20, 2006 7:21 PM

How long will an unopened bag of shelled sunflower seeds lasts?

I've searched a while but I'm only finding about the longevity of bulk shelled sunflower seeds. I have shelled sunflower seeds still in the plastic bag.

posted by lpctstr; to Food & Drink (3 answers total)

From here - "Unshelled seeds, however, keep very well: six months to a year when stored in a cool, dry place. Shelled seeds will keep for three to four months at room temperature in a cool, dry place. For longer storage, keep seeds in the refrigerator for a few months or in the freezer for up to a year."
posted by tellurian at 7:59 PM on March 20, 2006

I would figure that as long as the bag is sealed, tellurian's answer is accurate. Once you open the bag, though, I'm sure that the shelf-life decreases.
posted by MeetMegan at 10:16 PM on March 20, 2006

You'd have to be sure that there were no bugs in them. We once bought a bulk pack of sunflower seeds for the birds. The bag fell off the shelf a few months later, and started to crawl away. It was infested with tens of thousands of weevils.
posted by scruss at 4:05 AM on March 21, 2006