Can you eat your own sunflower seeds?

[Whoamireally]

Got lots of sunflower head with big seeds on - am wondering whether they are fit for human consumption? I don't see why they wouldn't be but I seem to remember that they are best left for birds for some reason?

If you can eat them, what do you have to do to them? Just roast them?

Can eat raw, they are entirely edible.

It's lovely to leave some for the birds - not only do you get a lot of birds through the winter (especially greenfinches) but we found that we got a lot of self-sown sunflowers in the garden as a result.

Thanks ragged, that's what I needed to know! Thanks Grendelsmum, if I didn't want the sunflower seeds I'd be happy to leave them for the birdies! (Although, the verminous squirrels are more likely to have them round here!) but if the garden varieties are edible I'll be harvesting mine so I won't have to buy any over the winter!