T.A.G. Seeds - Sweet Sunflower Seeds

T.A.G. Seeds are sunflower seeds, in a variety of cool flavors, and without any salt.

If you like seeds without the shells, and you want them without salt, then you'll probably want to give these a try.

I actually found them to be pretty good.

The problem I've always had with sunflower seeds without the shells, is that I eat them way too fast. And T.A.G. Seeds are no exception. Each 2oz bag probably contains the same amount of seeds as a bag of 3 times bigger than this, but with the shells on.

Seems there's always three people in the world: those who like sunflower seeds with the shell, those who like 'em without, and those who just don't like seeds at all. T.A.G. strives to seek that middle-ground, offering something for folks who already love seeds, and offering flavors that non-seed lovers might like.

Here are the flavors they offer...

• Chocolate


• Chocolate Mint


• Orange


• Strawberry


• Maple


• Lemon

I tried the Chocolate, Chocolate Mint, and Maple. Pictured above is the Chocolate Mint.

I'd have to say that these really do have a chocolate taste. The Chocolate Mint is definitely chocolate-minty. But I think the Maple tastes better. Seems like maple is a flavor that goes well with seeds and nuts.

Personally, I think these would go much better as an ice cream topping. Add the Choocolate Seeds to some vanilla ice cream, to give it a contrast in taste, or try the Maple Seeds to some coffee ice cream.

Heck, maybe T.A.G. Seeds will come out with some seeds still in the shell with the flavoring on them.

A jalapeno variety is probably in order as well.

T.A.G. stands for "These Are Great".

Visit them online at...

http://www.tagseeds.com

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Zotes Energy Seeds

Zotes Products LLC, of Salt Lake City, UT, is now offering energy-infused sunflower seeds.

The roasted sunflower seeds seasoned with caffeine, taurine, lysine, and ginseng. I'm not sure what these seeds actually taste like, though the ingredients list shows salt and sugar. Zotes says that a jar of these seeds has 400mg of caffeine, as much as 3-4 cups of coffee.

Zotes is known for strange sunflower seeds flavors, like Bleu Cheese, Tequila Lime, and Beer.

Energy infused seeds are not new, with SumSeeds laying claim to be the first of the kind.

Visit Zotes online...
http://www.zotes.com/

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Sumseeds Offers Three New Flavors

Dakota Valley Products, Inc. announced the release of three new flavors to its line of energy infused sunflower seeds.

The new flavors are, Dill Pickle, Honey BBQ and Salt and Pepper.

Original Sumseeds were first bagged in January, 2007 and created a public relations sensation as the industry's first nut confection infused with the energy components of caffeine, lysine, taurine and ginseng. Read our original article on Strange New Products.

"Our customers can expect two things from Sumseeds," said Tim Walter, President of Dakota Valley Products. "One, energy. Two, excellent taste, seed after seed. Now with our new flavors, our customers expect great taste from shell to nut. We're happy to say, our new flavors are right on target!"

Currently, the new flavors of Sumseeds are available in a new 1.75oz personal size bag. The original flavor is available in both the legacy 3.5oz size and the new 1.75oz size.

Sumseeds are distributed nationwide at convenience stores.

Visit Sumseeds website at:
http://www.sumseeds.com/

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Beer Flavored Sunflower Seeds

A relatively new company called Zotes Products, LLC is offering a line of sunflower seeds that includes flavors never before seen.

Their "Beer Baked Sunflower Seeds" is said to "taste painfully identical to your favorite bottle of (insert Beer here)".

They also have the following familar and not-so familiar flavors...

• Dill Pickle


• Hot Wings


• Roasted & Salted


• Spicy Nacho


• Bleu Cheese


• Garlic Roast


• Jalapeno


• Salt & Pepper


• Tequila Lime

The company also offers these seeds in a convenient, 5oz sized, "Mobile Dispensing Unit" described as the better alternative to torn bags and seeds underneath the sofa cushions.

You can order them online in six packs for $11.34 each.

Visit Zotes at: http://www.zotes.com

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Finding Worms in Sunflower Seeds

In the last post, I mentioned eating half-way through a bag of Deerfield Farms brand of sunflower seeds and not yet finding a worm.

There's a story I want to share with you.

About 18 years ago, my aunt and her family visited us from Japan. They're from Kyoto, and this was their first visit to the USA. She brought her two kids as well. Her son, Yasuhiro, was 16 years old at the time. I was 22. He had never seen sunflower seeds before.

We were in the backyard patio sitting around the table. I had my bag of David sunflower seeds. Back in those days, the David brand was notorious for having lots of worms. It seemed like every other mouthful of seeds you'd find one with a worm in it. You could tell because when you cracked it open, and used your tongue to pull the kernel out, what you felt were tiny granules of worm turds, and a bitter-tasting (but fully cooked) worm.

Sometimes the kernel was only partially eaten. Other times it was completely eaten. The partially eaten ones you could still eat, worm and all, and not be too bothered by the bitter-taste. But then there were others that tasted down-right nasty, and I couldn't help spitting it out.

So, I proceeded to teach Yasuhiro how to eat sunflower seeds. First I demonstrated my skills by popping a handful into my mouth and one-by-one spit out the shells and chewed the kernels. He was impressed.

At first he grabbed one seed, held it in his finger, and used his front teeth to crack it open. Then he would pull the kernel out with his finger, look at it, and put it into his mouth. He liked it.

About an hour into popping seeds with me, and talking about this and that, he got to the point where he could put a whole seed into his mouth, crack it open, pull out the kernel, and spit the shells out.

Then he found a worm.

Oh the look of horror on his face!

If you can imagine a Japanese teen-ager and the kind of expression they make when they find something disgusting, with his eyes tightly shut, and a nauseated expression with his mouth. He spit everything out and reached for a drink.

I finally told him, "Oh yeah, you'll find a worm every now and then". It's ok, they're fully cooked."

He stopped eating sunflower seeds from that point on. I told him that if it was an issue, just look for a tiny hole in the shell, and avoid that seed. But his mind was already made up.

But these days, with the advancements in pesticides and high-tech food processing machines, it's rare to find worms anymore.

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Deerfield Farms Sunflower Seeds

I'm quite impressed with Deerfield Farms brand of sunflower seeds. Deerfield Farms is a brand owned by Walgreens. You can find them in just about any Walgreens drugs store.

The package labels these seeds as "Jumbo" and they are indeed larger than sunflower seeds from most other brands I've had, including David. The kernels inside the shells are equally as larger than other brands as well.

Flavorwise, they're fabulous! They have the same great taste that the David brand built a reputation for. I've already eaten half the bag, and still haven't found any worms. I did find a few putrid seeds, but then again that's about the same rate I get with David brand.

Interestingly, the Deerfield Farms brand shows a whopping 690mg of sodium for a 1/4 cup serving, compared to just 135mg for David brand. However, I don't really sense a saltier taste at all.

As far as fat content goes, the Deerfield Farms brand shows 7g per serving, compared to 15g for the David brand.

But here's the real kicker. The Deerfield Brand sells for a really low $1.99 per 16oz bag. The David brand will cost you $1.99 for a much smaller 5.75oz bag.

Just to make the Deerfield Farms brand even sweeter, they come in a easy-open bag, with a zip-loc seal. I haven't figured out why David brand hasn't made that switch yet.

Summary

These seeds are awesome. High quality, large size, a full one pound, for $1.99. Thumbs up!

Purchase these at any Walgreens drug store, or CLICK HERE to buy them online.

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Pesticide-Free Sunflower Seeds

Eco-Farms Ltd. based out of Manitoba, Canada, offers a line of pesticide-free sunflower seeds.

They're now being made available to stores in the USA.

They come in two varieties, "Seasoned" and "Salted". I'm not sure what seasonings are in the Seasoned variety. Package text claims that they're grown using no chemical insecticide, herbicide, or fungicide sprays, and that they're exclusively grown on their own family farm.

They come in resealable 5.5 oz. stand-up bags. The suggested retail price is $1.49 each.

Visit Eco-Farms Ltd. at: http://www.ecofarms.ca/

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Giants Sunflower Seeds - New Varieties

Giant Snacks, LLC of Wahpeton, ND released two new flavors in their line of sunflower seeds: Salt & Pepper, and KC Style BBQ.

Here's how they describe the Salt & Pepper variety...

Enjoy the classic flavors of Salt & Pepper together at last. We have combined our great tasting Original Salted GIANTS with a unique blend of peppers that creates a zesty flavorful experience.

I don't have a description to give you on the KC Style BBQ variety.

Each variety will be sold in 5.75 oz. bags for $1.39 each.

You can buy them online from their site: http://www.giantseeds.com/

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David Dill Pickle Sunflower Seeds

The David brand of sunflower seeds recently jumped on the Dill Pickle flavor bandwagon.

These should be making its way into stores already, with a suggested retail price of 99 cents.

Last December, we blogged that Spitz introduced dill pickle flavor of sunflower seeds in Canada.

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