I'm assuming like any other seeds gathering--you have to wait till the head of the flower is all dried out, then you shake the seeds into a bag. You'll have to watch to see if with the milk thistle, that like some thistles the seeds are attached to 'wings' and tend to fly off in the wind (like dandelions). As I've never collected thistle seeds (have never seen wild milk thistle here) you'll have to keep an eye on a plant to see what happens
Collecting seeds will mean you have some little twigs or chaff, but I can't see any big need to winnow them out, unless you get some big enough to just pick up with your fingers. Store bought seeds will be clean--no chaff. Wild gathered you'll get some chaff. But the chaff will grind up with the seeds and probably has the same chemicals as the seeds. Sometimes what people do with plants they are keeping seeds from is, as the heads get closer to drying out, they cut off the flower heads and hang them upside down to let them dry--if the seeds are the type to stick in the flower heads. If the seeds are the type to drop off, then they cut the heads just before becoming completely dry, and place them into a paper bag. After the heads dry, they shake the bag to release the seeds. Samala, Renee -------Original Message------- is during the summer we have lots of milk thistle plants on our property but I wouldnt have a clue as to how to harvest their seeds. Do you or anybody else for that matter?
