Sunflower // plant
🌱🌻🤔 Did you know that sunflowers are entirely edible? Every part of this tall, beautiful flower is delicious, from the buds, leaves, petals, and stalks, to Grandma Sita’s favorite, the seeds. Remember that a good way to avoid consuming potentially unsafe flowers is to obtain them from your garden, a friend’s garden, or a farmer’s market.
☀️ Sunflowers are in season, blooming from summer to early autumn. These versatile, gorgeous flowers can be used in various ways and could be a starting point to enhance your plant-based culinary creations.
👩🍳 Sunflower seeds can be roasted and eaten as a healthy snack when unsalted. They can also be sprinkled on baked goods, granola bars, salads, soups, or used in pesto.
🥗 Sunflower heads can be eaten, similar to artichokes. Sunflower petals can be plucked and tossed into salads; they have a nutty, bittersweet flavor.
🍵 Tea can be made from sunflower leaves, and the stalks are like celery, suitable for snacking or dips.
💪 Adding edible flowers to your meals can enhance flavors and textures while providing health benefits. Fortunately, a wide variety of edible flowers are available worldwide, allowing you to choose locally. Win-win!
👵💚 Grandma Sita’s tips:
*Sunflowers may last longer when kept freshly cut in a cool area, away from direct sunlight, drafts, and heat; remove spent leaves and ensure the sunflowers are well hydrated.
*Check the expiry date on both shelled and unshelled sunflower seed packages in your pantry before buying more.
*Shell sunflower seeds are an excellent addition to your compost pile, providing texture and helping to aerate and prevent compaction.
🕑 During the day, the sunflower bud follows the sun from east to west and then swiftly moves from west to east overnight due to the plant’s circadian clock. The alignment of sunflowers is a result of heliotropism during the bud stage, before the appearance of the flower heads.
🙂 In association with the sun, sunflowers are well-known for being a happy flower and the perfect flower delivery to brighten someone’s mood!
📗The Helianthus, also known as sunflowers, includes 67 species with a wide variety of flower colors and sizes. Except for three species in South America, all Helianthus species are native to North America.
🌎 Eating local and seasonal fruit and vegetables helps to reduce food waste, saves resources, improves food quality and healthy habits, and boosts the local economy.