It Started with a Sunflower Seed

From a humble sunflower seed, mighty things can grow! Growing sunflowers is a great activity to start gardening with children. From one little seed, a sunflower with an instantly recognizable large golden yellow daisy-shaped flower head can grow.

Plant 6 or 7 of these sunflowers along a long high fence in the garden and see your garden transform in the summer when these flowers grow to their full glory. Even on the rainiest of days when the majestic flowers bow their heads to hide from the storm, sunflowers can still make you smile.

But there’s more to Sunflower Seeds than Flowers!

The oil from sunflower seeds is used in cooking. It’s an alternative to the old styles of cooking oils and adds an interesting nutty flavor. Check out labels for groceries containing sunflower oil, such as margarine and potato chips.

Birds love sunflower seeds! They’ll crack open the flat seed and take out the inner seed leaving a mess of shells behind! Keep a supply of sunflower seeds to sprinkle on your outside window ledge or bird table in the winter to keep your feathered friends from starving when the ice cuts off their main food source.

Not only birds, but people eat sunflower seeds too. They can be eaten as they come, or lightly toasted for a few minutes to make them a little crispy. A good source of vitamin E, sunflower seeds are a healthy addition to trail mix and kids especially seem to love the idea of eating something that you’d usually plant in the ground. Vegetarians have many uses for sunflower seeds in their cooking. However as they have a high fat value, eat the seeds sparingly if you are watching your weight or cholesterol intake!

top