Sunflowers- another one of nature's miracle plants
What would you say if I told you that the big yellow Sunflower could be used for Oil- from the seeds Coffee- from the roasted seeds Tea- from the leaves Paper- from the pith of the stems Dye- from the bright yellow flowers Fuel- from the dried stems, Soap- from the oil of the seed Candles- from the oil of the seed Varnish- from the oil of the seed Paint- from the oil of the seed Skin care and treatment for snakebites- from the leaves Food- from the seeds
The sunflower really is a fascinating plant, not only do they make me smile every time I see them outside Nan Fran's cottage but they have an incredible amount of practical uses.
The Seeds Contain Vitamin E, protein, fibre, Copper, Zinc and Iron, these are all needed for a healthy, balanced diet. Nan Fran says they can easily be added to cereal, bread recipes or used on their own for a snack, I use them all the time in my recipes. You can even grind the seeds to make flour. The seeds contain oil; this oil is used for cooking and is as good as olive oil. The oil of the seed is not just used for cooking it is also used to make a variety of materials such as soaps and candles.
Sunflower oil can also be used to make Bio diesel Jake asks - what is bio diesel Dan Bio diesel is a fuel used to power vehicles; it is used instead of petrol which uses oil drained from the earth. Bio diesel is made using ethanol from plant materials such as rapeseed, sunflowers and sugar cane. Jake- it sounds great but there is so many cars they will have to grow so many plants where will they get the space Jennifer Pickles- that’s the problem Jake it sounds great but the truth is that they cut down large parts of the rain forest to grow plants for bio fuels. With more and more people driving bigger cars they cut down more forest to make more fuel.
The Stems In Three Little Woods we do not think it is fair that the old trees be cut down for paper. Especially when you can make a paper just as good from the woody stems of the sun flower. This means we can leave the trees to grow and use the wood of the sunflower which grows and dies every year and re plant its seeds the next season. The stems can also be used for making thread and rope.
The Leaves The big hairy leaves of the sunflower have a long interesting history. The Native North Americans used their leaves to make a treatment for snake bites and a tea to drink.
The Flowers The bright yellow petals of the flower are used to make a dye for clothes and materials.
Jake asks - what is bio diesel Dan
