things you never knew about sunflowers..and 5 uses.

I love sunflowers...I love their mammoth size..they tower over the ground..beautiful, vibrant, and stately. Sunflowers, along with gardenia's are probably my favorite flower. Everytime I pass a sunflower patch..I find myself genly tapping on the brakes..peering for a closer look.. 

Sunflowers are called "heliotropes." helio is latin for "sun." When sunflowers are young, they actually turn their young heads toward the sun. The movements are slow, perhaps almost imperceptible..but the head of the sunflowers actually follows the movement of the sun from dawn til dusk. Mature sunflowers typically keep thier heads pointed east.

If there is one plant that "protects" humans, it is the sunflower.. It's roots are known for absorbing harmful  chemicals from the ground. The roots and stem of sunflowers soak up radiation, heavy metals, and other chemicals.

sunflowers are actually called a composite flower. Thier heads are composed of hundreds of tiny flowers or florets clustered in a beautfiul spiral pattern.

sunflowers are the symbol of the vegan society and the state flower of Kansas

Sunflowers were used the native Americans to make paints, dyes, and even medicines..

Sunflowers stems are used to make paper.

Sunflowers are complex and intricate flowers, but their beauty is simple. Tp me, they are a praying flower..I often notice their heads bowed low..heavy from ripe seeds.. They appear to be thanking God..perhaps for His Creation, perhaps for their own beauty and unique purpose.

I find it interesting that sunflowers follow the sun when they are young. But then, as they mature, their heads stubbornly stay pointed in one direction. When they are old and ripe thier heads hang low...

As children, aren't we like sunflowers..trusting, faithful, our heads and our hearts..following the Light.."the Son." But as, we grow older and become adults..we often stubbornly turn away from the Truth we recognized in our childhoods?  When we are older and mature..how often do we return to the Truth from which we had departed..and finally learn to give thanks with heads bowed low? Or does the sunflower hang it's head low because, like us, it had lost a child like faith, and spent years in stubborness?

Whatever the case, I love the parallels.. I love finding similarites between things..  I hope you don't mind my musings..

I researched five uses for sunflowers. I hope  you enjoy.

There is peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter and sunbutter. Here is a recipe to make your own sunbutter !
http://www.food.com/recipe/how-to-make-your-own-sunflower-seed-butter-422938

Natural oils are good for the skin. Are you interested in smooth skin? Here is a recipe for homemade facecream using the natural oil from sunflowers.
http://voices.yahoo.com/how-homemade-face-cream-3353872.html


Looking for a project to do with the family. Birds love sunflower seeds. Her is a link that shows how to make your own birdfeeder out of a sunflower head. http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/6715/kids-can-make-bird-feeders-out-of-sunflower-heads

Got a craving for sunflower seeds? Grow sunflowers and  roast your own.
http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-salted-sunflower-seed-98828

I love natural perfumes. Here is how to make your very own homemade, unique floral scent...
http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_6882271_make-herbal-perfumes.html


Have fun!