Don't forget to check out Curiosity Stream using this link: curiositystream.com/thekiwigrower . Use my code ‘thekiwigrower’ to get a full year for $14.99! (USD). Thanks Curiosity Stream! What do you do with your Sunflowers or what would you like to try out? Thanks for watching! -Kalem :)
I do selective breeding. I live in a desert and I do stress out my plants by withholding water and I select the biggest and best looking ones. I now have massive 12 foot tall flowers that get watered every 2 weeks.
@@thesilentone4024 we also had sunflower previous summer and they grew up to around 5 meters sorry I can’t convert it in to feet because I am from Bulgaria and we use metric 🙂🙂🙂
Love that you're exploring different ways to maximise the use of a plant! Didn't know you could eat the whole head of the sunflower - that's pretty cool! Didn't know you could make tea with it either! Appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating these videos. :)
You can take the stalks when cut, remove the exterior fibrous sheets to make cordage. Remove the inner pith, let dry, then grind fine to make a flour that has a taste similiar to buckwheat.
Absolutely! With flour getting expensive, this is a good alternative. A couple of flat stones to gring into flour. Split evenly in half, and it still leaves you with stakes to use, as you suggest.
Getting the seeds out is actually kind of fun. I use a large brown paper grocery bag and do what you were doing INSIDE the bag, so I don't make a mess, and don't loose any seeds.
Bro, you're blowing my mind. I have about 12 sunflowers growing for the first time ever. I'm wondering what to do with them and you have given me heaps of inspiration.
I have eaten sunflowers in a variety of ways and i love them. I always pick some young, green leaves, chop them up and add them to my stews. Never use too many at a time though, mix them up with other greens. Find you get the best results and flavors like that. I've fried young, developed sunflower heads (unfortunately you picked yours much too late). The seeds still need to be white without a hard outer shell. Cut them in strips, grill or fry them and, yes, eat them with a dip or relish. I've also cut up and eaten some sunflower stalks. They were growing in a pot and weren't very big. I removed the sunflowers before they were fully developed (i had planted too many and was thinning them out). Sauted the stalks (the upper not so fibrous parts). I peeled the outer layer like you would sometimes do with celery or asparagus. Surprisingly, they tasted like asparagus and were very pleasant. Probably my favorite flavour.
Thanks for this comment! I'd heard somewhere that Italians eat them so I was sure there were more delectable ways to prepare! Plus, always looking for asparagus alternatives!
@@James-ol2fr Yeah, I was surprised by the uncanny resemblance in flavor. You gotta pick the stalks about 15 inches long, young and tender. Also if you grow sunflowers, you always end up with so many seeds, you can't plant them all. Processing the seeds at home is labor intensive, but growing them densely and harvesting them young and tender is a good alternative.
@@TheKiwiGrower Mature stalks, scoop the contents after cutting in half from top to bottom, let dry and you can grind it into a fine gluten free flour for baking. See a video entitled THE MANY USES OF THE ULTIMATE SURVIVAL FLOWER 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
The tea from the flowers is quite nutty. I’m sure the nuance varies depending on how mature the flower is, but I had my first taste today and it’s a rather nice pick-me-up!
Sunflowers make wonderful fodder for farm animals too. My horses, goats, ducks & chickens all love the giant leaves fresh or dry & of course, they all love the seeds also!
Hi Kalem, I’m just wondering where you got tea kettle at 4:36. What’s the name of it so I can search it up. Thanks! I love your videos. My 2 growing avocado plants were inspired by you
I’ve learnt so much! Never thought of eating the sunflower heads, will definitely try the microgreens and tea, and the Fibonacci sequence was so interesting ❤️ thanks for putting the time in to make such a great video 😊
Sunflowers were a main food supply for native Americans. I like to believe they used them in all these ways. Great video! My flowers are not there yet, but I will definitely barbeque some heads to try them!
I've used them as horizontal pieces, but they decompose so rapidly when chopped as mulch I never thought to try them as actual stakes. Now I'm going to experiment with drying them completely first. I wish you could just leave them where they grow, but as soon as the roots start decomposing they have no anchor and just fall over.
Thanks for all of the wonderful information. i use mine for chicken and turkey food. I never sprouted the seeds before feeding them to my flock, but I think they would like something green during the winter. My granddaughter and I planted some after her mother passed and we have save those seed ever since. sunflowers are great and so are you.
Also, even if you don't sprout long enough to get to greens, even just soaking/starting the sprouting process, makes them more digestible and probably nutritious. Some do a 24 hour soak of their mixed, whole or cracked grains feed by covering a day's worth of feed in a bucket and swapping out each day. I've not had chickens since learning this, but have known people who've done it and read about others, and they say that they definitely eat less on this too, yet thrive as well or more. Also, I wonder how this may positively affects the omega 6 to 3 ratio in sunflower seeds, as they are very high in omega 6 I've often read.
Amazing video! You went from roasting a whole head (never seen that before :O !!!) then a zerowaste tea, to an artichoke look-alike, to Fibonacci, to a satisfying seed harvest, to microgreens, to diy garden stakes. Looooooved it!!! Specially when you explain what the food experiment tastes like...
You are getting so creative with these videos and your production of them is so lovely. They are such a treat and so inspiring. Don't have much space to garden where I live but I'm making the most of it thanks to inspiration from you. Always look forward to your videos. Thank you!!!
I was today years old when I realized you can grow sunflower seeds as micro greens. I bet that would make an amazing salad. Omg I’m gonna try it. And the stalks as wooden stakes or fire starters 👏🏽🎉🎊
I have done that. Planted them in a flat with 1-2" of soil. Cut one-inch tall Sunflower sprouts and tossed into a salad. So yummy. Also a nice treat for chickens.
I saw a video sometime ago about someone taking the stalks of a sunflower, opening them longwise and scraping the middle section. It has a "flourly" texture, and was used for baking.
This is my first year growing sunflowers. I actually planted some on a whim so I had no prior knowledge of growing them. Once they germinated I started doing tons of research and watching all the videos I could. Your video is the FIRST place I've seen about sunflowers that mentions using the seeds for microgreens - genius idea! I've harvested a few heads that were full of caterpillars so I wasn't comfortable with roasting them and eating them, but I did dry them anyway. Thanks to your video I have another use for them aside from planting next year. THANK YOU!
I can't Express me gratitude for your knowledge on this. Coming from a decade amateur gardener. This will be my very first season I grow food. I started with flowers
The very same thing that makes the stalks good for kindling-that white pith in the middle-can actually be extracted while the stalk is still greenish (as green as it still is when the seeds are fully mature) and dried out thoroughly, then ground up. This makes a kind of flour that can be used in cooking.
Great video, I like the different uses for sunflowers you showed here. I agree on the stalks, I was also surprised how sturdy they actually are and used to play around with them as a kid. Glad to see your rescue hen looking so healthy.
I am putting together raised garden beds out of second hand materials, and we filled them with tons of organic material (hugelculture(sp) style). We added to the top layer the partially composted guinea pig and quail bedding. Until today i have not been able to figure out what the non wheat was that was infesting my vege and herb beds, and it is sunflower seeds. Just ate one and after school today will get the kids to harvest them to add to our salad. Yay and thank you.
I gotten a sun flower of a friend I had to repot it but it's looking healthy sunflowers are something I don't think I would grow but it's always great to watch your garden grow
Great video :) thanks for sharing your knowledge and trying out new stuff for the sake of others :) I recently harvested my sunflower head. Just hang drying out the head upside-down to harvest the seeds. But I will add some fun knowledge for you that I tried! I cut the leaves off and dehydrated them , blended them up and added them to my super green powder mixture. And I cut the stalks in half- gutted the white part and dehydrated that as well in the oven at 170 for about 90ish minutes until dried and they were delicious! Consistency of popcorn almost and have a natural sweetness to them. My only wish is that I had more to process! No seasoning needed. I love that you saved the disc florets - I saved mine too along with the remaining petals and submerged them into some EVOO & I’m going to let them soak for a couple of weeks stirring them then strain the flowers and see how that comes out. :)
A sort of multi-branching wildflower sunflower comes up everywhere in our community gardens. I let several get tall and prune them up to provide "umbrellas" to shade my vegetable plants from intense midday Texas sun. All season I chop and drop as I prune or weed them out and add to the mulch layer. It is a lot of biomass! People plant more traditional varieties too, and many of those get left up to serve as birdfeeders as they mature. August is our dormant time of year due to the heat and usual drought, so it not unusual to see plots just given over to sunflowers as a cover crop until it's time to plant for fall.
"multi-branching wildflower sunflower" and the fact it seems to be growing everywhere sounds a bit like you're describing a Jerusalem artichoke. They're related to sunflowers, but they produce edible tubers that can be harvested all winter. Don't eat too many of them though, there's a reason why they're also called "fartichokes" XD
Sunflowers for therapy! 🤣 nice little aside. I really like that your videos show how much you genuinely love being around your plants, and the meaningful ways they let you express your creativity. Thanks for sharing, Kalem!
Amazing info packed video! Sunflowers are apparently a powerhouse. You just gave me the confidence to really lean into growing them. I had no idea the leaves were edible, which is massively important to me as someone looking to eat more greens.
This is my first year growing sunflowers, one of them grow almost 3 meters with a gigant flower. I thought the only use was the seeds but this video teach me a lot! Thanks
Thank you for the great video, our family just harvested our sunflowers this morning and your video was a great homeschooling addition to our school day.
Wow this video is amazing. The quality, tips, footage och knowledge behind it all is incredible. I have som sunflowers now that are maturing and I will definitively try this out. The micro greens part sound really cool to try.
Very helpful video. I've been looking at growing sunflowers next spring because I've been seeing that they are good for your soil and help in other ways such as attracting birds and bees. The sunflower tea was unexpected. Definitely want to try that. I love different teas and how perfect to get something from the "waste" that is useful like making a tea. Definitely interested in the compost from the leaves and most interesting is how the canes can be dried and used for garden props. It can be quite costly buying stakes and such from the store, so this is perfect. Making the most use of your resources.
This is by far the best video I've seen about the different uses of sunflowers. Thank you so much for sharing! Btw...the sautéed leaves are pretty darn good. I tried them for the first time last year and they turned out great. They do get soft pretty quick though, so I wouldn't cook them as long as something like kale.
Hi, I just found your channel! I think your videos are very informative and interesting! Thanks for the recipes I can’t wait to try with my sunflower harvest! I’m definitely going to keep watching your videos, you got me hooked! - Erica
LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!! And all the extra fascinating info, delving into exactly how our Creator so incredibly creatively put every living, growing plant etc. together!! God bless!!
You are a huge inspiration for me! I love your mix of videos on normal and exotic fruits and vegetables. (At least they are exotic for me, because I live in central Europe.) I am currently trying to sprout kakis and paw paws and have successfully done so with my little banana plants and dragon fruits. Gardening is a very rewarding hobby and it's nice to be able to follow others on their journey.
I tied a whole load of sunflower stalks and made a fence from it. It is strong just like bamboo. I have never eaten sunflower before so gonna try that. I just saw a video on extracting sunflower oil which is another option. Excellent video.
Last year I cut the large stalks in half and gave them to my chickens. The LOVED the inside. Normally I would've tossed into the compost. I was hoping you had a recipe for making something with that part. Still great ideas!! Never ever thought of cooking the flower bud itself. Creative.
You can also make tea with the sunflower leaves, which I’ve had it. It is pretty earthy with I like a pretty sunflower taste to it. It goes really nicely with green tea.
That's so interesting just how hardly the stalks are when dried and obviously grew MUCH faster than even bamboos. So even though they might not lasts quite as long, I sure how fast they "reproduce" the stalks more than makes up for that.
This was quite a surprise to see some1 else making sunflower tea. I've been making my own since I started growing sun flowers after realizing how beautiful the scent of them are & how the bees love them. The tea I make is every bit as good & better than any I've ever had. Absolutely perfect flavor & seems to provide great benefits to health. My sense of smell & taste has improved greatly, as well as clearing my sinuses & breathing. I'm sure the honey plays a part as well. Anyhow, enjoy the video & to see others doing similar as I.
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 Jerusalem artichokes are related to sunflowers. They have little baby sunflowers that, as I recall, can be cooked up (when in bud form) as "artichokes" too. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
@@TheKiwiGrower Maybe it's not a good idea to eat the flower buds of Jerusalem artichokes. I've been looking online and can't see anything. Though I'm sure I once read in a permaculture seed catalogue that the young flower buds could be cooked and eaten. Better not to try it unless one is absolutely sure!
Ever tried the SUNBURGER :) Take the entire flower ( I use dwarf sunflower) fry it in butter... not too long...then put it on a hamburger bun, add basil pesto, tick tomato slice, parmesan cheese, ranch dressing...anything you like... IT IS SO GOOD!!! And it will give you lots of energy...really! Thank you for this video!
This video just popped up out of no where. I must say - I found it brilliant. Really fascinating and you were a real treat to listen and learn from. Thank you - now I have the rest of your videos to watch. Many thanks indeed. Cheers
Another fantastic video mate, always love seeing what new and exciting things you're up to! It's awesome to see how one single plant can be applicable for so many circumstances, both culinary and practically. Your vids are always such a joy to watch 🌻🌻
The stalks once dried, are useful as garden stakes of you're sick of eating sunflower! Fresh stalks are fibrous, but can be eaten like celery, though it's generally done on younger plants because of how fiberous they are.
I'm eating some sunflower seeds (pipas) toasted and salted, right now while watching this video... I usually do. Never heard of that roasting technique with the whole sunflower head... but!... in probably a month from now I'll have that size in the fields around, and by now... I'll try to pick some for the artichoke trick! Very interesting. Thanks!
Thank you so much! Sunflowers are my favorite flower. I'll have to rewatch this video because there's so much interesting information. I'm blown away by the fact that you can eat the sunflower heads. I have to plant my seeds first and then I have to try grilling one. My family's going to think I'm crazy! I also subscribed to Curiosity Stream. I'm a big fan of documentaries too.
I have been looking for a variety of sunflower to grow for oil and stock feed here in the Waikato and I have been having poor results in finding both info and suppliers of non ornamental cultivars. I'm interested too in finding out what the commercial shelled variety is, as I want something that has a decent size seed kernel. What variety did you grow for this video? Did you use a variety specific for food production or a commercial type cultivar, or did you just grow russian giant or similar sold more as ornamental from the likes of egmont seeds or kings seeds? TIA
Wow i did not know the sun flower head so much uses.i live in Barbados and i planted sun flowers for beauty and polination.they had giant flowers never seen them so big But after watching your video i will try some of your recipies.your video was very educational.thank you.
Never knew just how versatile Sunflowers can be - especially using the stems as garden stakes for the following year. We had an amazing mixed crop with white, rouge and yellow flowers this autumn but didn't get a chance to harvest the seeds as the birds beat us to them
My first time checking out your video, and I loved your presentation and content! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, curiosity, and love into the ways of life. Really appreciated it! Will check out more videos!
Another fantastic video mate! You're on exactly same wavelength as me mate into same stuff with your inquisitive mind. I been deep diving into loads of stuff last few years and in fact haven't even watched a TV for 2 years now when I'm not doing things watching history, nature Archeological stuff and given the state of the world now I been learning all about off Grid survival, gardening, living off the land, building solar hydro and wind setups and looking to sell up and get out the city and get some land maybe even abroad I think Europe or South America where it's affordable and far more freedom! Been watching your channel mate and it's pukka the projects and info/content you've put into your videos is pretty unique from many other channels I follow so you've definitely added too the knowledge I'm accumulating for an off-Grid life (hopefully if it's still financially viable that is!!?) Fingers crossed state of the world and all these ridiculous restrictions!/ Control.. Anyhow great video mate! Great idea using the plant as canes for plants aswell! Cheers from London England 👍😎🏴
I leave my stalks in place over winter as a snow catch. Unless i need to cut them down i leave them in place...i know where they r and not in my way. Then at times of the gardening season when i am mulching and need something to keep the mulch in place i will cut them at the ground and lay them on the mulch.
I let a sunflower grow for fun this year...when I cut the head off to give the squirrels and birds their treat, I thought this seems like a squash under the seeds. I tasted it, not terrible. Then I watched the squirrels fight over the head after the seeds were gone. I knew I was missing something. I feed my birds hundreds and hundreds of pounds of sunflower seeds during the year...I'm inundated with the sprouts under the feeders and the other day while I was weed whacking them I thought....these sprouts HAVE to be healthy and I'm again missing something. So here I am learning about what I am missing. This is excellent. The way the world is going we might one day be using these flowers to survive. I'm inspired to grow more of these beauties next year and experiment. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. P.S. the Fibonacci code is one of the most fascinating displays of math in nature. Even our galaxy is an example of it. That perfect spiral from massive to a tiny sea shell. I love the Curiosity stream too, I have had it for years. CHEERS!
Don't forget to check out Curiosity Stream using this link: curiositystream.com/thekiwigrower . Use my code ‘thekiwigrower’ to get a full year for $14.99! (USD). Thanks Curiosity Stream!
What do you do with your Sunflowers or what would you like to try out?
Thanks for watching! -Kalem :)
I do selective breeding.
I live in a desert and I do stress out my plants by withholding water and I select the biggest and best looking ones.
I now have massive 12 foot tall flowers that get watered every 2 weeks.
@@thesilentone4024 we also had sunflower previous summer and they grew up to around 5 meters sorry I can’t convert it in to feet because I am from Bulgaria and we use metric 🙂🙂🙂
How did you type that comment 1 d ago when vid posted 3h ago
@@ubybybybhbyb I uploaded it a day ago but didn’t make the video public straight away :)
@@donutvlog452 Wow, that's massive! We use metric here too
Love that you're exploring different ways to maximise the use of a plant! Didn't know you could eat the whole head of the sunflower - that's pretty cool! Didn't know you could make tea with it either! Appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating these videos. :)
Thanks a lot! :)
You can take the stalks when cut, remove the exterior fibrous sheets to make cordage. Remove the inner pith, let dry, then grind fine to make a flour that has a taste similiar to buckwheat.
That’s really interesting! Thanks for sharing:)
Absolutely! With flour getting expensive, this is a good alternative. A couple of flat stones to gring into flour. Split evenly in half, and it still leaves you with stakes to use, as you suggest.
I need to try this.
Sun flour
@@elizabethyounce9958😂
Getting the seeds out is actually kind of fun. I use a large brown paper grocery bag and do what you were doing INSIDE the bag, so I don't make a mess, and don't loose any seeds.
Man, the amount of effort you put into your videos is amazing. Another great video 💪
Thanks so much, I appreciate that!
Yes your work is incredible, thank you for these tremendous informative videos.
Bro, you're blowing my mind. I have about 12 sunflowers growing for the first time ever. I'm wondering what to do with them and you have given me heaps of inspiration.
Im in the same spot. Im about to go out and sow my sunflower seeds
I have eaten sunflowers in a variety of ways and i love them. I always pick some young, green leaves, chop them up and add them to my stews. Never use too many at a time though, mix them up with other greens. Find you get the best results and flavors like that.
I've fried young, developed sunflower heads (unfortunately you picked yours much too late). The seeds still need to be white without a hard outer shell. Cut them in strips, grill or fry them and, yes, eat them with a dip or relish.
I've also cut up and eaten some sunflower stalks. They were growing in a pot and weren't very big. I removed the sunflowers before they were fully developed (i had planted too many and was thinning them out). Sauted the stalks (the upper not so fibrous parts). I peeled the outer layer like you would sometimes do with celery or asparagus. Surprisingly, they tasted like asparagus and were very pleasant. Probably my favorite flavour.
Oh yea I did hear about eating the stalks. Did sound interesting to try out. Good to know you liked it
Thanks for this comment! I'd heard somewhere that Italians eat them so I was sure there were more delectable ways to prepare! Plus, always looking for asparagus alternatives!
@@James-ol2fr Yeah, I was surprised by the uncanny resemblance in flavor. You gotta pick the stalks about 15 inches long, young and tender. Also if you grow sunflowers, you always end up with so many seeds, you can't plant them all. Processing the seeds at home is labor intensive, but growing them densely and harvesting them young and tender is a good alternative.
@@TheKiwiGrower
Mature stalks, scoop the contents after cutting in half from top to bottom, let dry and you can grind it into a fine gluten free flour for baking.
See a video entitled THE MANY USES OF THE ULTIMATE SURVIVAL FLOWER 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
@@heidimisfeldt5685 Yes, I've seen that, too. I think you need a lot of very large stalks to make it worth your while. Sunflowers are great.
6:55 sunflowers look very cute blowing in the wind 😁
The tea from the flowers is quite nutty. I’m sure the nuance varies depending on how mature the flower is, but I had my first taste today and it’s a rather nice pick-me-up!
Sunflowers make wonderful fodder for farm animals too. My horses, goats, ducks & chickens all love the giant leaves fresh or dry & of course, they all love the seeds also!
That's a great use for them! Thanks for sharing that :)
A week before any rabbit show we would give the rabbits sunflower seeds. Really made their fur silky.
Thanks again for watching! Feel free to share the video with a friend who might enjoy it 😁
-Kalem
Hi Kalem, I’m just wondering where you got tea kettle at 4:36. What’s the name of it so I can search it up. Thanks! I love your videos. My 2 growing avocado plants were inspired by you
I just shared on Facebook!
What a cool video. I never knew that sunflower sprouts were a thing.
@@janettewee4738 hey :) it’s just one I got from The Warehouse
I’ve learnt so much! Never thought of eating the sunflower heads, will definitely try the microgreens and tea, and the Fibonacci sequence was so interesting ❤️ thanks for putting the time in to make such a great video 😊
Thanks Jocelyn, really appreciate it and glad you found it interesting! :)
Sunflowers were a main food supply for native Americans. I like to believe they used them in all these ways. Great video! My flowers are not there yet, but I will definitely barbeque some heads to try them!
@@sigridkingma961 how was it?
@@ricko2301 unfortunately the snails got all but one that did flower. I managed to save some seed to try to grill them this year.
Love how you utilize every part of the plant - nothing wasted!
Wow! Very interesting! Never seen ways to see how to eat/enjoy sunflowers other than than just the seeds!
Right!? I'll have to try these! Too bad my roommate is allergic to sunflower seeds 😂
Also sunflower ash contains to 24% (!) of potassium + 7% phosphorus +18% calcium + 12% magnesium. You can burn leftovers and get very good fertilizer
Your place looks like heaven. You deserve a good life.
He has it because he deserves it. And he deserves it because he earned it. For that very reason he will have a good live!
The florets are good to throw in your salads or fry up as well. Adds a nice visual too,
I have never seen anybody eating sunflowers in such way
I know right ?!
What a revelation WOW
"A bit fibrous" 😅
Using the dried stalks for trellises is fascinating! I love that!
Thanks Jenni! :)
I've used them as horizontal pieces, but they decompose so rapidly when chopped as mulch I never thought to try them as actual stakes. Now I'm going to experiment with drying them completely first. I wish you could just leave them where they grow, but as soon as the roots start decomposing they have no anchor and just fall over.
Thanks for all of the wonderful information. i use mine for chicken and turkey food. I never sprouted the seeds before feeding them to my flock, but I think they would like something green during the winter. My granddaughter and I planted some after her mother passed and we have save those seed ever since. sunflowers are great and so are you.
SUch a good use for them! :) That's very sweet that you've kept the seeds going ❤❤
Also, even if you don't sprout long enough to get to greens, even just soaking/starting the sprouting process, makes them more digestible and probably nutritious. Some do a 24 hour soak of their mixed, whole or cracked grains feed by covering a day's worth of feed in a bucket and swapping out each day. I've not had chickens since learning this, but have known people who've done it and read about others, and they say that they definitely eat less on this too, yet thrive as well or more. Also, I wonder how this may positively affects the omega 6 to 3 ratio in sunflower seeds, as they are very high in omega 6 I've often read.
Amazing video! You went from roasting a whole head (never seen that before :O !!!) then a zerowaste tea, to an artichoke look-alike, to Fibonacci, to a satisfying seed harvest, to microgreens, to diy garden stakes. Looooooved it!!! Specially when you explain what the food experiment tastes like...
You are getting so creative with these videos and your production of them is so lovely. They are such a treat and so inspiring. Don't have much space to garden where I live but I'm making the most of it thanks to inspiration from you. Always look forward to your videos. Thank you!!!
Cheers Aidan, really appreciate that, and it's awesome to hear you're making the most out of your space!
Sunflowers are so beautiful, and the seeds are tasty too. Happy to learn more about this plant. Thanks again, kiwi grower!
I was today years old when I realized you can grow sunflower seeds as micro greens. I bet that would make an amazing salad. Omg I’m gonna try it. And the stalks as wooden stakes or fire starters 👏🏽🎉🎊
I have done that. Planted them in a flat with 1-2" of soil. Cut one-inch tall Sunflower sprouts and tossed into a salad. So yummy. Also a nice treat for chickens.
These amazing nature videos you spoke of clearly speaks of an Amazing creator , not some stupid evolution.
I saw a video sometime ago about someone taking the stalks of a sunflower, opening them longwise and scraping the middle section. It has a "flourly" texture, and was used for baking.
So interesting! :)
Wow I would have never thought to make micro greens!!! So cool, I can’t wait to harvest this fall 🩷
This is my first year growing sunflowers. I actually planted some on a whim so I had no prior knowledge of growing them. Once they germinated I started doing tons of research and watching all the videos I could. Your video is the FIRST place I've seen about sunflowers that mentions using the seeds for microgreens - genius idea! I've harvested a few heads that were full of caterpillars so I wasn't comfortable with roasting them and eating them, but I did dry them anyway. Thanks to your video I have another use for them aside from planting next year.
THANK YOU!
I can't Express me gratitude for your knowledge on this. Coming from a decade amateur gardener. This will be my very first season I grow food.
I started with flowers
Love the videos that take us outside of the garden too! Would love to see a video of your favorite recipes with items from your garden.
Thanks Deniz, appreciate the suggestion as well :)
The very same thing that makes the stalks good for kindling-that white pith in the middle-can actually be extracted while the stalk is still greenish (as green as it still is when the seeds are fully mature) and dried out thoroughly, then ground up. This makes a kind of flour that can be used in cooking.
Great video, I like the different uses for sunflowers you showed here. I agree on the stalks, I was also surprised how sturdy they actually are and used to play around with them as a kid. Glad to see your rescue hen looking so healthy.
Thanks a lot, glad you liked it :)
The amount of effort you give in each video is amazing! They are very informative, very clear and neat!
I used to grow sunflowers from my grandmother's birdseed when I was a kid for fun. I never knew there were so many unique uses for them though!
Another fantastic video! I've learnt so much from this one - thank you!
Thanks so much Liz, I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
I am putting together raised garden beds out of second hand materials, and we filled them with tons of organic material (hugelculture(sp) style). We added to the top layer the partially composted guinea pig and quail bedding. Until today i have not been able to figure out what the non wheat was that was infesting my vege and herb beds, and it is sunflower seeds. Just ate one and after school today will get the kids to harvest them to add to our salad. Yay and thank you.
They say we learn something every day. Today I found you , watched 2 vids and learned 4 things. Thanks and greetings from Denmark.
That's great to here! Hi from NZ :)
@@TheKiwiGrower Not really, I thought I knew everything, have a great weekend
I grew lemon queens for the first time this year and now I’m going into my garden to experiment! So many uses I had no idea about 😊
I gotten a sun flower of a friend I had to repot it but it's looking healthy sunflowers are something I don't think I would grow but it's always great to watch your garden grow
Great video :) thanks for sharing your knowledge and trying out new stuff for the sake of others :) I recently harvested my sunflower head. Just hang drying out the head upside-down to harvest the seeds. But I will add some fun knowledge for you that I tried! I cut the leaves off and dehydrated them , blended them up and added them to my super green powder mixture. And I cut the stalks in half- gutted the white part and dehydrated that as well in the oven at 170 for about 90ish minutes until dried and they were delicious! Consistency of popcorn almost and have a natural sweetness to them. My only wish is that I had more to process! No seasoning needed. I love that you saved the disc florets - I saved mine too along with the remaining petals and submerged them into some EVOO & I’m going to let them soak for a couple of weeks stirring them then strain the flowers and see how that comes out. :)
A sort of multi-branching wildflower sunflower comes up everywhere in our community gardens. I let several get tall and prune them up to provide "umbrellas" to shade my vegetable plants from intense midday Texas sun. All season I chop and drop as I prune or weed them out and add to the mulch layer. It is a lot of biomass! People plant more traditional varieties too, and many of those get left up to serve as birdfeeders as they mature. August is our dormant time of year due to the heat and usual drought, so it not unusual to see plots just given over to sunflowers as a cover crop until it's time to plant for fall.
"multi-branching wildflower sunflower" and the fact it seems to be growing everywhere sounds a bit like you're describing a Jerusalem artichoke. They're related to sunflowers, but they produce edible tubers that can be harvested all winter. Don't eat too many of them though, there's a reason why they're also called "fartichokes" XD
Sunflowers for therapy! 🤣 nice little aside.
I really like that your videos show how much you genuinely love being around your plants, and the meaningful ways they let you express your creativity. Thanks for sharing, Kalem!
“It tastes a lot like a sunflower…”
That's what a zombie would say
Loved this content. I see why this one took you a while to put together - so thorough and informative. Plus Fibonacci and fungi!
Amazing info packed video! Sunflowers are apparently a powerhouse. You just gave me the confidence to really lean into growing them. I had no idea the leaves were edible, which is massively important to me as someone looking to eat more greens.
This is my first year growing sunflowers, one of them grow almost 3 meters with a gigant flower. I thought the only use was the seeds but this video teach me a lot! Thanks
Gorgeous plating on that grilled sunflower. ☺️
Thank you for the great video, our family just harvested our sunflowers this morning and your video was a great homeschooling addition to our school day.
Wow this video is amazing. The quality, tips, footage och knowledge behind it all is incredible. I have som sunflowers now that are maturing and I will definitively try this out.
The micro greens part sound really cool to try.
This is the reason why I love his content so much ♥️☀️🌻
First time watching you . Loved the video ! Thanks so much for showing so many ways to use sunflowers. Very informative.
Very helpful video. I've been looking at growing sunflowers next spring because I've been seeing that they are good for your soil and help in other ways such as attracting birds and bees. The sunflower tea was unexpected. Definitely want to try that. I love different teas and how perfect to get something from the "waste" that is useful like making a tea. Definitely interested in the compost from the leaves and most interesting is how the canes can be dried and used for garden props. It can be quite costly buying stakes and such from the store, so this is perfect. Making the most use of your resources.
This is by far the best video I've seen about the different uses of sunflowers. Thank you so much for sharing! Btw...the sautéed leaves are pretty darn good. I tried them for the first time last year and they turned out great. They do get soft pretty quick though, so I wouldn't cook them as long as something like kale.
Thanks so much Nessa, that's great to know!
Hi, I just found your channel! I think your videos are very informative and interesting! Thanks for the recipes I can’t wait to try with my sunflower harvest! I’m definitely going to keep watching your videos, you got me hooked! - Erica
I'm intrigued by this video. Never thought of the value of this plant, which I've taken for granted all this time. Thank you! I am enriched!
LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!! And all the extra fascinating info, delving into exactly how our Creator so incredibly creatively put every living, growing plant etc. together!! God bless!!
I'm growing more sunflowers this season , we call it cilantro 🤩 Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Thank you darling . You are kind .
You are a huge inspiration for me! I love your mix of videos on normal and exotic fruits and vegetables. (At least they are exotic for me, because I live in central Europe.) I am currently trying to sprout kakis and paw paws and have successfully done so with my little banana plants and dragon fruits.
Gardening is a very rewarding hobby and it's nice to be able to follow others on their journey.
Thanks so much that's nice to hear! :)
Glad you find it rewarding, those sound like some fun things to grow! Enjoy
Yes Sir indeed. So going to be doing this ...
Thank you thank you a million times thank you. So much info in one video. You're helping a lot of people even if its small steps at a time ❤
I tied a whole load of sunflower stalks and made a fence from it. It is strong just like bamboo. I have never eaten sunflower before so gonna try that. I just saw a video on extracting sunflower oil which is another option. Excellent video.
Last year I cut the large stalks in half and gave them to my chickens. The LOVED the inside. Normally I would've tossed into the compost. I was hoping you had a recipe for making something with that part. Still great ideas!! Never ever thought of cooking the flower bud itself. Creative.
You can also make tea with the sunflower leaves, which I’ve had it. It is pretty earthy with I like a pretty sunflower taste to it. It goes really nicely with green tea.
My absolute favorite RUclipsr!
Awww thank you! :)
That's so interesting just how hardly the stalks are when dried and obviously grew MUCH faster than even bamboos. So even though they might not lasts quite as long, I sure how fast they "reproduce" the stalks more than makes up for that.
Love these ideas!!! Can't wait to grow some sunflowers now and try the tea 😍
😃 Thanks Becky!
This was quite a surprise to see some1 else making sunflower tea. I've been making my own since I started growing sun flowers after realizing how beautiful the scent of them are & how the bees love them. The tea I make is every bit as good & better than any I've ever had. Absolutely perfect flavor & seems to provide great benefits to health. My sense of smell & taste has improved greatly, as well as clearing my sinuses & breathing. I'm sure the honey plays a part as well. Anyhow, enjoy the video & to see others doing similar as I.
The dried out stalks actually had me surprised! That is really cool!
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 Jerusalem artichokes are related to sunflowers. They have little baby sunflowers that, as I recall, can be cooked up (when in bud form) as "artichokes" too. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
Didn't know that about their buds, but I am growing those mainly for the tubers :). Will have to check that out. Cheers!
@@TheKiwiGrower
Maybe it's not a good idea to eat the flower buds of Jerusalem artichokes. I've been looking online and can't see anything. Though I'm sure I once read in a permaculture seed catalogue that the young flower buds could be cooked and eaten. Better not to try it unless one is absolutely sure!
Sunflowers have many benefits and uses for us, thank you for sharing videos about sunflowers and others
this is by far the best gardening channel i have seen i love your content
Ever tried the SUNBURGER :) Take the entire flower ( I use dwarf sunflower) fry it in butter... not too long...then put it on a hamburger bun, add basil pesto, tick tomato slice, parmesan cheese, ranch dressing...anything you like... IT IS SO GOOD!!! And it will give you lots of energy...really! Thank you for this video!
From another RUclips video I found you can also make flour from the pith in the center of the stalks. Makes a super fine flour
Wow very interesting, hadn't heard of that one. Thanks :)
@@TheKiwiGrower they scooped it out with a spoon and then a pipe piece. Dried it in their oven and used a grain/spice grinder to powder it.
@@reneebrown2968 Thank you!!
I\ve never seen someone cooks a sunflower. You gave me great ideas!
This video just popped up out of no where. I must say - I found it brilliant. Really fascinating and you were a real treat to listen and learn from. Thank you - now I have the rest of your videos to watch. Many thanks indeed. Cheers
Thanks for the comment and I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊
I hope you enjoy the other ones too
Another fantastic video mate, always love seeing what new and exciting things you're up to! It's awesome to see how one single plant can be applicable for so many circumstances, both culinary and practically. Your vids are always such a joy to watch 🌻🌻
Thanks so much Reuben :)
I live in a desert and I do selective breeding.
I can now water my 12 foot tall flowers every 2 weeks or so in 100+ temperatures.
Awesome, well done
This was excellent! I had no idea a sunflower could be utilized in so many ways.
The stalks once dried, are useful as garden stakes of you're sick of eating sunflower! Fresh stalks are fibrous, but can be eaten like celery, though it's generally done on younger plants because of how fiberous they are.
I'm eating some sunflower seeds (pipas) toasted and salted, right now while watching this video... I usually do. Never heard of that roasting technique with the whole sunflower head... but!... in probably a month from now I'll have that size in the fields around, and by now... I'll try to pick some for the artichoke trick! Very interesting. Thanks!
Thanks David, if you do try it out, I hope it goes well, or is an interesting experience either way! :)
Thank you so much! Sunflowers are my favorite flower. I'll have to rewatch this video because there's so much interesting information. I'm blown away by the fact that you can eat the sunflower heads. I have to plant my seeds first and then I have to try grilling one. My family's going to think I'm crazy! I also subscribed to Curiosity Stream. I'm a big fan of documentaries too.
I have lots of beautiful Sunflowers this year and am so happy to learn more about the many ways to use these lovely plants. Thanks!
I have been looking for a variety of sunflower to grow for oil and stock feed here in the Waikato and I have been having poor results in finding both info and suppliers of non ornamental cultivars. I'm interested too in finding out what the commercial shelled variety is, as I want something that has a decent size seed kernel. What variety did you grow for this video? Did you use a variety specific for food production or a commercial type cultivar, or did you just grow russian giant or similar sold more as ornamental from the likes of egmont seeds or kings seeds? TIA
Thanks Kalem! I had no idea that sunflowers had so many uses. I can't wait to try growing the seed for micro greens.
Vey welcome Mark, hope you enjoy them :)
I love watching fellow Kiwis doing such good productions.
Wow i did not know the sun flower head so much uses.i live in Barbados and i planted sun flowers for beauty and polination.they had giant flowers never seen them so big
But after watching your video i will try some of your recipies.your video was very educational.thank you.
Love this, I actually learned a lot and can't wait for my sunflowers to grow this year. More content like this please :)
Got to know so much about sunflowers. Thanks
This is my first year of growing sunflowers and I love it❤
Never knew just how versatile Sunflowers can be - especially using the stems as garden stakes for the following year.
We had an amazing mixed crop with white, rouge and yellow flowers this autumn but didn't get a chance to harvest the seeds as the birds beat us to them
My first time checking out your video, and I loved your presentation and content! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, curiosity, and love into the ways of life. Really appreciated it! Will check out more videos!
That’s how I grew my sunflowers this year. I put a ton of seeds in two flats and transplanted them. I have hundreds this year all different sizes.
That's awesome! Must be a beautiful display
Amazing, never knew the humble Sunflower had so many used. Thanks
Brilliant Rx & Stalks uses. Bravo.
The kiwi grower- you tuber is also a good chef! Good job! ❤Yummy! Tks for demonstration!
Another fantastic video mate! You're on exactly same wavelength as me mate into same stuff with your inquisitive mind. I been deep diving into loads of stuff last few years and in fact haven't even watched a TV for 2 years now when I'm not doing things watching history, nature Archeological stuff and given the state of the world now I been learning all about off Grid survival, gardening, living off the land, building solar hydro and wind setups and looking to sell up and get out the city and get some land maybe even abroad I think Europe or South America where it's affordable and far more freedom! Been watching your channel mate and it's pukka the projects and info/content you've put into your videos is pretty unique from many other channels I follow so you've definitely added too the knowledge I'm accumulating for an off-Grid life (hopefully if it's still financially viable that is!!?) Fingers crossed state of the world and all these ridiculous restrictions!/ Control..
Anyhow great video mate! Great idea using the plant as canes for plants aswell! Cheers from London England 👍😎🏴
I leave my stalks in place over winter as a snow catch. Unless i need to cut them down i leave them in place...i know where they r and not in my way. Then at times of the gardening season when i am mulching and need something to keep the mulch in place i will cut them at the ground and lay them on the mulch.
I’m seeing sunflowers in a new way now. A bunch of new ways lol. 👍👍🌻
Thank you! I need to plant some seeds now. I reas that we can still plant them in June as they grow fast.
I let a sunflower grow for fun this year...when I cut the head off to give the squirrels and birds their treat, I thought this seems like a squash under the seeds. I tasted it, not terrible. Then I watched the squirrels fight over the head after the seeds were gone. I knew I was missing something. I feed my birds hundreds and hundreds of pounds of sunflower seeds during the year...I'm inundated with the sprouts under the feeders and the other day while I was weed whacking them I thought....these sprouts HAVE to be healthy and I'm again missing something. So here I am learning about what I am missing. This is excellent. The way the world is going we might one day be using these flowers to survive. I'm inspired to grow more of these beauties next year and experiment. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. P.S. the Fibonacci code is one of the most fascinating displays of math in nature. Even our galaxy is an example of it. That perfect spiral from massive to a tiny sea shell. I love the Curiosity stream too, I have had it for years. CHEERS!