(Helianthus annuus) A stout sunflower, this one stops at about 5 feet tall, meaning that the plants don’t topple as they mature their large seedheads. Sunflowers are divided into oilseed types, which have black seedcoats, and confectionery types, which are stripey; this is an early-maturing confectionery-type sunflower. Selected by Will Bonsall of Industry, Maine (the director of the Scatterseed Project).
(Papaver somniferum) Annual. Mauve flowers are followed by seedheads which, unlike most poppies, do not open vents and scatter their blue-grey seed. This is a major advantage for those looking to make their own poppy-seed cake since it lets you decide when the seeds get scattered! By the way, if you get out a magnifying glass you can see that poppy seeds are "favose-reticulate" - intricately honeycombed. 1/2 tsp/packet.
(Linum usitatissimum) Flax is not a grain; but it is grown similarly to the spring grains. One of the oldest domesticated plants from the Middle East, flax has long been used both for fibre (harvested from its stems) and for its nutritious seeds. This variety from John Sherck of Indiana is technically a fibre flax, but it is really a good dual-purpose variety. Long, straight stems topped by beautiful blue…
