Sunflower
Helianthus annuus · Edible flower
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The sunflower is the tall, sun-tracking bloom of Helianthus annuus, and two edible parts of it reach the plate: the bright golden ray petals, plucked and scattered raw as a garnish, and the tight, unopened flower bud, which is trimmed of its stiff bracts and cooked whole like a small artichoke — steamed or boiled until the fleshy heart is tender.
Picking a good onedrag
Shut green bud, firm as a knobBrowned, shedding, damp at the face
Just openedPeak petalPull the gold straps off and scatter them raw. Buy it as food: florist, garden-centre and roadside heads are sprayed for looks, and a systemic spray will not rinse off.
Where it came fromA kitchen garden or grower you know is not sprayed for looks
The head in your handOpen and full, the petals spring back off a finger
The ray petalsEven gold straps, flat and unmarked, no brown on the tips
Bracts and the cut endBracts green and laid back, stem stiff, cut end drying