Sunflowers and Native Americans

The annual sunflower is native to North America and was widely used by early indigenous people as food, a source for dyes, and lots of medicinal purposes. Over 3,000 years ago, by selectively saving the largest seeds to plant, these people were able to increase the size of seeds a thousand times. They ate plain seeds, but also pulverized parched seeds, added them to stews, made breads, and produced medicines from all parts of the plant. Women tended individual garden plots which they watered and weeded, often planting the taller sunflowers on the edges. They dried the mature sunflower heads in the sun and beat them with sticks to separate the seeds. Seeds were saved in woven baskets often dyed with colors from the sunflower seeds themselves.