All the Richmond Restaurant Week menus | Quality Sunflower Seeds Kernel

Sunflowers have two main commercial uses, oil and confectionery (for direct seed consumption). Oil varieties of the flower have small, black, oil-rich seeds with thin hulls, which are pressed to produce an edible, almost tasteless, pale oil, rich in unsaturated fatty acids (especially oleic acid and linoleic acid). The oil is popular for cooking, margarine manufacture and even bio-diesel production. Leftovers from oil extraction are used to make high-protein animal feed. Confectionery types, on the other hand, have large, striped, oil-poor seeds with thick hulls. Both oil and confectionery types are the results of centuries of careful selection and breeding from wild plants.

Thank you to everyone involved who helped grow this pumpkin. I have an understanding wife. She says I could have worse habits though.  This was a full family effort. Kids helped with tents and heaters.  My wife covered the pumpkin on cold nights with blankets.  Thanks to my neighbor Karen who helped irrigate and feed the plant when I was on vacation in August. See you in the Spring.

"Use chia seeds in foods, not as a supplement, but as an alternative to processed grains like white bread because it is a much healthier whole grain that is great-tasting in foods like muffins," said Michael Roizen, of the Cleveland Clinic.

Amanda Rae wonders if LoBaVi (for Lower Base Village) should be an abbreviation. Thoughts? amandaraewashere@gmail.com

For her master’s dissertation at California State University, Fullerton, Ouriel, now 31, researched ovarian development in the black widow spider, and it was there, alone in the electron microscope lab waiting for her specimens to lay eggs, that she started developing what, after two-and-a-half years of tinkering, became her No. 9 exfoliator, which uses lactic and other acids to dissolve corneodesmosome, the biological glue that holds dead skin cells together. This was after experiencing her own skin troubles. Until she was 25, Ouriel had never used so much as a facial cleanser. When she did invest in a few professional products, they gave her acne, so then she bought some anti-acne products, which only made things worse. “It was the skin care — essential oils, which break down a cell’s plasma membrane, and scrubs and microdermabrasion, which create lacerations on the skin’s surface — that were weakening my skin and making it more susceptible to bacterial and fungal pathogens,” she says.

Cancer is an illness where abnormal cells uncontrollably divide and destroy healthy body tissues leading to the development of tumours. Since there is no cure for cancer, prevention is one of the ways to deal with it and taking watermelon seeds is one of the ways. Watermelon seeds contain an essential cancer-fighting antioxidant called lycopene. An antioxidant is a chemical that neutralises free radicals. Free radicals are chemical substances that can attack and cause harm to cells. They damage cell components such as proteins, DNA and cell membranes. Damage to the DNA is associated with the development of cancer. By consuming watermelon seeds, you increase the amount of lycopene in your body and reduce the risk of developing cancer. Lycopene has been proven to protect human beings against lung cancer, breast, prostate and endometrial cancers.

A good source of healthy fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals such as iron, folate, and magnesium, the seeds actually prove to be as smart of a snack as the fruit itself. Toss them in the oven for a quick bake, and it becomes easy to flip what’s traditionally perceived as a nuisance into an absolute delight.

Callie Sumlin creates stories for 5280′s Eat & Drink section, manages the dining guide, and oversees 5280.com’s digital food-related coverage.

Gould didn’t know of anyone in Everett with a pumpkin as big as Baldwin’s, but some people are private about the size of their pumpkins.

Nancy Kruse, President of the Kruse Company, is a menu trends analyst based in Atlanta. As one of Linked In’s Top 100 Influencers in the US, she blogs regularly on food-related subjects on the Linked In website.

Brogan’s Way Distillery, Richmond: Royal Blood gin, neat Evan Jones, contributor Brogan Carr and her dad Simon quit their jobs to start a gin distillery in Richmond this year – and bless them for doing so. All three of Brogan’s gins are killer, but the Royal Blood (their navy strength) is a big, viscous beast that’s as good by itself as in any cocktail. It’s not often I’ll sip a gin neat but it’s almost a shame to dilute this one. This place is going to feature heavily in my summer.

Seeds for people to eat can be hulled and eaten raw or used for baking. They can be hulled and fried or roasted, including roasting in the shell. Michigan State University Extension offers suggestions on how to prepare and preserve your sunflower seeds for snacks or in baked goods.