Seeds to Savour

Seeds are packed with protein, fantastically versatile – try them scattered on salads, yogurt or your morning porridge – and undeniably yummy. The big question is: Why don’t we grow more of them? Benedict Vanheems drills down into the simply sensational world of seeds

- Benedict Vanheems

Sometimes the most wonderful things are staring us in the face. In my humble opinion, seeds are one of them. We grow pumpkins for their rich autumnal hues but few can be bothered to take their snack-worthy seeds seriously. We admire the lofty spectacle of a sunflower in full summer splendour yet are prone to skip the seeds that follow. And how many of our beautiful ornamentals bear not just edible seeds, but really very tasty seeds that we simply overlook?

Maybe it’s because they are just so, well, small. But Iwould like to make the case that seeds should be taken far more seriously. They’re superfoods beyond compare. Every morning I enjoy a pint-sized smoothie comprising fruits, a green – home-grown spinach, kale or chard – plus a heaped teaspoon of seeds thrown in for good measure. Forgive me if I’ve talked about this before – I probably have – but this daily punch of nutrients is what keeps my brain firing on all cylinders. I notice the difference when I go without it, and I’m convinced (with the weight of science behind me!) that those seeds have a big part to play in my mental well-being.

If you think about it there’s a lot of logic to loading your diet with seeds. By their very nature seeds are exceptionally nutrient dense because they must supply all of the nutritional needs of the seedlings that will grow into the next generation of plants. Eat them, and you’re tapping into this deep well of goodness. So, let’s pack more of them into our kitchen gardens!

PUMPKIN SEEDS

Pumpkins are a great place to start. They’re beautiful, magnificent beasts, but please – I implore you – don’t overlook those seeds! They are sold as pumpkin seeds in the supermarket, but really any mature squashes contain seeds game for snacking.