Seeds | Common News Update

Mar282020 by adminNo Comments

Heirloom plants: Saving the nation’s seeds from extinction

Science

The battle of the Somme in 1916. A British soldier fighting in France is given seeds as a memento of happier times. When he returns home, he plants them in the soil. His family and friends carry on the tradition, and, today, you can still find the Blackdown Blue pea growing somewhere in Somerset. Catrina Fenton, head of the Heritage Seed Library in Coventry, rests the seeds in her hand. "People like to grow something that's got a bit of history behind it," she says. "A lot of the varieties in our collection have got wonderful stories; they relate to a particular place, or they taste a bit like the tomatoes their grandfather used to grow."She shakes black and cream beans from another envelope on to her palm. Legend has it that se...

Oct102019 by adminNo Comments

6 Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

Health

6 Pumpkin Seed Benefits - Health Top Navigation Close Explore Health ...

Oct172018 by adminNo Comments

Dandelion seeds use a novel form of flight to get around

Science

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Dandelion seeds fly like no other seeds. In fact, the flight mechanism used by dandelions is one-of-a-kind. The white, fluffy parachutes that help dandelion seeds find new soil to colonize are mostly air. But their novel design allow seeds to float through the air for more than half-a-mile. Advanced 3D imaging helped scientists better characterize the bristles that form each parachute. Using micro-fabricated disks, scientists experimented with different levels of porosity to replicate the effects of the parachute's ball of bristles on air flow. Researchers determined a ring-shaped air bubble forms as air passes through the parachute bristles. The air bubble enhances drag, slowing the seeds descent and allowing more time to be carried away by the wind. The air bubble, whi...

May212018 by adminNo Comments

Seeds of hope: The gardens springing up in refugee camps

Science

"Syria is green," says Aveen Ismail. "But here it was like a desert until we started growing plants and trees." The 35-year-old fled Damascus with her family in 2012. She now lives in the Domiz Camp in Northern Iraq, where roses, lemon trees and marigolds have sprung up amid the concrete and dust."Creating a garden was a way for us to heal and remind us of home," she says.Alfonso Montiel of the Lemon Tree Trust has sat down in many of the tiny green spaces at the camp."You'll see in some cases it's full of roses," he says. "The first question you ask yourself is, why not food?"Flowers, says Montiel, give a sense of the passage of time. "It gives them a sense of hope. It gives a sense of control of their environment." The Lemon Tr...

Apr152018 by adminNo Comments

You're Basically Wasting Money on Flax Seeds If You Don't Take This Extra Step

Health

If you're stressed for time, you can pay a little extra for the best kind of flaxseed for you. If you've been shelling out dough for flax seed-laden foods—or just for the seeds themselves—you may not be getting all the heart-healthy benefits that you were hoping for.It's true—flax seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, and it's worth adding them to weeknight meals, like this classic meatloaf and this freshly seared fish.But note that both of those recipes call for ground flax seeds. This is because you have to grind flax seeds before eating or cooking with them.Getty: Arletta Cwalina / EyeEmBrierley Horton, MS, RD, explains that the human body doesn't fully digest whole flax seeds. In order for you to get all the heart-healthy benefits that flax seeds p...