SPECTACULAR AND MYSTERIOUS POPPY

“Through the dancing poppies stole

 A breeze, most softly lulling to my soul”.

John Keats

Poppy is a herbaceous annual or perennial flowering plant that belongs to the family Papaveraceae.  Poppies can be found in the Northern Hemisphere. The flowers are colorful and cup-shaped and usually have from 4 to 6 petals, a lot of stamens that form a dark centre and an ovary with several fused carpels.

Key Components

• Iron
• Zinc
• Calcium
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Carbohydrates
• Protein
• Linoleic acid
• Fiber

Parts Used: flowers, seeds, capsules

Interesting Poppy Facts

• Poppies are believed to be a symbol of sleep and death. Moreover, they symbolize the blood of soldiers that died during wars.
• Poppies can be not only red but also yellow, pink, white, purple or blue.
• Poppies are among the most popular wildflowers in the USA.
• In Germany there is a wedding tradition to put some poppy seeds into a bride’s shoe. This ritual is believed to bring many children to the family.
• The Royal British Legion produces and sells paper or plastic red poppies for people to wear on Remembrance Day.

Methods of Use

Poppies can be used for making food, tea, oil,cosmetics, tinctures, extracts.

Poppy Seed Bread

What you need:

• 1/4 cup of poppy seeds
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 cups of white sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1.5 cups of vegetable oil
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to about 165 degrees C, prepare and grease a baking dish. Take a bowl and mix flour, soda, salt and sugar in it. Then add milk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Beat this mixture with the help of a mixer for around 5 minutes. After that add some poppy seeds and stir the batter. Finally, pour it into a baking dish and bake for one hour.