THERE are lots of good reasons for growing sunflowers, but one that’s often overlooked is the fact that you can eat them.

The green buds, before they open into flower, are probably the most practical part of the plant for home cooking.

Pull off the green sepals at the base of the flower, which are likely to be bitter, and steam or boil the buds until they’re tender. They’re then eaten rather like artichokes, usually with melted butter and lemon juice.

Preparing the whole, mature flower heads is a more involved business; you’ll find instructions on the internet.

They are generally trimmed and then braised and stuffed, a bit like flat mushrooms.

The leaves are also supposed to be edible, though they’re pretty tough, and I think you’d have to be verging on the desperate. Who knows? Another year of this government, and they might be all we have left. The seedling leaves, on the other hand, cut from the sprouting seeds when they’re just a few inches tall, make a delicious salad.

I’ve never found the petals to have much taste, but they look attractive sprinkled over a plate of food. Technically, they’re not petals, but you know what I mean — the yellow bits. I’ve not yet tried eating the young stalks, peeled and used raw or cooked like celery, but some people recommend them.

Of course, sunflower seeds are a well-known snack. Drying, salting and roasting them on a non-industrial scale can be fiddlesome, although, again, you’ll find advice plenty of advice online. But they’re very good eaten fresh, provided you don’t mind splitting them open with your teeth and spitting out the husks.

The flavour of different parts of the sunflower varies, but there’s always a combination of bitter and sweet, with a slightly resinous tang.

It’s worth spending a bit of time amid the seed catalogues, to choose a variety of sunflower that suits what you intend to do with it. As well as the giant, single-headed ones that children grow to get their picture in the local paper, there are dwarf types, which do very well in containers, and some with multiple heads. They come in different colours, too.

The size of the seeds varies a lot, so if that’s the crop you’re after, look for a variety that boasts large, plump seeds.

The sunflower is very easy to grow, provided you give it a position with plenty of sun and in rich but well-drained soil. In April or May, either sow the seeds in the ground, or singly in small pots of compost for planting out once they’re established. They need about 12 or 18 inches of space, depending on the variety.

Water them regularly, especially if they’re in pots. If you’re growing a very tall sort, it’ll probably want staking against the wind.

Even if you don’t end up eating your sunflowers, you’ll enjoy watching a fascinating range of wildlife benefiting from them, including birds, bees, and numerous species of insect.