Blue Breadseed Poppy
Back! Delicious food from a ravishingly beautiful plant that's easy to grow and harvest--it doesn't get better than that! This is the source for those blue-black poppy seeds you see on everything from muffins to bagels, and as filling in pastries. (A delicious nutrient-boosting sprinkle on noodles and veggies as well.) The seeds can also be pressed for a delicious and healthful oil, now that home oil presses are available. Seedheads hold on to the seeds rather than scattering them in the wind, and alkaloid content is low--the result of selection for centuries by farmers in Hungary, who have grown as an artisanal source of oil and a nut substitute in cooking.
Poppies like to start in cool soil but don't require cold-conditioning like some seeds, so if you're a bit late getting them started, just make sure the soil stays moist and they should do fine. they do, however, require light; sowing too deep will keep them from sprouting. Prepare a bed with good fertility and fine texture. Tamp the surface, scatter the seed, and rake in very lightly. Thin to 12"-24" apart; crowded plants will be stunted, so allow adequate space.