Have you ever tried Quinoa? Pronounced "keenwa" according to Carla Emery, it's a non-grass grain. It's a staple in South America and it grows best in high elevation areas. It's something I may just have to try here in the Cariboo, where we sit at an 2850 foot elevation.
Quinoa does not like heat - best planted in rows about 4 feet apart, it will branch out instead of making just one seed head. Reading from Carla's "Encylopedia of Country Living" she says that if planted thinly and then thinned again to 8 inches apart, less than one ounce of seed will sow 100 feet. This should yield anywhere from 25 to 50 pounds.
We're eating Quinoa with some of our meals, replacing potatoes or rice. I think I have found my experiment for 2011. I have to find some seed and will start looking now!
Have you tried growing it? Have you tried eating it? I'd love some feedback about Quinoa, so please let me know.
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8 comments:
Can you plant the grain you are eating? I recently sprouted some myself with that same idea in mind, along with the seeds from a goji berry :)
Sprout test, I use a coffee filter dampened and wrung out, seeds placed in 1/4 of it. Fold up the filter in half, then half again with he seeds in one quarter, put in a ziplock, blow a bit of air in and seal. You can watch the seeds that way :)
I thought about growing some and even bought seed (Salt Spring Seeds) but didn't have room in my garden last year.
I have been accumulating seed and i have bought 2 packets of this to grow for the animals, and amaranth.....i thought it would be a good experiment too!
I got my seed from Baker Creek and I also planted a handful from some bulk organic I got from the health food store. I'm in the Sacramento Vally where it gets pretty hot and it grew ok here. The chickens love it...my family: not so much.
I have tried it years ago, but I really don't remember to much about it. I got a printout from Bountiful gardens a couple of years ago and I was thinking about trying to grow it. But it gets really hot here so maybe not...
I'm looking forward to seeing how you go with this one. I'm not sure I have the room for this but we certainly have the right goeography. I'll also be keen to see how you harvest and use.
Thanks everyone for the feedback! I will try and sprout the quinoa I have on hand, but I didn't think it would work.
We love quinoa salad too. Similar to all the fun and tasty vegies you would put in a pasta salad or you can make the celebration quinoa that has a mix of mayo and sour cream, chopped peppers, broccoli, olives, green onions, shrimp and corn....chill and serve with crackers. Mmmmmm...
Great idea from Kathy to start the sprouts in a coffee filter!
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