Quinoa

nzlstar* · Joined: 28 Sep 2007 Posts: 3

has anyone tried growing Quinoa seeds?
i've only just found what sounds like a great food for various
folks....vegetarians, vegans(only non animal complete protein source),
diabetics, gluten intolerants.
from what i've read online, it will grow well in less than good conditions.
i've finally found a source near me, bought some, tested it out in a salad,
similar to tabouleh.
it tastes good and i like the odd texture.
i wonder how it is in a pudding like tapioca, hmmmm. more research i think.
i wont give up my oatmeal for breakfast tho.
cheers from the bottom of the planet,
jeanne
something i'm not used to, lol, i hope this one shows up Smile

>

Archived from group: rec>food>veg>cooking

John Ashby · Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 4

nzlstar* wrote:

> has anyone tried growing Quinoa seeds?
> i've only just found what sounds like a great food for various
> folks....vegetarians, vegans(only non animal complete protein source),
> diabetics, gluten intolerants.
> from what i've read online, it will grow well in less than good
> conditions. i've finally found a source near me, bought some, tested
> it out in a salad, similar to tabouleh.
> it tastes good and i like the odd texture.
> i wonder how it is in a pudding like tapioca, hmmmm. more research i
> think. i wont give up my oatmeal for breakfast tho.
> cheers from the bottom of the planet,
> jeanne
> > something i'm not used to, lol, i hope this one shows up Smile

>

I've grown it in the UK (which is as non-ideal conditions as you can get
for growing many things - sorry, bad year on the allotment). The major
difficulty was getting the soapy tasting seed coats off the grain. They
need thorough drying and winnowing, and for the latter the more quinoa
you have the easier it will be. You don't say where you are exactly,
but I'd have thought you'd have no trouble growing it unless you're in
Greymouth or south of Dunedin.

At the Eden Project in Cornwall this summer I noticed they were growing
it successfully, including varieties that looked quite different from
those I grew (which looked like Fat Hen or Good King Henry).

We gave up eating it because the children wouldn't. Baby's fingernails
was one of their more polite descriptions. I'm also very glad not to be
associated with anything championed by "Dr" Gillian McKeith. But if
quinoa works for you, good luck.

john

nzlstar* · Joined: 28 Sep 2007 Posts: 3

sorry bout the long time for reply...

i'm in auckland, fwiw, up north at sea level between two natural harbours,
doesnt get too cold or too hot here.
tho we pretty much grown anything here.
quinoa is native to south america, in the andes of peru, iirc.
those conditions are cooooold at night and warm in the day, during the
growing season anyhow.
i'd think they'd grow most anywhere after that. Smile

why does the coating have to be removed to plant the seeds?
that wouldn't happen in nature.
i wonder why someone isnt growing it in our south island.
then i also wonder why cranberrys are not a commercial crop here.
with all the peat bogs near the ocean we've got down south you'd think it
would be ideal conditions.
i know they grow some but not enough, still importing cranberry juice and
jelly at a horrendous cost.
we buy it cuz its what i grew up with in california. lucky we can afford it
i guess. eh.
hmmmm, maybe i should try a few seeds in a pot on the deck and see what
happens.
oh, what about eating the leaves.
does this keep it from setting seeds?
can you eat the leaves as they grow on the plant and it will keep growing?
sorry to sound dumb but this is a new food to me.
i've grown other vegetables but not sure how this one behaves at all.
cheers from a lovely warm sunny spring day in the south pacific,
jeanne

[quoting removed - Gedge, moderator]

John Ashby · Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 4

nzlstar* wrote:

> sorry bout the long time for reply...
>
> i'm in auckland, fwiw, up north at sea level between two natural
> harbours, doesnt get too cold or too hot here.
> tho we pretty much grown anything here.
> quinoa is native to south america, in the andes of peru, iirc.
> those conditions are cooooold at night and warm in the day, during the
> growing season anyhow.
> i'd think they'd grow most anywhere after that. Smile

Indeed. I shouldn't think you'd have too much trouble in the City of
Sails.

> why does the coating have to be removed to plant the seeds?
> that wouldn't happen in nature.

Ah, I wasn't clear enough. It's not to plant them but to eat them. The
seeds come wrapped in dried up plant matter (the remains of the petals,
I imagine) which has a bitter, soapy taste. You need to get rid of as
much of it as you possibly can to get to the bit you actually want to
eat, just as wheat grains need to be winnowed from their surrounding
hard coats.

> i wonder why someone isnt growing it in our south island.

Yes, somewhere on the eastern slopes of the Southern Alps might work.
It's likely one of those supply and demand problems, until there's
enough demand it's not worth creating the supply, without the supply
demand won't build.

> hmmmm, maybe i should try a few seeds in a pot on the deck and see
> what happens.

You'll need to plant out the seedlings to about 60cm spacing if they're
going into open ground, or you could try growing them on in large pots.

> oh, what about eating the leaves.
> does this keep it from setting seeds?

I've never tried it, I imagine the leaves are also bitter. On the other
hand Fat Hen leaves are edible, so it might be worth a try. You won't
get the protein advantage you mentioned in your original post, though.

> can you eat the leaves as they grow on the plant and it will keep
> growing? sorry to sound dumb but this is a new food to me.

If you grow enough plants you can try that with some and see what effect
it has. That's the joy of gardening, you can experiment (though not too
much, don't try belladonna pie).

> i've grown other vegetables but not sure how this one behaves at all.
> cheers from a lovely warm sunny spring day in the south pacific,

Grrrrr. Actually, the autumn is not too bad here as yet, but that just
means there's no excuse not to be out digging.

john

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