It is a habit, born more out of curiosity than need. While buying quinoa at the local mart per week, I often fantasize that I may one day start growing the same in my back-yard. All of us are enthusiast farmers and I have grown a variety of vegetables in my backyard, albeit with a mixed rate of success. Tomatoes come up fine, so does lettuce but I fail often with potatoes and spinach - not in the quantity, but on the quality.
I like growing some stuff in my back-yard mostly because it keeps me active and happy. At the same time, veggies coming out of my kitchen garden have a rock-solid credibility. They are organic and (to me) appear healthier than the stuff I get at the local market.
However, I was clueless with quinoa. I was apprehensive also since I have never attempted growing wheat or rice in my back-yard. Frankly, what number of us do that?
But the allure of growing quinoa in the back-yard was over-powering, mostly because I am so excited about the seed. Quinoa nutrition and benefits had made me a convert a few years back.
In contrast, I have never been a raving fan of wheat or rice or oats.
But I did not want to fail - that would be heart-breaking and a sheer wastage of time and effort.
Enter Ernie New from the White Mountain Farm in San Luis Valley, Colorado. Ernie (and his partner John McCamant) have been growing quinoa in the US since 1987. Located at an elevation of 7600 ft, White Mountain Farm is situated in the dry lakebed of San Luis Valley between the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo ranges of the Southern Colorado Rockies. White Mountain Farm is Certified Organic from the very start and Ernie is as good an expert on quinoa as you can get in North America.
Ernie is of the perception that while growing quinoa is not much of an issue in many parts of the united states as it is a robust crop. However, he warns that the flower and seed of quinoa are delicate and would not set above a certain temperature.
"While quinoa plants will grow okay in many parts of the country, it is the flowering bit that is a problem. At any temperature over 85deg F, quinoa flowers don't bloom and the seed won't set," Ernie says.
"The plants would appear healthy but the seeds won't set so the output would be very low," Ernie further adds.
And then a larger problem, Ernie points out, is the processing bit where the grains are washed and/or dry polished.
As per Ernie, "Processing quinoa after growing it in your yard is a problem. Most quinoa in the market is of the pre-rinsed variety, meaning that the saponin (the soapy, bitter layer covering quinoa seeds) has been washed away or has been removed through dry polishing"
Any serious quinoa grower would set up a processing unit in which quinoa seeds would be treated and washed thoroughly to remove the saponin. How would a back-yard enthusiast match the same? However, I feel that the typically small quantities of quinoa that one would grow in the back-yard can be easily washed in the kitchen itself.
For a detailed look at how to rinse quinoa, check my post here.
Ernie also feels that it is not easy to get into quinoa farming in the US. A lot of dedication and difficult work is needed and there are difficulties. At the same time, he feels that a lot of farmers in the US would already be debt-laden and may not want to experiment with a new and comparatively unknown crop like quinoa.
At this point, Ernie would like to differentiate between the varieties of quinoa. He asserts that the varieties grown in Northern Bolivia would be difficult to replicate in the US while Southern Bolivian quinoa has a better chance of succeeding under North American conditions.
However, the market for quinoa stays rock-solid. Although most of the quinoa in the US market is supplied by Bolivia and Peru, the need for locally grown and certified organic quinoa is very high. Ernie bemoans the fact that he has difficulty matching even the local demand with his farm's output. With quinoa's popularity multiplying this year, Ernie would be a very busy man in the coming months.
Going back to my kitchen garden escapades, I am heeding Ernie's advice and will limit myself to tinkering with quinoa in the kitchen, not in the garden.
For an indepth look at quinoa, visit my extensive resource at http://myquinoanutrition.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rachel_M_Harper
0 comments:
Post a Comment