Quinoa
The quinoa surprised me, on several levels. First, I started it from store bought quinoa seed, meant for eating. I wasn't sure it would pop, but it seems to be doing so. And it popped fast - I just put it on the peat yesterday evening (well, the day before yesterday now) at about 5:45 PM, and it was growing root tails by the time I checked it around 2:15 PM the next day, less than 24 hours later.
Quinoa is a variety of chenopodium, grown for it's seeds mainly as an edible staple. It is one of the very few seeds that contains ALL of the amino acids necessary for humans to continue to live. Additionally, it's loaded with protein, fats, and vitamins, as well as a couple of necessary minerals. It's like a one-stop food source. As an added bonus, if you have anything like Celiac's Disease, it's gluten-free.
Chenopodium berlanderii, the ancestor of quinoa, has a long history in this immediate area. Locally, it's called "goosefoot", and is considered a weed by most folks. it is, however, edible as greens and of course the seeds. The Indians here grew it as part of their Eastern Agricultural Complex long before they had corn to grow, which was an invasive species from Mexico here. They ate the seeds in the same way other agricultural complexes ate rice and wheat. Unlike rice and wheat, and other similar grasses, the greens of the plant could also be eaten, like spinach. Goosefoot is still gathered as wild greens. Medicinally, the raw leaves were eaten to prevent intestinal parasites.
Chenopodium seeds have been found in rock shelters in Kentucky and Ohio, and in an archaeological dig at Daugherty's Cave, about 3 miles or so from where I was raised, in Virginia. They were growing and eating it here, right here, thousands of years ago, before they knew what maize even was. It is also salt tolerant, and actually leeches salts out of the ground and into the plant. When the English arrived here, chenopodium leaves were burned to ash by the Indians, and used as salt to season foods. Early English explorers made mention of that, and of the fact that Indians made "a goodly pottage" out of it, whatever that means.
Last fall, I took a trip down to the old homestead to attempt to gather seeds (primarily catnip and was hoping for some white sage from an ancient plant that used to grow there) and stumbled across a goosefoot plant growing wild right at the corner of our old coal house:
![[Image: attachment.php?aid=10794]](http://rogue-nation3.com/attachment.php?aid=10794)
I'm wondering how that particular plant is related to the ancient seeds found 3 miles away in Daugherty's Cave.
The main difference between wild chenopodium and domesticated chenopodium is the thickness of the testa, the seed cover. In the domesticated variants, it is only about 20 micrometers or less thick, and in the wild variants, it is 40 or more micrometers thick. Once it gets out of cultivation and reverts to the wild, the testa gets thicker again in just a few generations.
As I mentioned above, The quinoa I threw on the peat was thrown at 5:45 one evening, and was growing a root tail before 24 hours had elapsed. Here is the photo of that:
![[Image: attachment.php?aid=10795]](http://rogue-nation3.com/attachment.php?aid=10795)
So we will see where that goes.
.
The quinoa surprised me, on several levels. First, I started it from store bought quinoa seed, meant for eating. I wasn't sure it would pop, but it seems to be doing so. And it popped fast - I just put it on the peat yesterday evening (well, the day before yesterday now) at about 5:45 PM, and it was growing root tails by the time I checked it around 2:15 PM the next day, less than 24 hours later.
Quinoa is a variety of chenopodium, grown for it's seeds mainly as an edible staple. It is one of the very few seeds that contains ALL of the amino acids necessary for humans to continue to live. Additionally, it's loaded with protein, fats, and vitamins, as well as a couple of necessary minerals. It's like a one-stop food source. As an added bonus, if you have anything like Celiac's Disease, it's gluten-free.
Chenopodium berlanderii, the ancestor of quinoa, has a long history in this immediate area. Locally, it's called "goosefoot", and is considered a weed by most folks. it is, however, edible as greens and of course the seeds. The Indians here grew it as part of their Eastern Agricultural Complex long before they had corn to grow, which was an invasive species from Mexico here. They ate the seeds in the same way other agricultural complexes ate rice and wheat. Unlike rice and wheat, and other similar grasses, the greens of the plant could also be eaten, like spinach. Goosefoot is still gathered as wild greens. Medicinally, the raw leaves were eaten to prevent intestinal parasites.
Chenopodium seeds have been found in rock shelters in Kentucky and Ohio, and in an archaeological dig at Daugherty's Cave, about 3 miles or so from where I was raised, in Virginia. They were growing and eating it here, right here, thousands of years ago, before they knew what maize even was. It is also salt tolerant, and actually leeches salts out of the ground and into the plant. When the English arrived here, chenopodium leaves were burned to ash by the Indians, and used as salt to season foods. Early English explorers made mention of that, and of the fact that Indians made "a goodly pottage" out of it, whatever that means.
Last fall, I took a trip down to the old homestead to attempt to gather seeds (primarily catnip and was hoping for some white sage from an ancient plant that used to grow there) and stumbled across a goosefoot plant growing wild right at the corner of our old coal house:
I'm wondering how that particular plant is related to the ancient seeds found 3 miles away in Daugherty's Cave.
The main difference between wild chenopodium and domesticated chenopodium is the thickness of the testa, the seed cover. In the domesticated variants, it is only about 20 micrometers or less thick, and in the wild variants, it is 40 or more micrometers thick. Once it gets out of cultivation and reverts to the wild, the testa gets thicker again in just a few generations.
As I mentioned above, The quinoa I threw on the peat was thrown at 5:45 one evening, and was growing a root tail before 24 hours had elapsed. Here is the photo of that:
So we will see where that goes.
.
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’