Quinoa

[Dottie]

I thought that with my Pinto Beans from the cupboard, but I'm now shelling the beans grown from the beans grown from the cupboard ones......it all depends on how much of a 'chancer' you are I suppose.

Thinking about being a chancer, I think anyone who has stopped growing toms outdoors because of blight (that's me), cannot really think of themselves as a chancer.

I have an Italian guy close to my plot and he's determined to keep trying with his toms, despite getting blight these last 2 years. Having a wander around yesterday, I did see at least 2 plots that still had toms growing. One said her husband sprayed them as soon as he saw a touch of blight and the plants are now doing really well.

I'm not into spraying, it takes away the whole enjoyment of gardening for me. I'm happy to plant and nurture plants, but if they don't like my site conditions and just get on and grow, then I'll replace them with things that will.

[weekendwellies]

I'm not into spraying, it takes away the whole enjoyment of gardening for me. I'm happy to plant and nurture plants, but if they don't like my site conditions and just get on and grow, then I'll replace them with things that will.

I'm with you on that score. I will try to grow pretty much anything over the next few years, but if things fail to thrive too often then I obviously have the wrong conditions/site for them so what is the point in persevering. I would rather spend my time, money and energy on things that are happy with the conditions that I can give.

[Dottie]

I'm with you on that score. I will try to grow pretty much anything over the next few years, but if things fail to thrive too often then I obviously have the wrong conditions/site for them so what is the point in persevering. I would rather spend my time, money and energy on things that are happy with the conditions that I can give.

Yep if the plants are happy, I'm happy.

I accept having to work around things like slugs and stuff, but see no point in trying to grow something that is not suited to local climate, growing conditions.

The old Italian guy who is determined to get a good crop of toms, plants at least 50 plants a year. I think he likes the challenge with nature, but I'm more for working alongside nature.

[bluemoon]

The slugs ate all my direct sowings this year, so now everything is started off in modules.

Do you need to stake all plants?

How did you get on harvesting last year, is it a hugh faff.

Which variety are you growing?

Yes we stake them, but then our plot is so exposed and windy I automatically stake everything that's going to be above a foot tall. I don't know the variety, but they came from Suffolk Herbs and were the only type they had, the seeds were smaller than shop-bought and a more golden colour. To harvest them we cut them and left them hanging (seed end downwards) in the shed with a bread-tray lined with a bed-sheet underneath them, then battered them when they'd dried out. Looking back I wish this battering had been more of a gentle shake as we ended up with as much dried plant debris as we did seeds and then had to separate it all. This year I'm going to wait for a windy day and try old fashioned winnowing, but the seeds of this particular variety are lightweight and might blow away too. As we didn't have much of a crop and the whole point in growing it was to feed a vegan friend at a Hallowe'en party I only had a small taste. I have to say that it seemed much nuttier in flavour than the whiter, shop bought kind and I certainly preferred it. The friend said it was delicious. The pumpkins I used were the variety 'Pottimarron' which has a nutty flavour itself though, so that might account for it.

[Dottie]

Yes we stake them, but then our plot is so exposed and windy I automatically stake everything that's going to be above a foot tall. I don't know the variety, but they came from Suffolk Herbs and were the only type they had, the seeds were smaller than shop-bought and a more golden colour. To harvest them we cut them and left them hanging (seed end downwards) in the shed with a bread-tray lined with a bed-sheet underneath them, then battered them when they'd dried out. Looking back I wish this battering had been more of a gentle shake as we ended up with as much dried plant debris as we did seeds and then had to separate it all. This year I'm going to wait for a windy day and try old fashioned winnowing, but the seeds of this particular variety are lightweight and might blow away too. As we didn't have much of a crop and the whole point in growing it was to feed a vegan friend at a Hallowe'en party I only had a small taste. I have to say that it seemed much nuttier in flavour than the whiter, shop bought kind and I certainly preferred it. The friend said it was delicious. The pumpkins I used were the variety 'Pottimarron' which has a nutty flavour itself though, so that might account for it.

Staking sounds like the best option then, really windy up my lottie too. Yesterday it felt like late autumn it was so windy, I was the only one up there and I didn't stay long.

Real Seeds give info on drying and stuff, it does sound like a lot more work than just pulling out a root. So it will be interesting to see if all the effort is worth it, I don't mind faffing if I get a good size crop. I'll definitely be giving it a go, just need to decide which type to grow.

Did you try eating the leaves?

[zazen999]

Bluemoon - one of the ways I separate seeds from chaff once they are dried is to put them into a big bowl and pour water on them - the chaff floats; scoop that out and leave the seeds to dry. As long as they aren't in the water for long it seems to work. Pour the cleaned seeds through a sieve, and onto a tea towel to dry them off.

[bluemoon]

We didn't eat the leaves, but I've been breaking the occasional ones off and giving them to the chickens and they love them. It's related to the native weed Fat Hen though, so perhaps I should be restricting their intake of it.

Zazzen, that's a totally brilliant idea, thank you.

[zazen999]

Zazen, that's a totally brilliant idea, thank you.

No problem, I hate to think of you picking out bits of chaff all winter long.

[weekendwellies]

Bluemoon - one of the ways I separate seeds from chaff once they are dried is to put them into a big bowl and pour water on them - the chaff floats; scoop that out and leave the seeds to dry. As long as they aren't in the water for long it seems to work. Pour the cleaned seeds through a sieve, and onto a tea towel to dry them off.

I hear you have to soak them anyway to get the 'soapy tasting' seed covering off.

[zazen999]

I hear you have to soak them anyway to get the 'soapy tasting' seed covering off.

Yes, you do with Quinoa but the seed/chaff thing works on most seeds.....the quick way is to blow the chaff off but then you lose some seeds but hey ho - what's a few seeds between friends????

[weekendwellies]

Yes, you do with Quinoa but the seed/chaff thing works on most seeds.....the quick way is to blow the chaff off but then you lose some seeds but hey ho - what's a few seeds between friends????

If you blow it where you intend to plant it next time, it would save you a bit of planting up

[zazen999]

If you blow it where you intend to plant it next time, it would save you a bit of planting up

Good thinking - I may well end up with a very big bed of beetroot seedlings as that's my current seed harvesting situation.....I'll use them all for salad leaves all winter long......

[Dottie]

Good thinking - I may well end up with a very big bed of beetroot seedlings as that's my current seed harvesting situation.....I'll use them all for salad leaves all winter long......

That sounds like an excellent idea. I've already sown spinach, but if I sow a beetroot that produces a lighter lime coloured leaves, they would look lovely on the plate.

[Dottie]

As soon as I found out about quinoa I went onto The Real Seed website, check the info and then sent them an email regarding how it fits in with crop rotation.

Received this reply today:

The quinoa is a chenopod, closely related to the weed Fat Hen, so not the same family as any of the 'normal' vegetables - add it where it seems best to you! It likes a reasonably rich soil, so we tend to grow it alongside leafy greens like chard.

Seed - our new seed should all be in the catalogue by early to mid October (when the paper version is printed).