Quinoa in California?
 

Based on a cursory googling it looks like the best varieties of Quinoa are typically grown at high altitude, and that Quinoa must be washed after harvesting and before eating.

I was thinking about growing Quinoa, but it is now starting to sound like it is a hassle, and that the quality will not be very good if I grow it on our N. Calif. farm.

Is there anyone out there that has had good success growing Quinoa? I would define "success" as meaning that it grew well and was fairly productive, and it was at least close, in flavor, to that which is usually sold.

I harvested a really great crop at the store last year.:lol:

Worth

From what I've read on Face Book lately, it would be good if some USA farmers that live at some altitude (like Colorado or Cal, or Montana) could figure out how to grow Quinoa, at least on a small acreage basis.

Quinoa has gotten such notice HERE lately that the farmers in the Andes can't afford to eat their own crop. That's not right.

Carol

The French Vanilla variety from Wild Garden Seeds looks interesting.
[url]http://www.wildgardenseed.com/product_info.php?products_id=282[/url]

I've wanted to grow quinoa in my small garden for a while, and I'm not even sure I like quinoa! But when I think of growing grains, I recall Carol Deppe's discussion in her book The Resilient Gardener. She loves to process corn, but she says, "For many grains, it is the problems with threshing or dehulling that limit the grain's usefulness when grown on a home scale." She doesn't mention quinoa, though.

By the way, 2013 is the International Year of the Quinoa.
[url]http://www.rlc.fao.org/en/about-fao/iyq-2012/[/url]

Seems like we can grow it here in the PNW .......... I suppose you could always grow the leaves for addition to salad mixes too ..

[URL]http://www.westcoastseeds.com/product/Vegetable-Seeds/Quinoa/[/URL]

Tried it at a community garden, but got no germination - slugs?

I would buy from Wild Garden Seeds too. Will probably put in a row. Even if it is terrible as food it will add bird and insect habitat...

I used to also think that Corn was ridiculous to grow on a small farm, or in a garden, but then I discovered Flint Corn. When you can't buy something as good, a little extra work shucking is worthwhile (but it would be silly for us to try and sell it, at our scale).


[QUOTE=habitat_gardener;325312]The French Vanilla variety from Wild Garden Seeds looks interesting.
[url]http://www.wildgardenseed.com/product_info.php?products_id=282[/url]

I've wanted to grow quinoa in my small garden for a while, and I'm not even sure I like quinoa! But when I think of growing grains, I recall Carol Deppe's discussion in her book The Resilient Gardener. She loves to process corn, but she says, "For many grains, it is the problems with threshing or dehulling that limit the grain's usefulness when grown on a home scale." She doesn't mention quinoa, though.

By the way, 2013 is the International Year of the Quinoa.
[url]http://www.rlc.fao.org/en/about-fao/iyq-2012/[/url][/QUOTE]

We had good luck with Amaranth at our farm - its another small grain. It's serves a variety of uses - the leaves and the grain are easily harvestable/sellable. In addition to the flint - I've been growing flint/dent corn for polenta - restaurants love it. It's good if you only do one corn - we do a bunch in different areas and then time the tassling so they don't cross-pollinate.