07-05-2008, 08:36 AM
Amaranth was a sacred plant to one of the indigenous populations in Mexico and central America (Aztecs I think) which was then outlawed by the Spanish. My point is it ought to grow somewhere here on this island since we've got every climate zone except glaciers. We grew red Amaranth, Amaranth Dreadicus (which looked like dreadlocks) and Elephant head Amaranth in our yard in Oregon's Willamette valley, where we could go years without a killing frost, so it doesn't need super cold weather. It reseeded itself all over the yard and was pretty easy to hand harvest and separate the seeds from the chaff (that's what threshing is).
I grew up in Southern Indiana and buckwheat was grown by several of our neighbors; as I remember it was planted in spring after frost danger was past and harvested well before the first frost. These were relatively small fields, a couple of acres instead of hundreds, and I think the buckwheat wasn't sold but was used on the farm as feed and for personal kitchen use. I seem to remember one neighbor pastured their turkeys in the buckwheat field after harvest until they went to market before Thanksgiving. These were somewhat diversified family farms where they grew soybeans, corn, and hogs for cash, and vegetables, fruit, hay, chickens, and cows for personal needs and to sell or trade to neighbors.
Traditional grain growing and harvesting methods all over the world tend to be small scale, non mechanized and labor intensive. I would look for information on traditional methods in the areas where the grains were the staple crops, before the industrial revolution changed how and where grains were grown and processed, as well as what was grown. Please share your results, I bet a lot of us are thinking about grain growing now that good whole grain bread is costing around $4 a loaf.
Carol
I grew up in Southern Indiana and buckwheat was grown by several of our neighbors; as I remember it was planted in spring after frost danger was past and harvested well before the first frost. These were relatively small fields, a couple of acres instead of hundreds, and I think the buckwheat wasn't sold but was used on the farm as feed and for personal kitchen use. I seem to remember one neighbor pastured their turkeys in the buckwheat field after harvest until they went to market before Thanksgiving. These were somewhat diversified family farms where they grew soybeans, corn, and hogs for cash, and vegetables, fruit, hay, chickens, and cows for personal needs and to sell or trade to neighbors.
Traditional grain growing and harvesting methods all over the world tend to be small scale, non mechanized and labor intensive. I would look for information on traditional methods in the areas where the grains were the staple crops, before the industrial revolution changed how and where grains were grown and processed, as well as what was grown. Please share your results, I bet a lot of us are thinking about grain growing now that good whole grain bread is costing around $4 a loaf.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb