Comments on: Would you grow your own grains?

By: Ien van Houten

Ien van Houten — Mon, 30 May 2011 14:09:39 +0000

Growing grains is one thing, processing them is something else. I have grown both Quinoa and Amaranth years ago, they are indeed beautiful. But it took me all afternoon to winnow a small amount of Amaranth. I ended up with just enough grain to stuff a small squash for Thanksgiving. The rest went to the chickens. There is something to say for professional farmers.

By: Willi

Willi — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:09:21 +0000

I’ve grown amaranth for its greens (the young leaves are delicious) and because it is a really gorgeous addition to the vegetable garden. Due to a combination of laziness and ineptitude, I didn’t harvest the grain. But the birds loved it and I got plenty of volunteers the following year.

By: Red Icculus

Red Icculus — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:52:20 +0000

You seem to forget sprouts as a source of veg and protein. I grow my own grains and legumes in the suburbs and eat them for breakfast every day. It’s great!

By: Andrea Bellamy

Andrea Bellamy — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:21:38 +0000

Ayla = it is gorgeous. I guess that’s why it’s often sold as an ornamental. Look forward to trying some of the Urban Grain grown amaranth!

Fern – It’s not practical for me (or you) to grow wheat on the balcony, but I would at least try it if I had the space.

I also disagree that the local eating trend is extreme or ridiculous. It’s only been in the last 75 years that humans haven’t sourced their food from within 100 – or fewer! – miles. What’s ridiculous is still depending on foods imported across thousands of miles in this time of extreme ecological fragility. And yes, of course it would be better to buy only locally-sourced household goods, for similar reasons.

Karen – no one’s advocating going back to living in trees (although I have seen some pretty gorgeous modern treehouses that I’d be happy to call home!) – just a little common sense!

Craig – you said it perfectly. Hear, hear!

Cassandra – I’d be interested in hearing more about your experience in the Creston CSA. Thanks for leading me to your blog!

Fiddlehead – I love variety in my veggie patch, too. Saffron crocuses, shiitake mushrooms, soybeans, tomatillos: I love it all!

Zoe – that’s a good point. I was only thinking that it’s more than double the size of my home!

Laurel – you know you have to keep me posted if you do!

Out of doors – totally. I’ve never heard of Farro – is it good?

Bogie – I’d gush over homegrown dried beans! And I bet, with the new awareness of the goodness of homegrown food, others would too!

Craig – Thanks for the tip – I’ll check it out.

By: Craig at Ellis Hollow

Craig at Ellis Hollow — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:17:40 +0000

Anyone interested in raising grain on a garden scale should check out a book written by an old friend, Gene Logsdon, back in the ’70s by Rodale Press: Small Scale Grain Raising. Looks like it’s still in print, now from Chelsea Green: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/smallscale_grain_raising:paperback

By: bogie

bogie — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 12:19:23 +0000

WAy before it was fashionable, I grew my own dried beans (kidney and pinto). Did that for a couple of seasons and decided that I didn’t have time to grow those things that I can’t really make gifts out of (can’t think of anyone that would gush over a jar of dried beans). So, I buy my beans and grow the stuff to make salsa, blackberry jam and lavender sachets and other goodies. However, I still get the catelogs and think about growing beans again.

By: out of doors

out of doors — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:39:50 +0000

It might be worth it just to see the difference between the fresh and dried forms. I love farro, a so-called primitive grain. Maybe, like beans, new crop grains would be faster to cook and taste a little (for lack of a better word) greener.

By: Laurel

Laurel — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 10:18:55 +0000

I would LOVE to grow grains, especially amaranth! I think the prettiest I have come across is red garnet.(http://www.uharvest.ca/zenstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=23&products_id=278&zenid=a37ab0136c72a5130fcc1b1eeaffc5ef)

If this garden project of ours works out, this one is definitely going in ;)

Thanks for the awesome post! I don’t think many of us consider growing grains!

By: Zoe

Zoe — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 08:51:44 +0000

Wow, it really surprised me to learn how LITTLE room one would need to devote to wheat growing to provide bread for one’s family for a year. 3196 square feet? That’s about half the size of the city lot our first house was on. Obviously there’s the home’s footprint to consider, but if we had planted half of our backyard with wheat we could have hypothetically provided half of our bread needs for a year. I had always imagined one would have needed multiple acres to provide their family with enough wheat for a year.

I would definitely consider growing grains in the future, and thanks for the link to Saltspring Seeds – so many interesting things to check out over there!

By: Fiddlehead

Fiddlehead — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:52:55 +0000

Hey now, don’t knock it till you try it! Amaranth can be cooked like rice too. It’s got a bit of a smoky flavour, and it happens to possess one of the most complete proteins found in a single grain. And yeah, it’s darn pretty. Word to the wise, though: some species are pain-in-the-ars weeds.

But how cool is Saltspring Seeds for introducing us anyways? I say power to the greenthumbed, bullheaded gardeners who give this kit a try. I like a little spice called variety, especially where my veggie patch is concerned.