Yes, you can grow quinoa at home!

(Can you spot the ladybug?)

Quinoa is a seed with a lovely, light flavour and a bit of chewiness.  The first time I tried it, I thought it would be a good alternative to bulgur in tabbouleh.  Then I found out that it was a nutritional powerhouse, with more protein than either rice or pasta, and gluten-free to boot.  Plus, it looks so cute, with a little curly tail sticking out from the cooked seeds.  I can see why it’s a trendy superfood.

All that trendiness comes at a price though.  Quinoa was once a staple of the Andean diet, but global demand has driven up the price to the point where locals are no longer able to afford to eat it.  So what’s a socially-conscious girl to do?  Grow it herself!

It turns out that quinoa is easy to grow.  So easy, in fact, that a very close cousin of quinoa, lamb’s quarters, grows as a weed in our area.

You can plant the seeds directly in the soil in the spring, a week or two after your frost free date, but I usually start it indoors and transplant it when the seedlings get big enough.  If I direct seed, I have a hard time telling what is quinoa, and what is weed, and there is a good chance I will accidentally pull up my entire crop.  I speak from experience!!!

The plants take a bit of time to get established, but once they do, they grow tall (up to 6′) and narrow.  They don’t require much water, so it is basically a plant-it-and-forget-it kind of crop.  Perfect!

Later in the summer, masses of flowers will form at the top of the plant, which will eventually give way to seeds.  It’s time to harvest the seeds when you can’t dent them with your fingernail.  If extensive rain is in the forecast, cut them down early, and hang them upside down somewhere sheltered to dry – quinoa have been known to sprout right on the plant after rain.

Trouble free all summer long, now the quinoa work begins.  Removing the seeds from the dried flower parts is a bit of a task.  Mathieu and I haven’t really found a great system yet, but here is what we are currently doing:

1. In a bowl, rub the seeds between your hands, to try to dislodge the flower bits from the seeds.
2. Pour the seeds and flower bits into another bowl, from a height of 2-3 feet (depending on how accurately you can pour).  Try to do this on a windy day.  Always do this outside, because it can produce a lot of dust.  The lighter flower bits should blow away, while the heavier seeds should end up in the bottom bowl.  If the wind just won’t cooperate, you can substitute a fan or hairdryer.  I have also heard of using a bicycle pump, but have not tried myself.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for several cycles.
4. At some point, I get bored and give up.  Store the seeds at this stage until you are ready to cook them.

Before eating the quinoa, you need to wash it a few times.  Quinoa seeds are covered with a soapy substance called saponin, which keeps the birds from raiding your crop, but its bitterness also keeps your friends and family away.  So rinse it as you might with starchy rice – with lots of water.  You can also try to scoop off a few more flower bits at this stage.  Flower parts will mostly float, and seeds will usually sink.

After several rinses (5 or 6 times), the water will be reasonably clear.  Cook it as you would with store-bought quinoa: 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, with salt and pepper as desired, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork.  Home-grown quinoa has a more pronounced, more earthy flavour than store bought.  Or maybe I just don’t rinse well enough.

There are endless ways to eat quinoa.  Have it as a side dish!  Use it as a substitute for rice!  Put it in tabbouleh!  Make a delicious salad!

While you can save quinoa seeds to plant again the following year, it cross pollenates very easily with lamb’s quarters, and may not grow true, so it is best to buy seeds from a reputable company.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)

sowing style:  direct seed, or as a transplant
timing:  plant one week after frost-free date
requirements:  full sun, drought-tolerant
spacing:  12-16″
height:  6′
yield:  up to 1 pound for 3 plants