Grow Sustainable Quinoa for your Kitchen

Quinoa has become trendy food worldwide, but at what cost? In Bolivia where it cultivated the demand for this super food is leading growers to abandon traditional land management practices.  Crops are not being rotated, and farmers are over planting llama grazing area.  The llama manure is required to organically fertilize the quinoa.  Poorer people in Bolivia and Peru, where the Quinoa is also grown, are no longer able to afford this traditional staple grain.

I recently planted a little raised bed of Quinoa from a seed trade.  Mine were planted a couple of weeks after these flowering and seeding Quinoa plants at the Bonner Center Community Garden. They are a lot like Amaranth, but seem to be more dense with seeds. If you like eating Quinoa, you can grow your own.  Or if you know someone who loves Quinoa, let them know they can grow their own  Seeds are available from SustainableSeedco.com.  If you have never winnowed grains before I it very easy and best to do on a breezy day.  Check out this how to webpage for winnowing seeds.

Man with Winnow by Vincent van Gogh

Here are some other beautiful flowers that were blooming when I took the Quinoa photos.

Zinnia

Wild growing Phlox