Alternative Grains: Amaranth, Sorghum, Buckwheat?

[StupidBird]

I live in the Georgia Piedmont and want to try my hand at alternative grains. I'm gluten sensitive, allergic to tons of stuff, and am finding it easier, cheaper, and tastier to grow my own anything. I'm not too good at it yet, but this year I want to work in some grains and green manure crops.

I've read some on these grains for the home garden: Amaranth, Buckwheat, Sorghum. When I can find them in the specialty markets, it's $2-3/pound and that's not organic. I like them, and so do the chickens.

Advice for experiments? I'm thinking just a packet of each, for 10x10 foot square, or 4x25 foot wide row. And getting extra buckwheat for tilling under as green manure (along with extra pea and bush bean seed).

Note: I'm trying to plan the garden BEFORE the seed catalogs come in and corrupt me with their temptations to overdo it!

 

[lesa]

I love growing amaranth. Once you have planted it, you will not have to buy seeds again. The seed heads have millions of seeds on each one...The chickens enjoy- I have never eaten it, but I do enjoy its beauty in the garden...

 

[digitS']

I suppose that the fact you are on the opposite corner of the country explains why I haven't grown any of the ones you mentioned, 'Bird. I have grown others . . .

Broomcorn was about as close to sorghum as I've come. What use do you make of sorghum? The broomcorn was a nice addition to fall arrangements. We didn't have any practical uses for it altho' the birds wou probably have eaten the seed. It grew like corn but was remarkably tall - did just fine.

Over about 10 years, I usually have wheat in the garden. This year, I tried hulless oats. There was also flour corn, sunflowers and millet. Some of these I've grown quite a few times. Any of these hold any interest to you?

Steve

 

[StupidBird]

flour corn and millet. I've used sorghum whole in soups instead of barley, and millet makes a nice pilaf or substitute for bulgur wheat. I'm ordering another $200 in drip irrigation for the added beds for grain/bean/greens rotation.

Of course, if I grow flour corn, that's another gadget! (a real flour mill).

I'm starting to stock up on the food service buckets from the grocery stores for storage. It can get pretty hot and humid here, so I plan on whole grains in these buckets deep in the most interior closet. Some day a proper pantry cellar (no basement here).

I bought a red-leaf greens-type amaranth forever ago - 'Hopi Red'. Marvelous beautiful big bloom heads, microscopic black dust seeds. It comes up EVERYWHERE, and a friend digs it up for her annual borders.

I will try sunflowers again this summer, and if I remember to wrap the seed heads after blooming, maybe I'll even have some seed.

Rodents (rats, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, etc.), deer, - every critter and every bug and every disease on the UGA extension service list. I'm also investing in more row cover cloth.

At some point it will be amusing to plow the front yard to wildflowers, or sunflowers, or corn or something. And I think people in the subdivision stare Now? hehe.

 

[digitS']

flour corn and millet. . . Of course, if I grow flour corn, that's another gadget! (a real flour mill).

. . . I will try sunflowers again this summer, and if I remember to wrap the seed heads after blooming, maybe I'll even have some seed. . . .

Okay! Here is how you can make cornbread without a flour mill: (click)

If it works as well for you as me -- blame Seedcorn! I could tell he was a little uncertain about people jumping on his idea but it worked great for me! I think how I changed the Albers standard cornbread recipe is on that thread. Nuthin' to it!

I guess I've grown millet longer than wheat in the garden because I didn't have the wheat this year but still had a little millet. It is from seed that I bought from Johnny's probably back in about '98 or '99. Highlander millet. It is a "foxtail millet" and you can find seedheads in the pet shop. Those are the cagebird treats that you can hang up for the birds. Foxtail millet is probably not what you are getting in packaged bird seed but you can find it as a treat.

Easy peasy to grow -- sow it at the same time as you do sweet corn. It is quicker than corn and then you have to watch for the wild finches or they will harvest it for you ! I've never used it as my food. Pilaf you say??! It is possible that foxtail isn't the best choice but it certainly has large heads and is easy to handle. You may want to see if the seed you are buying from the store will germinate for you.

The birds in the sunflowers? Harvest the seedheads -- they are just letting you know that the seed is mature. There's probably little reason to wait once the wild birds begin harvesting some of the outer rows of seed. You will want to spread the seed out somewhere they can't get at it so that the seed can continue to dry and won't mold in storage.

Hope that helps!

Steve

 

[StupidBird]

Thanks Steve!

My best drying and storage area was the unfinished attic bonus room. Now that it's been finished, I have to come up with another lazy alternative. It's too hard to squeeze into what's left of the attic. Garage is too full of active projects and sawdust.

Hmmm, time to start collecting scrap lumber for another project...a drying shed/solar dehydrator all in one?

If I had a nickel for every project I thought up, I could pay somebody to do one.

 

[RustyDHart]

I grow a tall, red variety of Amaranth...I don't know the name of it....sorry. It grows like crazy and produces tons of seed "swags"..... My chickens and sheep love the seeds and the plant itself. It's also VERY pretty to look at......and it re-seeds like crazy........ Rusty

 

[GreeneGarden]

I am also very allergic to gluten, but I do not eat the grains mentioned because their protein molecules are very similar to gluten and it causes the same reaction. While I grow Amaranth for the flowers, I never eat it since it is extremely high in oxalates which bind calcium. Rice and roots are my primary carbohydrate sources. For chickens, wheat, sorghum, and millet work great and they are easy to grow.

http://www.gardenfornutrition.org/