Amaranth
- Good source of phosphorus, iron, potassium, folate, antioxidants
- ¼ cup = 60mg Ca+
- Combined with corn creates complete protein
Amaranth refers to three species of closely related plants that were domesticated throughout Central and South America: Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus caudatus, and Amaranthus hypochondriacus (Pickersgill and Heiser 1977). These species ranged over large areas, reaching as far north as the southwest U.S. The earliest domestication of amaranth, A. cruentus, took place around 3500 B.C. The other two species were domesticated much later, both beginning around 1 A.D.
Called the “super food” by the ancient Aztecs and an abundant part of the empire’s crop base, Amaranth was fed to runners and warriors because of its reputation for providing large bursts of energy and improving athletic performance. The crop was regarded so highly that each year bushels of Amaranth were presented to their leader, Montezuma. Because the crop figured so prominently in Aztec culture and religious ceremonies, the conquering armies of Cortez burned the fields to the ground. As European crops replaced indigenous ones, Amaranth slowly fell out of use. Twenty years ago, the “ancient crop with a future” enjoyed a renaissance when the National Academy of Sciences http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=2305 recommended Amaranth as one of twenty foods to be re-introduced to the American diet.
Amaranth has not remained in its area of origin. It has become a favorite in both Indian and some African cuisine. Use of these plants for both food and medicine in the Southwest U.S. has continued. These three main species, as well as their wild counterparts, are eaten in various ways. Like many similar foods the seeds can be winnowed out to make flour for breads. The leaves are also eaten as greens. In some situations the entire plant is baked and stored for times when food is scare. Parts of the plant are also used as medicine, often for stomach and intestinal issues like vomiting and diarrhea.
The main reason for Amaranth’s recommended re-introduction was its phenomenal nutritional profile, which provides several important nutrients that are often difficult to incorporate into a restrictive diet. For example, Amaranth contains large amounts of dietary fiber, iron, and calcium as well as other vitamins and minerals. Amaranth also has naturally high amounts of lysine, methionine and cysteine combined with a fine balance of amino acids making it an excellent source of high quality, balanced protein, which is more complete than the protein found in most grains. In addition to Amaranth’s outstanding nutritional value, it is also very low in sodium and contains no saturated fat. Another outstanding feature is that our Amaranth is organically grown and is naturally Non-GMO.
Currently Amaranth is grown in 21 states. Only about 3,000 acres of the grain are cultivated each year. Much of the produce is sold locally where it is grown.
Millet
- Mild flavor
- Good source of fiber, B-complex vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium
Millet is tasty, with a mildly sweet, nut-like flavor and contains a myriad of beneficial nutrients. It is nearly 15% protein, contains high amounts of fiber, B-complex vitamins including niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, the essential amino acid methionine, lecithin, and some vitamin E. It is a good source of iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium.
Two forms of millet, proso and pearl, are commonly grown in the U.S. Proso millet is often grown in the U.S. for bird and livestock feed (Boland 2006). It is grown in all but 4 U.S. states and much of Canada. Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota are the leading producers in North America. About 338,000 acres are planted each year, resulting in about 9.1 million bushels of grain. Production of proso millet increased from 2002-2007, and that trend is likely to continue. Pearl millet has the largest acreage of all the Ancient Grains, with 1.5 million acres planted in the U.S. each year (Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute).
Sorghum
- Originated in Eastern Africa- 4000 BCE
- 5th most important cereal crop- dietary staple of 500 million people- Africa, Asia
- Red sorghum- animal feed
- Sweet Sorghum- syrup
- White Sorghum- lovely light textured GF grain
- Increase production in US. Requires less water and fertilizer
- Mild taste, light, lowest price of GF flours
Sorghum is the dietary staple of more than 500 million people mostly in Africa.
Only rice, wheat, maize, and potatoes surpass it in the quantity eaten. However, it produces merely a fraction of what it could. It is among the most photosynthetically efficient and quickest maturing food plants, can grow in both temperate and tropical zones, endures hot and dry conditions, and withstands high rainfall. Its grains are boiled like rice, cracked like oats for porridge, “malted“ like barley for beer, baked like wheat into flat breads, or popped like popcorn for snacks. The whole plant is often used as forage, hay, or silage, and the stems for building, fencing, weaving, broom making, and firewood. Sorghum can also be used for liquid fuels, and may eventually prove a better source of alcohol than sugarcane or maize. Sorghum may also be turned into vegetable oil, adhesives, waxes, dyes, sizing for paper and cloth, and other high-value starches. Perhaps the world’s most versatile domesticated plant, sorghum probably has more undeveloped genetic potential than any other major food crop.
From Lost Crops of Africa
Kansas, The Sunflower State, is the country’s leading producer of sorghum, also known as milo, in the US. As a heat and drought tolerant crop, sorghum is ideal for the open plains of Kansas and Texas.
Teff
- Teff means “lost”-it is the smallest grain
- Native to Ethiopia- to make injera, spongy fermented flat bread
- Good source of iron, copper, zinc
- ¼ cup = 80 mg calcium
- Dark, rich color; slightly sweet, dense
- Use in flour mixtures
- Whole teff cooks nicely in combination with millet, quinoa and amaranth.
This staple cereal, which contains no gluten, is the most esteemed grain in Ethiopia, where its production exceeds that of most other cereals. It is ground into flour and made into the pancake-like fermented bread, injera, which forms the basic diet of millions. About 13 percent protein, well balanced in amino acids, and rich in iron, teff is also used for gruel and cakes, and even as unthreshed animal feed, since it is nutritious and extremely palatable to livestock. Teff straw is also the preferred binding material for clay walls, bricks, and household containers. All but unknown beyond Ethiopia until recently, commercial production has started in the U.S. and South Africa, and an export trade in teff grain has begun. In the U.S. it is used as a thickener for soups and gravies and included in pancakes, muffins, cookies, cakes, stir fry dishes, casseroles, and puddings.
From Lost Crops of Africa
An eight-ounce serving of teff yields 32% of the USRDA for calcium and 80% for iron. While not a complete protein like quinoa, a 2-ounce serving of teff has 7 grams of protein, equal to an extra large egg. Teff is low in fat (1 gram per 2-ounce serving), and high in fiber (8 grams per 2-ounce serving). And that’s not all. Teff is a good source of niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, copper, manganese, boron, phosphorous and potassium. The seeds are so tiny that they have a greater proportion of bran and germ (the outer portions where nutrients are concentrated).