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Buy Quinoa Seeds HERE

The seeds come with growing instructions and are very easy to grow. I have grown them for 2 seasons in my home allotment in England and they shot up. From sowing the seeds to harvesting the seeds was about 5 months. The plants germinate freely in a warm room at around 15 – 20 degrees centigrade. As soon as you can get them hardening off under glass outside as the seedlings have a tendency to bolt. Plant out to the allotment once they are 6 inches high and there is no risk of frost.

If you live in a warmer climate you can sew the seeds directly into the ground. You need the plants to be about 12 inches apart and they will need staking as they grow to about 6 feet high.

Quinoa Growing Cycle For The UK

March – Sow seeds 2 to a 24 pod seedling tray

Once germination takes place remove the weaker seedling from each pod.

April – Harden out the seedlings daily under glass in good light.

Mid May – Plant out to your prepared plot. Do not allow plants to dry out.

Early September – Harvest the seeds.

You can use the leaves of the plant as a green vegetable. It has a strong flavour and can be eaten raw as part of a salad or cooked like spinach. Do not pick too many of the leaves as this will reduce the crop of quinoa seeds you will be able to harvest. The yield from each plant will be 4 – 8 ozs.

Does Home Grown Quinoa Taste Better?

I am always being asked this and the answer is no. I can’t taste any difference except that the saponin coating needs more washing time than the seeds you buy in the shops. I grow quinoa because I enjoy my garden and I am a bit of a quinoa fan. The plants are very much like a 6 foot weed with huge seed heads full of quinoa. And that is pretty much what they are. I will be photographing the growing process thoroughly this season and be posting the pictures here.

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It is really easy to use and can be added to both hot and cold meals. It can even be used in baking. Many may ask what is quinoa? It is a type of seed or grain from the Quinoa plant that was originally grown in the Andes but can be grown in our climate. The leaves can be used in salads but the most used part of the plant is its seed. They are dried and stored as grain. They can also be pressed to produce their own oil which also has health benefits.

Using Quinoa As A Side Dish

Quinoa is a seed and as such it is an easy replacement for rice. It has its own slightly nutty taste but will absorb other flavours too. It’s brilliant with curries and casseroles and a wonderful addition to stir fry meals. Quinoa is also very filling as it is a protein with all the amino acids – so a little goes a long way.

Quinoa As A Salad Base

Quinoa can be used instead of cous cous or rice and can bring a different feel and taste to salads. It can be added to a mixture of chopped peppers, celery, and carrots, etc., to make a lovely salad side dish or even sprouted like cress. The limits to Quinoa are your own imagination rather than this remarkable grain. It is really quick to prepare and can be used in a multitude of ways.

Quinoa In Main Meals

Quinoa is a very health food option that is quick and easy to prepare that can bring stunning results to the simplest of meals. It comes in cream, red and black colours for variety. It is available as a grain, as oil, and as flakes and flour. It can be used in hot foods like stews, stir fries, in salads as a side dish or sprouted. It can even be used in baking and is a useful addition to granola. This is a “new to us” food that is going to be the latest addition to our food since the discovery of vitamins and dietary fibre. Don’t get left behind but learn to master the use of this healthy addition to our everyday diet.

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French Link

Where we stay in France – http://www.fontegrive.com/

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Secret 1 – Quinoa is gluten free
This seed is a good source of many vitamins and nutrients. Being gluten free and very non allergenic also means that people who have restricted diets can usually eat it with out any problems.

Secret 2 – It is a complete protein
It contains 8 (Some say 9) vital amino acids. For vegans and vegetarians looking for alternative to tofu and soya it is ideal. It is also far more versatile in the kitchen then other vegan sources of protein

Secret 3 – Quinoa Is good for your health
It is a vegetable protein which is easy to digest. It also is a complex carbohydrate that slowly releases its goodness into the body. You do not get a rush of carbs followed by a lull. This is great for diabetics and people with kidney problems

Secret 4 – There are different types
When I grew some quinoa in my garden last year I was surprised at the number of varieties in the seed catalogue. There are also at least 3 different colours. The most common is white quinoa (More a cream colour). You can also have black quinoa and red quinoa. The variety I grew was called rainbow and was a mix of browns, reds and blacks. The different varieties also have different levels of oils in them and some are more crunchy than other.

Secret 5 – Its comes in 3 forms
The most common form is the seed or grain form. This is what you boil in a saucepan with water for 10 -15 minutes. You can also buy quinoa flour. This is not a like for like substitute for wheat flour but I have had some success in baking with quinoa flour. The last variety is quinoa flakes. These can be made up into a breakfast porridge or muesli base. It can also be used to make quinoa cookies and biscuits.

Secret 6 – Quinoa Can Help You Lose Weight
Although it is not very low in calories or fat count quinoa is very filling. So you do not need to eat very much to feel satisfied. I was in a restaurant once where quinoa was on the menu. The portion served was massive. I had to leave most of it much to the waiters dismay. My Spanish Language skills were not up to explaining why I left so much on the plate. The other reason it helps you lose weight is that you always eat quinoa with other healthy foods such as vegetables and fruit.

Secret 7 – It Is Very Easy To Cook Quinoa
I do not understand people who say to me that quinoa is hard to cook. It is not. If you can boil pasta or rice then you can cook quinoa. It is a new ingredient to many but well worth looking into for the good health of your body

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The reason for its growing popularity is twofold. Firstly there is the health benefits of quinoa. Secondly is the fact that quinoa is so easy to cook and include in your diet. Now that you can buy it over the counter in most food stores and supermarkets people are buying and adding it to their diet

So what exactly is quinoa?

Quinoa is a South American plant that bears seeds that you can eat. In recent years quinoa farming has been set up in the USA and I have personally grown my own quinoa in the south of England.
The plant is very easy to grow and does not have high demands in terms of soil quality and nutrients. If you do grow it in a fertile ground then you will get a higher yield but quinoa will grow pretty much anywhere.

The reason so many people are shouting its praises is because it is a fantastic source of protein and a slow releasing source of carbohydrates. It is also a very versatile food that can be used in salads, stir fry dishes, soups and casseroles and much more.
Quinoa is classed as a vegetable protein which is easy to digest. It has been shown to be good for your kidneys and bladder as it contains all the essential amino acids.

What Is Quinoa Like To Eat?

The taste of quinoa is light and delicate and can be used instead of rice in most recipes. Some people use it instead of couscous although it does not have the same texture as couscous. As you cook quinoa the external germ forms a band around each seed. It spirals out from the main seed forming a short tail. This tail gives quinoa its signature crunchy feel and texture.
Many vegans use quinoa to provide protein in their diet as it is a complete protein. In the UK athletes and sports men and women use it to help build up their stamina.

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The Benefits

This is great pity because quinoa is one of the best foods you can eat. It is a complete protein and is gluten free. In fact for people who have to eat a highly restrictive diet quinoa is ideal as it is known to be one of the least allergenic foods. Because it is an alkaline food it is good for diabetes sufferers. There are also benefits for many other ailments and illnesses such as haemorrhoids, asthma, high cholesterol and blood problems.

The Solution To The Problem

The reason that quinoa has this slight bitterness about it is because of the coating that is on the freshly harvested seeds. When you grow quinoa it naturally has a coating on each grain. this coating is called saponins. These saponins are what provide the bitter and unpleasant taste.
A further complication is that some varieties that are grown have a larger layer of these saponins on them than others.

Whatever the variety of quinoa you buy there is an easy solution to the problem. You simple rinse the quinoa under a tap for a minute or two to remove the bitter coating. A doctor commenting on my youtube channel has told me that using warm water will do a better job of this rinsing and it does seem to do it quicker.

In practice I just use cold water. I have found that some varieties of quinoa are supplied pre-washed and others not so. If you buy yours in bulk it will certainly need rinsing before you cook your quinoa. In the UK I know that most varieties have been prepared well before packing. The only one I have found needed washing is from Morrisons.

Whatever brand you buy it is only a small thing to rinse the quinoa under a tap for a short while to get rid of the bitterness.
Of course if you eat as much quinoa as I do then you might get to actually like the bitter taste. Any residue bitterness will be cooked away when you boil the quinoa in water.

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The printed quinoa cookbook contains the following.

70 Quinoa recipes
The Seven Day Quinoa Diet
The Quinoa Flour and Flakes Recipes
12 Articles including one on Sprouting Quinoa

I know I will be asked this – Are the 2 versions the same?
There is one recipe missing from the printed edition that I do not have the rights to.
There are some extra recipes in the print version to replace this one and add a few new recipes to some sections.

Order your Copy by clicking the link below
Buy The Quinoa Cookbook as a Printed Book- Click Here
If you want the full information on the quinoa cookbook then visit the Quinoa Cookbook Website HERE

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Growing My Own Quinoa

I bought special seeds from the Real Seed Company. I ordered 2 varieties although I have only sown the Rainbow seeds this year. I am saving the others for a second crop in a few months. These special quinoa seeds are for cold and damp growing conditions which is probably why they have grown so well.

Having said that the weather here in the UK has been hot and sunny now for 2 weeks. Since the photo was taken the plants have grown considerably and now stand at about 2 feet. I have been told that you can take leaves fron the plant and use them in salads. You can also cook them like spinach. I haven’t tried this yet but I will.

I ignored the sowing instructions as I always do and simply put seeds in a 2 inch seed pod tray for germination. They nearly all germinated and as I only had room for about 8 plants most of them were thrown away. I was not expecting them all to work so well. As soon as the quinoa seedlings were 6 inches high I planted them out into my small vegetable plot. This was about 5 weeks ago. I now have a set of healthy quinoa plants growing away. I have no idea how high they will grow or how long it will take for the quinoa grain to appear on my plant but I am full of anticipation.

I had some of my family visit this afternoon and they were very interested in seeing the plants. Non of them had ever seen a quinoa plant before. I am sure my relatives think I am nuts about quinoa and they are right. But they couldn’t hide their amazement at the success of me growing this quinoa. (They are not that good at acting!)

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On wednesday the first signs of germination were apparent with little leaves poking through the compost. By Sunday all the pods had little 1 inch high seedlings in them. I am growing a variety called Rainbow as the seeds are all different colours when the are ready to pick. You also cannot buy this variety in health food stores.

I was very surprised at the high germination rate of the quinoa. I had expected to only have a few plants to choose from. As it is I have at least 30. My plot will only take about 6 in the space I have reserved. So I will be throwing the rest out unless I can find someone with spare allotment space nearby.

I will wait until the seedlings are about 6 inches high before planting out. I am told that the quinoa plants are quite vigourous and will grow to a height of about 6 foot. When they are big enough I will post a few quinoa photos to show how they are doing. By September I hope to be cooking with my own home grown quinoa – very exciting.

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