GROWING GRAINS By: John Vivian

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Sow the seed in flats in early spring. Thin the slow-growing seedlings to the most robust individuals in a variety of colors and heights (stems contain traces of the red, orange and yellow that occur vividly in the plumes). When soil is thoroughly warm, weed well and set out seedlings one to two feet apart, in rows spaced two to three feet (the closer set, the better plants will resist "lodging," or falling over in wind or rain, a serious problem that can wipe out your grain).

Cultivate closely till plants are growing rapidly. Water only if soil is dry for several inches down. Harvest in late summer, any time after a tap on plumes loosens seeds. It's best to wait till after frost so seeds are bone-dry. Hand-harvest by cutting seed heads into a sack or bucket. Dry on a tarp if needed.

Shake or flail seed heads to remove seed. Sift through two screens: one of coarse hardware cloth (1"-mesh or so) and the second a coarse kitchen strainer or X"-mesh window screening. During screening or later, rub seed between your palms to scarify the thin outer coating. This will winnow away with a light wind.

Whole or crushed seed can be boiled for porridge using a 1:2 grain-to-water ratio. It will pop, too, in a hot pan with no oil; add one spoonful at a time, stirring constantly. Takes only a few seconds unless too old and dry.

Grind to flour on fine setting. Substitute for wheat flour up to 50% in panbread recipes. Experiment in combination with cornstarch, tapioca and arrowroot flour for hypoallergenic muffins and nut breads. Amaranth lacks gluten, so it won't make good yeast bread unless mixed with wheat flour.

Quinoa is another ancient Andean plant that produces abundant tiny seeds. Grown, harvested and used the same as Amaranth, it's available from Seeds of Change (see "Sources," page 98.)

Corn

Corn comes in several species and thousands of varieties. Familiar sweet corn is grown for its high sugar content when green, and isn't even, able to resist developing starch at maturity. Don't bother trying to dry and grind it like I did years ago. It makes a gummy, nasty-tasting meal. The flint corns sold as ornamental Indian (multicolored) are better for animal feed than cornmeal. It's the plump ears of flour corn, which come in many colors, and the big dent-kerneled yellow field corns that make good meal and flour. You'll have to try several to see which ones work best on your place.

Plant corn in well-separated blocks of at least four rows; it is wind-pollinated, and separation helps keep varieties true to type. Plant seed 1" to 1X" deep in cool, moist spring soil. Otherwise, two to three inches deep in well-prepared warm soil. Drop in a trench or drill four seeds to a foot, rows 24" to 48" apart depending on rainfall-farther apart in the dry west. Thin seedlings to 8" to 10" for high yield in well-watered areas, to 24" in drylands. Give the robust dent corns that throw tillers (auxiliary stalks) more space. Hill soil around roots to kill weeds and support stalks.

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