Back to Garden for Nutrition IndexChoose background color:
Greens Root Crops Legumes Squash Seed Flowers Grains Self-sufficiency Garden Crops
Self-sufficiency garden crops need to be the most nutritious. The foods listed here encourage maximum health because they are high in nutrients while being low in toxins and anti-nutrients.
For a more in depth discussion of nutrition and why so many crops were excluded, please refer to Nutrition Overview and Remaining Crops.
***************************************************
Greens:
Collards (Brassica oleracea L. (Acephala group):
(Point of origin: Eastern Mediterranean / Asia Minor)
Nutrition: High in calcium, lutein, zeaxanthin
, sulforaphane, luteolin, glutathione.
Eaten raw is a good source of B1 and B6.
Eat raw only if thyroid is healthy.
Cook to de-activate goitrogenic compounds.
Harvest after light frost for improved flavor.
Advantages:
Parboil and dry for late winter use.
Disadvantage:
Members of this Brassica family will cross
Stager by years to save seed
Insect susceptible.
Varieties:
Champion, Vates - excellent for cold weather
Georgia Southern, Green Glaze - good for warm
regions where insects survive winters
F1 Hi-Crop, F1 Bull Dog - good for extremely adverse
weather conditions
Sources: Johnny's, Territorial, Seeds of Change, Sakata, Takii
Green Cover Seed
**************
Turnips (Brassica rapa):
(Point of origin: Siberia)
Nutrition:
High in calcium, folate,
lutein, zeaxanthin, B6, sulforaphane.
Eaten raw is a good source of B1 and B6.
Eat greens raw if thyroid is healthy.
Cook to de-activate goitrogenic
compounds.
Preparation:
Harvest when the leaves are
young and not too spicy.
Eat greens raw, cook root.
Advantages:
Very insect resistant.
Will suppress weeds when planted
as a solid bed ultra early in spring,
3-4 weeks before last frost.
Ectomycorrhizal fungi relationship
Disadvantage:
Members of this Brassica family will cross.
Stager by years to save seed
Varieties:
Seven Top (Brassica rapa var septiceps) -
for greens only,
root is small and very cold hardy.
Sources:
Territorial, Siegers, Seeds of Change
******
Kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala group):
(Point of origin: Eastern Mediterranean / Asia Minor)
Nutrition: High in calcium, lutein, zeaxanthin, B6
, sulforaphane.
Eaten raw is a good source of B1 nd B6.
Eat raw if thyroid is healthy.
Cook to de-activate goitrogenic compounds.
Advantages:
Parboil and dry for late winter use.
Will tolerate hard freeze
Disadvantage:
Members of this Brassica family will cross
Stager by years to save seed
Ratings:
Cornell
Varieties:
Vates - cold hardy, blue/green,
not as frilled
Vates
Scotch - cold hardy, good flavor
very frilled
Scotch
Lacinato - very dark green and tasty.
Easiest to digest.
not as frost tolerant.
Winterbor F1 - very cold hardy, good flavor,
hybrid, Scotch type
Ripbor F1 - very cold hardy, dark green, hybrid
Scotch type
Propagation:
Plant in late summer and harvest until heavy freeze
*************
Mustard (Brassica juncea):
(Point of origin: Asia)
Nutrition: Folates, K1, fiber,
magnesium/calcium
Preparation: boil, steep, and drain to remove toxins
don't eat too much
Varieties: Green in Snow, Tatsoi, Chijimisai, Osaka, Senposai, Unzen-kobu, Bald Head
Propagation: Extremely cold hardy
plant 4-5 weeks before last frost
Sources: Reimers, Restoration, Nature and Nurture, Burpee, Baker Creek
******
Siberian Kale / Rapeseed (Brassica napus):
(Point of origin: Northern Europe / Russia )
Nutrition:
Similar to turnip.
Advantages:
Ultra cold hardy.
Will only cross with other napus.
Contains omega-3.
Canola seed is excellant poultry feed for egg layers.
Disadvantage:
Smaller leaves.
Use non GMO Canola to reduce toxins.
Boil, steep, and drain to remove toxins.
Varieties: Siberian Kale, non GMO Canola
Suppliers: Restoration Seeds, Seeds and Soil, Magic Garden Seeds, Wild Garden Seed
Terre Promise, True Leaf Market, Urban Farmer, MBS Seed
Information:
Use forage variety for greens.
Young leaves for good flavor.
Ultra cold hardy.
Plant 4-5 weeks before avg last frost.
Or, plant in late summer and harvest
greens all winter.
NCBI - omega 3
Biology of Rape
Seed Ambassadors
Semantic Scholar
Science Direct
******
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea):
(Point of origin: Europe )
Nutrition:
Purple variety is rich in anthocyanins.
Advantages:
Anthocyanins.
Disadvantage:
Not as high in calcium or as cold hardy
as other Brassica.
Information:
Seeds of Change - Red Acre
*******
Malvaceae family:
Okra (Abelmoshcus esculentus):
(Point of origin: North Africa)
Nutrition: high in calcium, magnesium, folate,
lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene
Eaten raw is a good source of B1 and B6.
The cooking water of okra is very soothing
to the throat and digestive system
since it is mucilaginous.
The seed and pod is good to eat raw.
The more red, the greater chance of lycopene.
Rich in glutathione.
Animal Feed: save the seed from over mature pods for animal feed
Extremely large amounts can be toxic
Preparation: eat raw when in season
Young pods can be deseeded, parboiled, and dried for winter greens.
Mature seeds are high in quality protein with a slightly off taste,
but good in small amounts as curd to supplement other foods during
famines.
Extremely large amounts of seed can be toxic.
Lost Crops of Africa
Varieties: Red Burgundy - red pods
1988 AAS winner
Emerald - developed by Cambell Soup Co.
early producer
Clemson Spineless - 1939 AAS winner
heat tolerant
Propagation: Soil must be >70 F consistently
or the plants will be stunted.
Once stunted, it never recovers.
Direct seed because of tap root.
Cultivation: Rhizobium meliloti, Rhizobium sp., and Bradyrhizobium sp.
will inhibit harmful fungi on okra
Sources: Bountiful Gardens, Seeds of Change
*************
Daisy (Compositae) family:
Chicory (Cichorium intybus):
(Point of origin: Europe)
Nutrition: High in calcium / magnesium, folate.
Eat raw for a good source of B1 and B6.
High in tannin like bitter compounds.
Preparation: Eat raw
or boil lightly and drain water to remove bitters.
Varieties: Giant Catalogna, wild
Propagation: Will cross with endives and wild chicory.
Sources: Siegers, Italian Seed and Tool, Seeds of Change, Bountiful Gardens
***********************************************
Greens not listed due to a lack of advantages:
See Remaining Crops for more greens
Broccoli was not listed because it is too inefficient.
It is moderately nutritious, but it requires a large plant to
produce a small head. And it has twice the nitrogen requirement
of Collards but does not even produce half the nutrition.
Multiple harvest varieties can be used
to overcome this inefficiency.
Pak choi was not listed because it is not especially high in
magnesium.
Cabbage was not listed much, because the other members of the same
family have so much more calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients.
Some of the exceptions are Pak Choi, which does not store well
as a dry green.
And red cabbage does have some lycopene and anthocyanidins.
It is a good candidate for cloning.
Red Express, Red Acre, and Red Rock are all good varieties.
Lettuce was not listed because it contains very little nutrition:
No fiber, no calcium, and no magnesium.
Only a few varieties have vitamin K, zeaxanthin, or lutein.
Spinach, beet greens, chard, rhubarb, lambs quarters, purslane,
parsley, sorrel, endive, amaranth, and cactus are not listed much
because they are high in potentially harmful oxalates which
can bind calcium and exacerbate osteoporosis.
Cilantro and horseradish were excluded because they are high
in alkaloids.
Lovage was excluded because it is hard on the kidneys.
***********************************************
Root Crops:
Root crops are very important because they are one of the better
sources of potassium that can be grown in a temperate climate.
Carrot(Umbelliferae Daucus carota var. Sativus):
(point of origin: Afghanistan)
varieties:
Atomic red - open pollinated red carrot
contains some lycopene
Nutri red - open pollinated red carrot
contains some lycopene
Samurai - deep red carrot, hybrid
contains some lycopene
Thumbalina - stores in soil well
tolerates waterlogged soil
since most of root is above ground
Autumn King - stores well in the ground
James Scarlet Intermediate -
stores well in the ground
Saint Valery - stores well in the ground
F1 Merida - plant in fall and harvest in spring
in warm climates
propagation: biennial,
will cross with queen ann's lace
, white root indicates wild cross
, mulch before planting
Sources: Reimers, Jung, Territorial, Hume, Bountiful Gardens, Johnny's
Information:
AAS Winner - Purple Haze F1
*********
Goosefoot or Chenopodiaceae family:
Beet (Beta vulgaris):
(Point of origin: Germany)
Nutrition: High in folate, so root eat raw.
uridine monophosphate
Cook the leaves and discard water twice
to reduce oxalate levels.
Root is high in bitters, so peel the skin
and do not eat too much.
Soak whole root in water to reduce bitterness.
Very medicinally rich; eat small amounts at each meal
since the body can process only so much pigment
and geosmin.
Properties: Pollinates by wind up to 5 miles away.
Soak whole root in water to sweeten.
Tolerates waterlogged soil fairly well
since most of the root is above ground.
Variety: Detroit dark red - low geosmin
Lutz - for greens
Source: Stokes, Burpee, Seeds of Change
Information:
Geosmin
eOrganic - clubroot prevention
********
Amaryllidaceae family - from Asia, will cross with wild onion.
Extremely micorrhizal dependent.
Garlic (Allium sativum):
(Point of origin: Asia)
Nutrition:
Allicin helps keep arteries healthy.
In animal tests at MDAnderson, garlic defended against
radiation poisoning in mice.
Some people cannot tolerate garlic.
Rich in glutathione.
Garlic increases thiamine absorbption
Oregon State - cooking garlic
Mercola
Cooking garlic
Properties: Deer resistant.
Can cause nightmares for some people.
Fermenting solves that problem.
Sources: Territorial, Seeds of Change
Preparation:
Press garlic and expose to the air
for at least 10 minutes and
serve garlic without cooking for
maximum effect.
Cooking will destroy some of
the compounds but not all
if allowed to breath before cooking.
Information:
Garlic in Canada
Garlic, Radiation, and DNA repair links:
M.D. Anderson - garlic radiation experiments
Live Strong
Gaia Research
Onion (Allium cepa):
(Point of origin: Asia)
Nutrition:
Good source of B6, anthocyanin (red), and quercetin (yellow).
The dry outer most peeling has the most nutrients.
Some people cannot tolerate onions.
Nutrient levels by type
The green tops are low in oligosaccharides.
Properties:
For bulbs in the north, plant under cover in early winter
and transplant in the very early spring.
Or if in ideal conditions, direct seed in the very early
spring.
For bulbs in the south, direct seed no later than mid fall.
Onions are hard to grow organically since fusarium
is hosted by so many plants.
Choose fusarium resistant varieties and
practice good rotation.
Information:
When and what to plant
Texas A&M - Onion
Cornell - disease resistant varieties
Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum (L.)):
(Point of origin: central Asia)
Nutrition: Root bulb and lower stalk are extremely high in folates
slice very thin and only cook lightly
to preserve folates
Properties: Plant a winter variety that will continue
to feed the mycorrhizal fungus all winter.
Varieties: Giant Musselburgh Leek
Sources: Territorial, Johnnys
Rodale - leek varieties
Johnnys Seeds - leek varieties
***************************************************
Legumes:
Soak all legumes for 8-24 hours depending on seed hardness and temperature.
Do not sprout any further since will breakdown the more desirable complex proteins.
Instead, ferment in order to breakdown anti-nutrients.
Cook with low heat.
Making tempeh will also reduce the anti-nutrients.
Most legumes contain out of balance proteins and are best when
consumed as a complement to grains.
Source for all legumes:
USDA Legumes
Pea (Pisum sativum)
(Point of origin: eastern Mediteranean)
Preparation:
Enzyme inhibitors have not formed yet while still green.
Will sprout while still green.
Sugars will start to convert to starch
about 2 hours after picking and
enzyme inhibitors start to form.
Advantage:
Good crop for cold wet weather.
Can regrow after being frozen to the ground.
The only legume that will sprout without drying.
Green never dried peas are the easiest legume to digest.
But some people are too sensitive even for green peas.
Nutrition: High in folate.
Only the most sensitive cannot tolerate fresh green peas,
since they have no enzyme inhibitors until they
have been picked.
Dried peas are extremely high in enzyme inhibitors.
Planting: Use pea inoculant.
(Rhizobium leguminosarum var. Viceae)
The earlier you plant peas and the quicker they mature,
the better chance you have of harvesting before spring hail
and warm weather diseases set in.
Varieties:
Plant bush peas in the very early spring to avoid hail
and disease.
Cold tolerant, quick maturing, bush peas that freeze well
are ideal, such as Knight, FP2269, Alaska, Dakota,
Little Marvel, Maestro, Laxton's Progress Number 9,
Spring, Early Freezer, Northwind, Frosty, etc.
Indeterminate varieties tend to recover more quickly from hail
or severe late frost than the determinate bush varieties.
They also make better use of limited space.
Cold tolerant, quick maturing, tall vine peas that freeze well
are ideal, such as Mr. Big, Freezonian, Ice Breaker, etc.
Sources: Veseys, Rohrer Seeds, Siegers, Gallatin Valley Seeds,
Debruyn Seed, Thompson Morgan, Reimers Seeds,
Victory Seed
Information:
USDA - pea allelopathy
Monatana State - cold region legumes
*************
Green Beans (Fabaceae Phaseolus vulgaris):
(Point of origin: Central America)
Nutrition:
Moderate in lutein and zeaxanthin.
Properties: Fast early varieties
are the most reliable.
Golden has better flavor.
Requires warm soil to sprout.
Pole indeterminate varieties tend to recover
more quickly from hail.
Bush determinate varieties often mature
faster.
Varieties: Blue Lake, Kentucky Wonder, Kentucky Blue, Romano types
Sources: Territorial, Stokes, Vermont Bean, Burpee
Scarlet Runner Beans (Phaseolus coccineus):
(Point of origin: Central America)
Nutrition:
Extremely high in lycopene.
Properties: Indeterminate, requires a trellis.
Contains phytohaemagglutinin -
must be thoroughly cooked before eating
Sources: Territorial, Stokes
***************
Lentil (Lens culinaris):
(Point of origin: Near East)
Advantages:
Quickly sets nitrogen as cover or intercrop.
Easier to digest than most other legumes.
Brown or red are slightly easier to digest
than green.
Prefers cool semi-arid weather.
Requires some drought stress to set seed
properly.
Can regrow if frozen to the ground.
Disadvantages:
Small plant and seed - difficult to cultivate
and harvest.
Some people are too sensitive to tolerate
even after sprouting and fermenting.
Information:
USDA - frost tolerant, 21 F
Cook's Thesaurus - lentils
***********************************************
Squash:
Squash family (Cucurbitaceae):
(Point of origin: the Americas)
Nutrition:
Good source of B6.
Rich in glutathione.
Insect control:
Grow up on a wire cage
to control the squash bug and reduce
mold.
Animal Feed:
save the seed for animal feed.
Seed Saving:
Species will not cross,
but varieties within species will cross.
Grow only one of each species
if you save your own seed.
Properties:
Deer resistant.
Transplant to avoid hail.
Winter Squash(Cucurbita moschata):
Nutrition:
Orange flesh.
, high in calcium and carbohydrates.
Preparation:
Eat with the skin if possible.
Properties:
Resistant to vine borer.
Varieties:
Butternut, Dickson, Seminole,
Black Futsu, Musquee de Provence,
Golden Cushaw
Sources:
Territorial, Seeds of Change,
Urban Farmer
Cushaw (C. argyrosperma):
Properties:
Extremely drought and insect resistant.
Resistant to vine borer.
Formerly mixta.
Varieties:
Green Stripped, White Cushaw
***************************************************
Seed:
Sunflower (Compositae Helianthus annuus):
(Point of origin: North America)
Nutrition: astoundingly high in minerals, vitamin E, and B1
Eat raw sprouts for a great source of B1.
High in copper, manganese, magnesium, selenium
Advantages: heat and drought resistant
shells are phytotoxic when used as mulch
Sprouts are an ideal winter source of B1.
Allelopathic.
Disadvantage: Shelling is difficult
Lehman's - dehulling sunflower
Cultivation: Rhizobium meliloti, Rhizobium sp., and Bradyrhizobium sp.
will inhibit harmful fungi on sunflower
Varieties: Mammoth, Sunspot
Sources: Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Local Harvest
************************************************
Flowers:
In general, flowers are more dense in antioxidants than most fruits.
****
Bee Balm( Monarda sp. ):
(Point of origin: North America)
Nutrition:
M. fistulosa - edible pink flower
Advantages:
M. didyma - antibiotic
Disadvantage:
Toxic in excess.
Cultivation:
USDA zone 3-4 depending on variety
****
Blue Mink ( Ageratum houstonianum ):
(Point of origin: Central America)
Nutrition:
Medicinal flower
Advantages:
Tasty
Disadvantage:
Leaf has alkaloids causing liver lesions. Invasive.
Cultivation: Annual, spring plant
Blooms all summer
****
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea ):
(Point of origin: Mediterranean)
Nutrition:
anthocyanin
Cultivation:
Purple - freeze 20 F
Varieties:
Purple 120-200 days
Blue 48-70 days
****
Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea):
(Point of origin: Asia)
Nutrition:
PubMed - improve hippocampus
Semantic Scholar - neurogenic
Advantages:
Thrives in heat, not cold hardy
Disadvantage:
Natural pesticide
Cultivation:
Age and soak seeds.
Fixes nitrogen
****
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla or recutita):
(Point of origin: Eastern Europe)
Nutrition:
Polyphenol, flavonoids, phenolic acid
Sedative, antiinflammatory
Advantages:
Cold hardy 14 F
Disadvantage:
self seeding
Cultivation:
germinate 52 F ideal, > 77 F suboptimal
Requires light to germinate
*****
Chive ( Allium schoenoprasum ):
(Point of origin: Asia)
Nutrition:
Analysis
Advantages:
Easy propagation.
Disadvantage:
Toxic to cats & dogs.
Invasive by seed.
Cultivation:
Common chives are
perennial to zone 3.
Varieties:
Purple or red.
****
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanis):
(Point of origin: Europe)
Nutrition:
Anthocyanin and Flavone
Advantages:
cold tolerant
Disadvantage:
Cultivation:
Germinate 60 F
****
Carnation ( Dianthus sp.):
(Point of origin: Eurasia)
Nutrition:
Petals are edible, clove flavor.
But not the base.
Red, purple
Advantages:
Cold tolerant
Disadvantage:
Leaf is toxic.
Self seeding.
Cultivation:
NCSU - annual or perrenial
****
Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus ):
(Point of origin: Central America )
Nutrition:
Edible red, orange, yellow flowers
Advantages:
Blooms all summer
Disadvantage:
Flowers with heat
Cultivation:
Heat loving, photosensitive
****
Dandelion (Taraxacum sp. ):
(Point of origin: Eurasia )
Nutrition:
Polyphenols in yellow flower.
Advantages:
Flower, leaf, root are edible.
Disadvantage:
Weedy.
False dandelion is toxic
Leaf requires boil and drain.
Cultivation:
Better to let it seed itself.
Varieties:
Varieties
****
Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum):
(Point of origin: Eurasia)
Nutrition:
Antioxidants
Advantages:
Blooms year round
Disadvantage:
Blossom only, Short lived, self sowing
Cultivation:
Prefers cool weather
Germinate 68 F, grow at 25-39 F
Transplantable, annual or biennial
Varieties:
Purple
****
Echinacea (Echinacia purpurea):
(Point of origin: North America)
Nutrition:
Polyphenol
Anthocyanin
Advantages:
Drought tolerant.
Disadvantage:
Self seeding.
Cultivation:
Crown division 4 years
Germination 65 F, zone 3
****
Elderberry American ( Sambucus canadensis ):
(Point of origin: North America)
Nutrition:
Antioxidants in white flower
Advantages:
Low cyanide risk
Disadvantage:
Toxic seed
Cultivation:
USDA zone 3
****
French Honey Suckle (Hedysarum coronarium):
(Point of origin: Eurasia)
Advantages:
Can be used as hay.
Red blossom
Disadvantage:
Toxic seed
Cultivation:
USDA zone 3
****
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea):
(Point of origin: Asia)
Nutrition:
Anthocyanins, polyphenols
Advantages:
Cordage
Disadvantage:
Suppresses starch digestion - eat between meals
Cultivation:
Hollyhock, zone 3, biennial
Variety:
Black
****
Mallow (Malva sp.):
(Point of origin: Eurasia)
Nutrition:
Polyphenols, carotenoid
Antioxidants
Advantages:
M. sylvestris zone 4, tall
M. neglecta - dwarf, zone 4
PFAF - M. neglecta
NCSU - M. neglecta
M. parviflora
Disadvantage:
Suppresses starch digestion - eat between meals
Reduces carbo diegestion
Cultivation:
By seed
*****
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus):
(Point of origin: Africa)
Nutrition:
Colorado State
*****
Pansy (Viola sp.):
(Point of origin: Eurasia)
Nutrition:
Antioxidants - Viola wittrockiana
Advantages:
Viola odorata - Medicinal
Disadvantage:
Viola tricolor - saponin
Cultivation:
Germination, 65-75 F, darkness
****
Poppy (Papaver somniferum):
(Point of origin: Mediterranean)
Nutrition:
Flower antioxidants
Leaf edible
Advantages:
Germination at 55 F
Disadvantage:
Can be abused.
Cultivation:
Cold stratification
Long day photo sensitive
Varieties:
Laurens Grape, Double Black, Black Swan, Midnight, Double Purple, Hungarian Breadseed
****
Purple Sage ( Salvia officinalis (Purpurascens) ):
(Point of origin: Mediterrainean)
Nutrition:
Medicinal
Advantages:
Edible flower
Disadvantage:
Toxic in excess
Cultivation:
USDA zone 6
****
Purple Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata ):
(Point of origin: North America )
Nutrition:
Edible Flower
Advantages:
Long medicinal history
Disadvantage:
Caution advised
Cultivation:
Zone 5
****
Rose ( Rosa canina L.):
(Point of origin: Eurasia )
Nutrition:
Healthline - Edible rose
Plant index - Edible rose
****
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense ):
(Point of origin: Eurasia)
Nutrition:
WebMD
****
Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius):
(Point of origin: Eurasia)
Nutrition:
Purple, biennial
Cultivation:
USDA zone 4
****
Squash(Cucurbita sp.):
(Point of origin: Americas)
Nutrition:
Edible blossom
all species
****
Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana):
(Point of origin: Asia )
Nutrition:
Edible purple red flowers
Cultivation:
USDA zone 4
*********
Flower Rejects:
Comfrey - cell proliferant
Dahlia - requires greenhouse
Begonia - toxic
Borage - toxic alkaloid pollen
Calendula - Saponin
Chrysanthemum - pyrethrum
Crocus - toxic
Chicory - bitter
Daylily - bitter
Daisy - saponin
Nasturtium - spicy
Sophora japonica - strong medicine
Salvia elegans - requires greenhouse
Lavender - slightly toxic otherwise
Marigold - toxic dogs cats
Lemon gem - tasty but short
Tangerine gem - tasty but short
Verbena - toxic
White clover - cyanide
************************************************
Grains:
Rice (Oryza sativa):
(Point of origin: Southeast Asia)
Cultivation: Use the SRI method.
Mulching is the most effective way ( least labor )
to control weeds and keep the soil aerated.
Do not mulch with grass family or diseases may be
transferred.
Never intentionally flood paddies for more than a
few hours.
Steady moisture ( not saturation ) is required only
during grain formation to maximize yield.
In cool areas, direct seeding methods are not
possible, but ARS has done good research for
organic direct seeding methods in warm areas ( link
provided below ).
SRI does not adapt well to mechanical transplanting.
In exceptionally cold areas, use double transplanting
of non-photosensitive rice.
(See 2010_crossroads_xuan_slides.pdf)
Advantages:
Commercial organic rice is only 1/3 as productive as conventional rice,
so it is one of the few grains that still makes sense to
grow manually for personal consumption. Manually mulched upland rice
can be even more productive than commercial flooded rice.
A small patch of rice would keep the knowledge and ability
alive for times when limited rice availability could be overcome.
Rice may be the only grain that the elderly can easily digest.
Thrives in wet weather.
Disadvantages:
Labor intensive.
Varieties:
Japonica or Javanica type for temperate climates.
Indica type for warm climates.
Processing:
Requires de hulling, but it can be done with
a rubber roll paddy husker,
or manually with an Engelberg type steel huller.
Soaking the seed and cooking for 5-10 minutes
first makes it easier.
Saving Our Seeds - plans to modify grain mill into dehuller
Preparation: Ferment for 1-7 days.
Then cook with moderate heat
to reduce anti-nutrients further.
SRI:
SRI - System of Rice Intensification
SRI with ADRA
No-till:
Masanobu Fukuoka - One Straw Revolution
Dryland Rice:
IRRI - Upland Rice
Direct Seeding:
USDA ARS - organic direct seeding
Double transplanting:
Bangladesh - Double Transplant
West Bengal India - Double Transplant
General Information:
Facts and Details
International Rice Research Institute
Treehugger - warm soil with solar heated water irrigation
Northern Grain Growers - rice
Univ of Arkansas - rice growing
Univ of Vermont - rice in cold climates
Examples:
Example of no-till rice with mulch grown in place.
Growing Rice in Vermont
Boundbrook Farm
Growing Rice in the Northeast
Kickstart
Back to Garden for Nutrition Index