Couple of months ago I started what I can call.. A little experiment .. I found quinoa seeds at my local garden store and I could not resist the opportunity to see whether quinoa could actually grow in my garden .. After all I did found the quinoa seeds ..
So I embarked in this experiment, I was currently sowing spring onions, carrots, sweet corn, etc.. So quinoa it wouldn't have been much difficult .. Or so I thought.
Looking at the instructions .. And doing a bit of research .. Harvesting it, was the complicate process for me .. However before that, came the most important part.. Sawing it ..
I followed all the instructions .. And was waiting anxiously to see some results in couple of weeks later.
However .. I didnt find no positive outcome .. I could see spring onions, carrots , sweet corn seedlings but no quinoa..
Perhaps I watered too much or the environment played part .. Maybe there was something I just wasn't doing right .. And now in August a month before what its ment to be harvesting season for quinoa in the uk .. I haven't seen the results I was expecting.
So at the end of this "experiment" it made me think how some quinoa packets in the supermarkets can say its from the UK. Of course , perhaps I don't have machinery or extra special soil or space or anything else that it could be needed. But surely it shouldn't be a problem. But there was, as I didnt see the results.
And I wonder whether the quinoa from here has differences between the quinoa from Latin America, for example the whole process of sawing and cultivation .. Would it be the same ? Would the quinoa have the exact nutrients ? Will the size be the same or different? .. Although in Latin America there is a wide variety of quinoa.
We tried to saw some other Bolivian vegetables before from seeds and it worked !! We sowed locoto. Which is a typical Bolivian chilli .. And we saw results !! Although it didn't looked as identical as the locotos from Bolivia .. But they had the taste.
And as the demand for this super food; quinoa, increases, it can be understandable that we could find quinoa seeds at the local garden store? And that some brands want to produce their own quinoa .. Not necessarily importing it from Latin America?.
However and regardless where quinoa grows .. It would remain to be the super grain from the Andes. For me the my Bolivian upbringing food.
And I think and believe that for me the original quinoa from Latin America / Bolivia it's the best.
This experient reminded me that .. And I now appreciate more, the work the people in Bolivia do towards the cultivation of this super grain .. It's not as easy as it might seem.... And therefore we should value it more.
