Buckwheat
| Common Buckwheat | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Polygonaceae |
| Genus: | Fagopyrum |
| Species: | F. esculentum |
| Binomial name | |
| Fagopyrum esculentum | |
Common buckwheat is a crop that grows on the poorest soils, also when they are acidic, but the soil must be well drained. Too much nitrogen fertilizers reduce yields. Buckwheats are not related to wheat but to sorrels and rhubarb. Buckwheat grain is called a pseudo-cereal food crop. I always sow buckwheat in the third week of May. The plants grow quickly, produce seeds in about 6 weeks and ripen in 10 to 11 weeks.
Common buckwheat was first cultivated in southeast Asia, possibly already around 6000 BCE. In Europe it is documented to have been cultivated around ca 4000 BCE. Buckwheat was one of the earliest crops introduced by Europeans to North America.
Buckwheat is a good honey plant. The nectar from the buckwheat flower makes a dark-colored honey.
Buckwheat can also be used as a green manure plant.
Buckwheat noodles have been eaten by people from Tibet and northern China for a long time because normal wheat cannot be grown in mountainous regions. The Japanese and Koreans may have learned to make buckwheat noodles from them. Buckwheat pancakes are eaten in several countries.
Buckwheat contains no gluten and can be eaten by people with gluten allergies.
Gallery
Common buckwheat in my garden blossoming in July
See also
External links
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