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Article: Farm Fantasies; Cultivating a Crop of Asiatic Buckwheat
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- February 12, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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For gardeners who are frustrated farmers, there is a hardy,
handsome flower with flavorful seeds that is worth planting this
spring: the cultivated Asiatic buckwheat, known in botanical terms as
Fagopyrum esculentum. Fago is Latin for beech and pyros is Greek for
wheat. Esculentum refers to its edibility.
The plant, which grows up to 20 inches tall, has clusters of
tiny white flowers and a dense, deep green foliage. It strongly
resembles Queen Anne's lace. Once all the numerous buckwheat
blossoms are spent, the seed-bearing stems may be cut off and the
seeds shaken out into a container. When cooked, the seeds have a
gritty, grainy, slightly nutty flavor that is as rough and rich as
rice ...