Have you grown this? Please upload a photo and leave a review below to help us make this catalogue more comprehensive.

Temuco

Ex Koanga. We have previously misspelled this as Temuka. The correct spelling “Temuco” is the name of the Chilean town of origin. This variety comes from an isolated coastal population in lowland central Chile at similar latitude to NZ. It is adapted for growing at sea level and is also less bitter than other Quinoa varieties, needing less rinsing.

Volume per packet: 

15

mL

$3.00

Expected viability: 

5

yrs

This product is currently out of stock and unavailable.

Description

Ex Koanga. We have previously misspelled this as Temuka. The correct spelling “Temuco” is the name of the Chilean town of origin. This variety comes from an isolated coastal population in lowland central Chile at similar latitude to NZ. It is adapted for growing at sea level and is also less bitter than other Quinoa varieties, needing less rinsing.

Additional information

Availability

,

Harvest Year

Donor

Reviews

  1. Ross Lill

    Quinoa is an odd crop to grow, because when it is young it looks identical to fathen so is very tempting to the weeding fingers. But once it forms its flower head, it takes on a very different persona. The good thing about quinoa is that it seems quite hardy and the saponins in the seed seem to discourage the flocks of noxious, seed-eating birds (think sparrows and finches). The irritating thing is that it is inclined to lodge, so I have to put some supporting strings around to hold the top-heavy plants up. The climate in Levin is a bit damp so I finish drying the seed by hanging the mature plants in a shed.
    The seed is extracted by threshing. I have used an old wastemaster but this is only suitable for small quantities. Sieving removes the larger trash and winnowing deals to the dust and empty seeds. Seed that is eaten needs thorough cleaning or the dinner guests only come once.
    Seed preparation for cooking must include a substantial effort to wash out the saponins. They confer a bitter taste to the food which is very unpleasant to people sensitive to bitter. We wash it three to four times with hot water, draining it through a sieve between washes. Some commercial lines claim low saponins and the description of this SSE line suggests low saponins, but definitely not low enough for us to eat without it being thoroughly washed first.

    Temuco
Add a review