Quinoa

The plant belongs to the Amaranth family of the Dicotyledonous class. Quinoa (its Latin name Atriplex) was mentioned by Pliny. The Russian name of the quinoa is associated with the presence of a white rash on the leaves, as well as with the word "swan" and the Latin word for "white" (albus).

Title in other languages:

• English - Oracle;
• fr. - Arroche hastee.

Quinoa is an annual herb, shrub, semi-shrub, or perennial herb.

The leaves are arranged alternately and are represented by whole plates. The plant usually has silvery hairs that make it look like it has been floured.

Quinoa is a monoecious plant, therefore both male (differ in the presence of a five-membered perianth) and female (represented by a column with 2 stigmas and 2 fused or free bracts) flowers are located on the same plant.

There are over 250 species of this plant.

The most common are the following types of quinoa.

Plant height is 60-150 centimeters. It has a straight, branched bare stem, matte leaves, the same color on both sides (beetroot red or green), with a serrated or even edge.

The tops of the leaves are elongated and pointed. The inflorescences of this species of quinoa are paniculate, spike-shaped.

This quinoa blooms almost all summer - until the second decade of August.

The plant is ornamental and vegetable. A variety of dishes are prepared with it.

It is also used in dyeing wool.

It is the most popular type in Russia.

The stem of this type of quinoa has a height of 30-100 centimeters. It is straight and bare, branches from the stem go up or horizontally. This plant has a tap root.

The leaves are green (the same on both sides). They have a short petiole, lanceolate shape and solid margins (the lower leaves may be serrated and have a different shape).

Flowers are represented by spike-shaped inflorescences.

This quinoa blooms in June and July.

It is an edible plant that is consumed fresh, pickled and boiled. Also, this type of quinoa is fodder for cattle and horses.

It is a fodder, as well as a food plant up to 1 meter high. It has a branched stem with yellow-green stripes.

The leaves of this species of quinoa are both bare and with a touch of silver-gray. They react to the sun's rays.

Such a quinoa blooms in July, as well as in August.

It is an annual plant with a straight stem 30-100 centimeters high, thin leaves, paniculate inflorescences.

Blooms in July and August.

The plant is fodder for cattle and small livestock, as well as for horses. People eat this type of quinoa fresh, boiled or fermented.

The plant is characterized by a small height (up to 35 centimeters), the presence of a curved or curved stem, spike-shaped inflorescences, oblong leaves with solid edges.

This type of quinoa has no economic value.

The height of this species is 20-70 centimeters.

The plant is distinguished by a bare branched straight stem, regular green leaves of a lanceolate shape with a solid edge and a sharp end, as well as flowers collected in spikes.

The flowering of this quinoa occurs in the second half of summer.

The plant is eaten as a substitute for spinach.

It is an annual plant, the height of which is 10-100 centimeters. Such a quinoa has serrated oblong leaves (often ovoid).

It starts blooming in June.

The plant is used for food and also as animal feed.

The plant is distributed throughout the planet and is found in the form of both wild and cultivated species. Quinoa is often a weed plant, so it can be found on the shore of a reservoir, in a ravine, in a wasteland and in similar places.

Most types of edible quinoa grow in North America, as well as in Australia.

Harvesting grass quinoa is carried out when the plant begins to bloom. You can dry the grass in the air or in a dryer.

The dried plant can be stored whole or chopped. Can also be ground into powder.

• The plant is almost tasteless.
• Quinoa also has almost no smell.

The ratio of nutrients - protein 15%, carbohydrates 70%, fat 15%.

In 100 g of quinoa - 368 kcal, 14.12 g of protein, 64.16 g of carbohydrates and 6.07 g of fat.

The green part of the plant contains:

• oxalic acid;
• protein;
• cellulose;
• essential oil;
• macronutrients;
• vitamins (PP, E, C, A and others);
• alkaloids;
• trace elements;
• saponins.

Quinoa seeds contain a lot of protein, starch, fat and sugar.

• General strengthening of the body.
• Reducing the pain syndrome.
• Expectorant action.

• The plant is not recommended for cholelithiasis, as well as urolithiasis.
• Using quinoa for a long time, you can exacerbate diseases of the nervous and digestive systems.

Fresh quinoa juice has a mild stimulating effect on the intestines. It enhances peristalsis, but does not irritate the mucous membranes. Quinoa juice is recommended for constipation, drinking 1/4 cup of fresh juice on an empty stomach in the morning.

• Many types of quinoa are edible and eaten as a spice, but the main species used by people for food is garden quinoa.
• The plant is consumed at a young age - before it blooms.
• Vegetarians love quinoa cutlets.
• Scalded leaves can be used to make vegetable puree.
• Fresh quinoa is added to salads, botvinia, cold or hot vegetable soup, borscht, scrambled eggs.
• Quinoa is mixed into flour to make wheat or rye bread more nutritious. In addition, such bread is baked better and does not spoil for a long time.
• Young leaves of the plant ferment like cabbage.
• Quinoa seeds are used in the preparation of various cereals.

Chop quinoa (200 grams of leaves) and sorrel (60 grams). Bring 600 ml of water to a boil, dip the greens in the water and cook until tender. When serving, add sour cream, chopped cucumber, dill or green onion to the soup.

Take quinoa leaves (200 grams) and onions (50 grams), chop and mix with a raw egg and 30 g of oatmeal (flakes or cereals). After adding salt and pepper, form cutlets and roll them in breadcrumbs, then fry.

Finely chop the quinoa grass, add chopped boiled eggs, boiled beets grated on a coarse grater, then season with a mixture of mayonnaise and mustard.

Grind 20 grams of fresh quinoa, add any jam and a tablespoon of lemon juice.

Rinse 500 grams of quinoa well, chop the herb and boil in water with salt, then drain and simmer in a pan (add a little vegetable oil and set a small fire) until the liquid evaporates. After mixing 0.5 cups of milk, a glass of flour, two eggs, a dessert spoon of vegetable oil and 40-50 g of hard cheese, knead the dough. Let it stand for one hour, then add the quinoa to the dough. Gain mass with a spoon and fry on both sides.

Chop quinoa leaves and cabbage, taken in a ratio of 1: 2, salt and season to taste. In such a salad, cabbage can be replaced with any other vegetables.

The plant is used as a folk remedy for various problems.

Quinoa is used:

• with liver diseases;
• in the treatment of lung diseases;
• with pathology of the urinary organs;
• with bruises (quinoa reduces swelling, pain and inflammation);
• with inflammation of the joints;
• to normalize the work of the heart and prevent myocardial infarction (due to the large amount of potassium);
• to normalize digestion (it is recommended to eat fresh herbs).

Pour 20 g of dried quinoa with a glass of boiling water, then strain. Rinse the mouth with the prepared decoction 5-6 times a day until the condition improves. Since such a decoction strengthens the gums and is a prevention of the appearance of an unpleasant odor, it can also be used periodically by healthy people.

If the patient has a dry cough and sputum is viscous, prepare quinoa tea by steeping a teaspoon of the herb with a glass of boiling water.After insisting and letting the drink cool, add honey to it and drink 3 times a day. The substances contained in the quinoa will thin the sputum, and the honey will help to remove it from the respiratory tract.

After steaming the leaves of the quinoa, still warm, attach them to the affected areas and wrap them up. Such a compress can be kept all night.

Quinoa is in demand for such diseases, because it contains a lot of potassium. Use the plant fresh or prepare a decoction by pouring two tables. spoons of quinoa with boiling water (300 ml). After insisting 30 minutes, strain and get a drink for three doses. Take it for two weeks.

• In quinoa, the property is noted to normalize the work of the intestines.
• The inclusion of quinoa in the diet contributes to a high-quality and simple cleansing of the body.
• Quinoa is good for weight loss because it is rich in protein and zinc.
• Cook the plant in a little olive oil.

After drying and grinding the leaves of the quinoa into powder, they get an excellent fertilizer rich in nitrogen.

Now ornamental species of quinoa are grown. One of them is Atriplex nitens - glossy quinoa. It is a beautiful plant up to two meters high. In leaves and shoots of such a quinoa, the color can be both red-burgundy and green.

Crimson Plume has red leaves and purple flowers. But the flowers of the Gold Plume quinoa have a delicate yellow tint. There is a decorative crimson quinoa.

The plant is resistant to cold and love moisture. If watering is insufficient, quinoa leaves become small and very hard.In general, the plant is unpretentious to the ground and grows even in areas that are waterlogged or saline.

It is best to sow quinoa before winter - in mid-late October. In this case, in the spring you will get early greens.

In spring, the plant is sown using the conveyor method, that is, it is sown for the first time after the snow melts and the soil warms up to + 3 + 5 (approximately mid-April), and then every two weeks.

Crops stop in extreme heat (most often in July), and resume in August.

Seeds are sown directly into the ground for 1 centimeter in rows, the distance between which is 30-35 centimeters. Since they germinate rather slowly, the seeds are often soaked or otherwise prepared. The plant needs to be regularly watered, thinned out, fed, loosened the soil shallowly and protected from pests.

Anna Akhmatova mentioned the swan in her poems.