Wallowa County Chieftain
Ag Week
wallowa.com
March 21, 2018
A9
QUEEN
QUINOA
Organic crops taking
off in Wallowa County
By Ellen Bishop
Special to the Chieftain
It’s an ancient seed-grain
with a name that’s a challeng-
ing word to pronounce. Qui-
noa (keen’-wah) is high in pro-
tein, containing every amino
acid.
It is rich in lysine, which
promotes healthy tissue
growth and also can fight off
virus infections (flu, com-
mon cold). Quinoa provides
iron, magnesium, vitamin E,
potassium and fiber. It is a true
“super-food.”
The Incas first developed
quinoa as a crop high in the
Bolivian Andes. The plant’s
affinity for high altitudes and
low rainfall makes it suitable
for Wallowa County’s simi-
lar altitude and relatively arid
landscapes.
So, in 2012, a local organic
farmer with deep roots in the
community partnered with an
energetic scholar of history
to start a venture called Eagle
Cap Quinoa.
The farmer, Patrick Thiel,
primarily grows root-corps
on fertile soils east of Joseph.
Thiel’s father grew organic
potatoes. Patrick has added car-
rots and beets to his repertoire.
He sells directly to top-end
Portland restaurants, including
Higgins and Ava Genes, deliv-
ering his hand-harvested pro-
duce once per week.
The scholar, Ted Golder,
was enthralled by the history
of quinoa. It was domesticated
in South America around 2000
Chieftain File Photo
Ted Golder examines some
of the test rows of quinoa
grown in Wallowa County.
years ago, and there’s evidence
of its cultivation in the Missis-
sippi Valley around AD 1100.
Golder was also captivated
by the plants nutritive value
and the potential financial ben-
efits of raising, harvesting and
selling the high-end crop.
Unlike most grains, quinoa
is not a grass. It’s a member
of the Amaranth plant family,
and also a cousin of spinach.
But quinoa’s closest relative
is the very common weed
lambsquarter.
In fact, the familial ties are
so close that the two plants
can cross-fertilize, producing
an uneconomic offspring. In
their early stages of growth,
lambsquarter and quinoa are
almost identical in appear-
ance. Which makes weeding
the crop by hand — essential
in small-farm organic produc-
tion — extraordinarily difficult
work.
“It was kind of scary,”
Golder said. “The first year I
think I pulled out about half
of my crop. But then I began
to see the subtle differences
between the two plants. Rec-
ognition almost became intui-
tive. It got easier.” Some vari-
eties of quinoa can grow to
heights of eight feet. The plant
produces its own insect repel-
lent –– known as saponin. The
substance appears as tiny clear
or white crystals on the seeds
and seed-cases.
It produces a very bitter
taste, but is not toxic. How-
ever, when harvesting the
small quinoa seeds, it’s import-
ant to eliminate the husks and
as much of the residual sapo-
nin on seeds as possible.
The first year, Golder did his
entire harvest by hand, includ-
ing threshing the dried plants
and winnowing his seeds from
the chaff. Since then, his pro-
duction area has increased; his
procedures have become more
automated. He’s now growing
quinoa on two different sites,
using a mechanical thresher
on loan from Washington
State University and market-
ing through Andean Naturals,
Yuba City, Calif..
Golder is not alone as an
organic grower here. From
apples to zucchini, fresh, local
and organic produce is fairly
easy to find.
Among them, Cornerstone
Farms, owned and operated
by the Melville family ––
fourth generation growers
who farm near Enterprise–––
are part of the Shepherd’s
Grain Alliance. They grow
certified sustainable wheat,
oats and other grains, includ-
ing quinoa.
Their flours are sold in
Whole Foods and other high-
end markets, and used in food
preparation at Lewis and
Clark College, Reed College
and the University of Port-
land. Local producers include
Beth Giban’s Backyard Gar-
dens and The Magic Garden,
a group that helps low-in-
come residents achieve better
food security.
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Photo Courtesy Eagle Cap Quinoa
The early stages of a quinoa plant grown in Wallowa County.
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