New Foods

How many different foods do you eat? Make a list, then make a list of the foods you enjoy most and eat most often. Compare the lists? How many different foods make up your diet? Our food choices have become extremely limited. When you visit the supermarket it may appear that the choices are many but take a closer look. How many varieties of apples are there? How many varieties of potatoes? What other tubers are there? What other grains? Over the next few weeks we will look at possibilities. This week, teff and yacon, two relatively unknown foods in North America.. We produce only a small percentage of the foods that we either once grew or could obtain, that it has become necessary to look into our past and to other countries to find something new, new to us that is.

Teff is a common grain in Ethiopia. Domestic experience in teff production is limited; however, teff grain has already found a niche as grain and flour in the health food market. The future of teff forage production for livestock in the United States is unknown. Teff does have the advantage of producing a good hay or pasture crop when late season plantings are required due to a crop failure. Results of a nationwide survey indicate that this crop is virtually unknown in most states, and that production may be limited to only a few western states. Information on teff production in the United States remains scarce as most teff production is handled by private entrepreneurs. Teff is drought tolerant.

For my region, I have been looking at the Andes. The climate in these mountains is more severe than what we get here but there are enough similarities for me to feel that there are plant similarities that need to be given some serious consideration. One plant, in particular, yacon seems to hold serious potential. It is a potato-like tuber and may be well suited for local development. The next step would be to obtain a number of tubers and plant a test crop. This may prove to be difficult if you have limited resources, but I feel that persistence always pays.

I feel that both these plants have market potential. Teff decreases our reliance on wheat and is suitable for people who are wheat intolerant. It could develop into a good niche product. Cereals and baked goods come to mind as well as breads. Yacon increases diversity as it offers us another tuber for the table. When we increase diversity within an ecosystem we strengthen that system.

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