In EDN 103 we mentioned the experience with buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum, reported by John Trossel. He said this quick maturing crop can be harvested two months after planting. Seed that we sent to a lower elevation (4,000 feet?) in Honduras also reportedly did well. The newsletter HortIdeas quotes from an Indian journal that the leaves of this “broadleaved 'grain’ with remarkable soilbuilding abilities are edible. In fact, they are eaten regularly by people living in the higher ranges of the Himalayas. They are simply cooked with seasonings in boiling water for a short time. The leaves contain 4.5% protein on a fresh weight basis and are reasonably high in calcium and iron.”
Buckwheat does best in cool and humid climates and is definitely not suited for the tropical lowlands. If you work at an appropriate site, we can send you a small packet to get started. Poultry can eat the seeds whole, but for other animals it must be ground. Some of our readers, wanting to make a flour for human use, have given up on buckwheat because it is difficult to prepare into a pure flour when grinding. (If you have had experience preparing buckwheat flour, please share it with us.)
Cite as:
ECHO Staff 1992. Another Use of Buckwheat: Eat the Leaves. ECHO Development Notes no. 38