October 2023 - Collab - lists.millets2023.space

"Red Proso"
by Joni Kindwall-Moore 13 Oct '23

13 Oct '23

Hello group, One of my farmers grows what he calls a "red proso". He has been growing it for many years and he has no record of where the seed came from. He also grows white proso which is what we normally use in food manufacturing. I am interested in getting to the bottom of what this red proso is and if it has any culinary applications. Unfortunately with the limited access to hulling equipment, we have no way of doing any small-scale experiments on it to evaluate. Does anybody have any information about red proso, I have not yet done a literature review/ Thanks, Joni *Joni Kindwall-Moore BSN-RN, BA* Founder, CEO, Innovator, Mother, Nurse, Activist *P: 406-334-1608* *www.snacktivistfoods.com <http://www.snacktivistfoods.com/>* *Scan this QR code to experience the Snacktivist Nation! *

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Sorghum "molasses" or syrup - a regional specialty in SE US?
by Don Osborn 13 Oct '23

13 Oct '23

Most sorghum production in the US today is in the Great Plains, and the principal purposes of this production are grain for various uses (food, feed, and fuel), and silage. Earlier in the history of sorghum in this country, sweet stemmed varieties achieved importance as an alternative source of sweeteners, especially in the mid 19th century. The stalks of "sweet sorghum," as it is known, can be crushed like one would sugar cane, to produce a sugary liquid that can then be processed. Sweet sorghum is still grown, altho on a much smaller scale, and production of it is apparently concentrated in the Southeastern states. (Wikipedia provides a good introduction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_sorghum ) A product made from sweet sorghum is sorghum "molasses" or syrup (not to be confused with cane molasses, altho there are evidently similarities). This is known primarily in the Southeast (the main producing states are said to be Kentucky and Tennessee), and is used on biscuits and pancakes, as well as other culinary uses where sweeteners are needed. A couple of commercial webpages offer good discussions of this * https://www.tnhomeandfarm.com/agriculture/tennessee-sorghum/ (nice overview, from Tennessee) * https://www.thedutchtreat.biz/post/molasses-or-sorghum-molasses (from a store in westernmost Virginia; 2 products from Kentucky in photo) * https://smileypete.com/community/2014-02-28-sorghum-what-is-it-and-how-did-… (from Kentucky) * https://www.ourstate.com/the-molasses-makers-of-davidson-county/ (an artisanal operation in North Carolina) There is also an active National Sweet Sorghum Producers and Processors Association (NSSPPA) in the US: https://nssppa.org/ A personal perspective: Sorghum molasses does seem to be a regional specialty of the Southeastern US. With my family roots mainly in the Northeast and upper Midwest, maple syrup (esp. from Vermont) might be on our table, while molasses and for that matter corn syrup were known by name only, and I don't recall ever seeing or hearing of sorghum molasses or syrup. I was actually first introduced to sweet sorghum in Mali, when a neighbor shared with me a piece of a green sweet sorghum stalk, which one can chew on and get a sugary flavor (this is a bit like sugar cane, altho obviously much smaller in diameter). So sweet sorghum is clearly grown in various parts of the world. A former common name for it was "Chinese sugar cane," presumably indicating origin (an 1857 book indicated as much/1 ; see also a short 1858 article using this name, which also noted the plant's use in southern France and northern Algeria at that time/2). The Wikipedia article linked above also indicates sweet sorghum's use in India. However I don't have any information on how much sweet sorghum is used to produce syrup worldwide. Again, another shallow dive to illustrate the breadth of use of millets. Anyone with more substantial knowledge of sweet sorghum, or indeed sweet stemmed varieties of other millets,/3 is invited to comment. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Notes: 1. James F.C. Hyde, The Chinese sugar-cane;its history, mode of culture, manufacture of the sugar, etc. with reports of its success in different portions of the United States, and letters from distinguished men (Saxton & Co., New York, 1857) https://archive.org/details/chinesesugarcane00hyde/mode/2up 2. "Sorgho, or Chinese Sugar Cane," Scientific American, July 24, 1858 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sorgho-or-chinese-sugar-cane/ 3. Came across mention of "Canadian Sweet Stem Pearl Millet hybrid CSSPMH 7," for example, but this is grown only for forage: http://www.milo-seeds.com/Page.php?ID=6&Lang=2

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Millets in Caribbean perspective (pitimi in Haiti)
by Don Osborn 12 Oct '23

12 Oct '23

Most of our focus has been on continental North America. However, millets are also grown and consumed to varying degrees in the Caribbean region. I recently came across an item on "pitimi" in Haiti. The word pitimi in Haitian Creole (Kreyòl) is from the French "petit mil." The latter is a term that in West Africa refers to pearl millet, since its grains are relatively small (petit) in comparison to those of sorghum ("gros mil," which we sometimes in English refer to as great millet).* In Haiti, however, it seems that pitimi refers to both / either of the crops - sorghum & pearl millet. This is the article I first saw, which is an overview by a Haitian who says they haven't been back in a while. Not sure if any of the images are from Haiti. Still a nice intro: "What is Millet Grain, Pitimi, or Petit Mil" Caribbean Green Living (blog), August 11, 2021; Updated on July 30, 2022 https://www.caribbeangreenliving.com/pitimi-millet-or-petit-mil/ On this photo site, a clear image of pearl millet in a part of Haiti, but without mentioning the name "pitimi": "Top 16 Most Common Plants in Haiti, Nord, Guider" (PictureThisAI.com) https://www.picturethisai.com/region/Haiti-Nord-Guider.html This webpage on a product seems to confound the two: "Ranje Fwaye Pitimi (Pearl Millet, Petit Mil, Sorghum Grain)" https://thecaribbeandepot.com/product/pitimi-pearl-millet-petit-mil-sorghum… Another webpage focuses on sorghum, but has this explanation: "Pitimi is the word Haitians use for millet and sorghum, or small grains." "SORGHUM: Sorghum Bicolor: Sorghum, Sorgho, Milo, Pitimi," Grow Haiti (blog), no date https://pearlculture.wordpress.com/sorghum/ A number of packaged grain products from Haiti feature "pitimi" and "sorghum" on the label (search Google for images with these two words: Haiti pitimi). Sometimes, like this one, "millet" is also featured on the label: https://www.ziledistributors.com/product-page/pitimi-5lbs Finally, on Facebook, CFI Haiti (presumably the Haitian government's Centre de Facilitation des Investissements) has this description in French: "Le petit mil est une culture de première nécessité dans plusieurs communautés étrangères, également en Haïti. Il est une source alimentaire pendant les périodes difficiles, la sécheresse ou de mauvaises récoltes des autres denrées. Le petit mil est relativement bon marché et il est facile à faire pousser et il s'entrepose très bien pendant des années. Maintenant en Haïti on l'utilise pour faire le Malta. Il existe plusieurs variétés de #mil <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/mil?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F> tels que: millet, mil à chandelle, mil perle, petit mil, mil doré etc..." https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=972866709500919&set=a.280779275376336 (Malta is a beverage, and that would be another topic) This is another post that really just scratches the surface of what is likely a more complicated picture. Anyone with info on millets in Haiti or anywhere in the Caribbean, please comment or add info. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Note: * There are two quasi-synonyms in French equivalent to "millet" in English. One is "mil," which I have heard as referring to the great millets (sorghum and pearl millet). The other is its diminutive, "millet," which I understand may refer to other (small) or any millet.

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Save the date ::: IYM Master Chef Challenge ::: 18 October 2023, 12:00-13:00 (CEST) - Hybrid/Sheikh Zayed Centre
by Dimitrova, Zdravka (NSP) 10 Oct '23

10 Oct '23

[A white background with black text Description automatically generated] REGISTER HERE<https://events.zoom.us/ev/AhkGy0rt5SRF32ZDL9BpbV6ZK_Dwc4_5gGaFEOkH9lRgAQr83…> WEDNESDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2023 | 12:00-13:00 (CEST) Hybrid event: Zoom & FAO webcast | Sheikh Zayed Centre (FAO,HQ Rome) Interpretation in English, French and Spanish In celebration of the International Year of Millets 2023<https://www.fao.org/millets-2023/en> (IYM2023), there will be a Master Chef Challenge during the 2023 World Food Forum Flagship event<https://flagship.world-food-forum.org/en> (WFF). Four famous Chefs, representing different regions will engage the audience in a culinary journey that celebrates the versatility and nutritional benefits of millets. Get inspired by Chefs Anahita Dhondy (India), Fatmata Binta (Ghana), Mokgadi Itsweng (South Africa), Rodrigo Pacheco (Ecuador). A jury, including Lynnette Neufeld, Director of the Food and Nutrition Division (FAO), chef Sanjay Thakur (India) and chef Arlette Eulert (Peru), will comment on the culinary creations, made from millets, sorghum and fonio. Do not miss the opportunity to expand your culinary repertoire and taste the delicious dishes made from millets. Millets are a diverse group of small-seeded grasses, cultivated for thousands of years across different cultures and continents. Millets' diversity and ability to thrive on arid lands with minimal inputs make them a valuable contribution to healthy diets and nutrition in many countries. Let us embrace millets and their role in promoting sustainable, resilient and inclusive food systems for better nutrition, environment, livelihoods and production, leaving no one behind! CHECK THE AGENDA HERE<https://www.fao.org/millets-2023/events/detail/international-year-of-millet…> For more information, please contact: International-Year-Millets(a)fao.org<mailto:International-Year-Millets@fao.org> [A plate of food on a table Description automatically generated]

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Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 19, Issue 23
by Gary Wietgrefe 01 Oct '23

01 Oct '23

Don, thank you for revealing another Panicum "Sonoran?"--especially one sourced from North American antiquity that also has lysine. I'm curious if it's lysine levels are higher than proso now grown....Gary On Thu, Aug 31, 2023 at 12:16 PM <collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space> wrote: > Send Collab mailing list submissions to > collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space > > You can reach the person managing the list at > collab-owner(a)lists.millets2023.space > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Collab digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. August millet-of-the-month (part 2): "Sonoran millet" (Don Osborn) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2023 14:15:48 -0400 > From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > Subject: [Collab] August millet-of-the-month (part 2): "Sonoran > millet" > Message-ID: > < > CA+RHibXor6piTTWcQVqPSAFF3XaP32XsbuXR61JMKx-Ho5kD2g(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Sharing the millet-of-the-month spotlight in August with little millet > (Panicum sumatrense) is its North American "cousin," sometimes called > Sonoran millet (P. hirticaule or P. sonorum). Both are in the same genus as > proso millet (P. miliaceum), which was the January millet of the month. > > Sonoran millet has been well documented as being under cultivation in what > is now the SW US and NW Mexico since prehistoric times until modern > times./9 /10 Cultivation now is apparently limited mainly to small farms > notably of Wariho Indians in Sonora, Mexico, where it was documented as > recently as 2011./11 > > Regarding nomenclature, it seems that P. hirticaule/12 may be used more for > the wild varieties, and P. sonorum/13 for the larger and larger-grained > variants that have been cultivated. However usage varies, esp. in older > literature. > > At one point, it was thought that this grain - its cultivated variety - was > extinct./11 An important range of cultivation in the Colorado River delta > effectively disappeared as an indirect effect of the Hoover Dam./9 Its > present status is "vulnerable."/13 There is some discussion of whether this > grain is truly "domesticated" in the strictest agricultural sense of the > term, but there is no question that it has long been selected and > cultivated. > > Archaeological evidence shows that Native Americans cultivated or gathered > seeds of several Panicum and Setaria species, especially before the > domestication and spread of corn/maize. > > Don Osborn, PhD > (East Lansing, MI, US) > North American Millets Alliance > > (The above is based on an earlier post to Collab, in October 2022, > https://lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/2022-October/000090.html > ; > the image and links to sites from which its parts were sourced, below, are > new) > > Notes: > 1. Gary Nabhan & J.M.J. de Wet. 1984. "Panicum sonorum in Sonoran Desert > Agriculture." Economic Botany, 38(1), 65?82. > https://www.jstor.org/stable/4254574 > 2. https://www.nativeseeds.org/pages/sonoran-panic-grass > 3. Barney T. Burns. 2011. "A Short History of Panic Grass." Seedhead News, > No. 109, Spring 2011, pp. 6-7. > > https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0157/0808/files/SeedheadNews109-2011-Spri… > (Republished in 2015 at > https://www.nativeseeds.org/blogs/blog-news/a-short-history-of-panic-grass > ) > 4. https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Panicum_hirticaule > 5. > > https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.130251/Panicum_sono… > > Attached image credits: > (left) https://cabezaprieta.org/plant_page.php?id=1533 > (top right) https://calscape.org/Panicum-hirticaule-%28%29 > (middle right) > > https://medivetus.com/botanic/panicum-hirticaule-mexican-panicgrass-edible-… >

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