August 2024 - Collab - lists.millets2023.space

Deeper dive on "Polish millet"
by Don Osborn 02 Sep '24

02 Sep '24

I was curious to understand better what the state and usage of Polish millet was anyway, but learning that a variety of this same species (Digitaria sanguinalis) for food in part of India (per my post on "sikiya millet") prompted me to take a deeper dive. First, a German contact from my language/localization days, who also has an interest in food diversity, kindly did a search not long ago for references in German to current cultivation of this grain. All she found was mention of its possible use for mouse food. Historically, there is more to it, however, so with a different research tack (and in English), here are some more items under two headings. POLISH MILLET IN EUROPE First, how was Digitaria sanguinalis a European crop grown, how important was it, and what was it used for? J.C. Loudon's 1825 *An Encyclopedia of Gardening* (London : Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green) offers a couple of helpful perspectives: "The common millet is grown on the [European] continent as a garden-plant for its seeds, to be used as a substitute for rice : the Polish millet (Digitaria sanguinalis) is grown for this purpose in the cottage gardens in Poland ; as is the carnation poppy (Papaver somniferum], for its seeds, which form a seasoning to buck-wheat porridge." p. 684 https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofg00loudrich/page/684/mode/1up [NB- "common millet" in this context is probably proso millet, Psnicum miliaceum] "In some places [in Poland], the common carnation poppy is grown for the seed, which taken when beginning to ripen, and strewed on a sort of milk-porridge, or milk-paste, made from the meal of buck-wheat, or Polish millet (Dactylon sanguinale), is reckoned a delicacy." p. 63 https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofg00loudrich/page/63/mode/1up [NB- the species name is a synonym for Digitaria sanguinalis, per Kew.org] Looking further back in history, L.J. Reitsema et al's 2017 "Resilience and local dietary adaptation in rural Poland, 1000–1400 CE" (Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 45: 38-52) adds some context: "A less-often mentioned C4 plant in medieval Polish diet is Digitarium sanguinalis, known today as Polish millet or crabgrass, and known in historic times as 'sown manna.' Its seeds are small and harvested by hand, thus sown manna was more likely an elite food than a daily staple, and likely contributed few calories to diet, unlike millet." p. 41 https://anthropology.uga.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/Reitsema%20et… [NB- Digitarium should be Digitaria. Also, I was surprised not to find clarification of the species of "millet" mentioned in the article, again most likely Panicum miliaceum] So, Polish millet may not have been a field crop so much as one grown on smaller scales. (The idea of growing cereal grains in a garden setting is not so unusual - there are people who do that with certain varieties of wheat in the US, for example.) And this grain figures as a source of variety in diet, rather than as a main staple. Still lots of questions, but this fills out the picture somewhat. POLISH MILLET / CRABGRASS IN NORTH AMERICA How was this species used when first brought to North America? I'm still looking for a good source on that, but in the meantime, Wikipedia tells us that "The plant was brought to the United States by immigrants to serve as hand-foraged grain." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitaria_sanguinalis The earliest reference in the US to "Polish millet" that I see (via Newspapers.com) is from the New England Farmer (Boston, MA), 14 March 1857, p. 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/404591118/: "'Of the Millet there are three distinct genera. Tho Polish millet, cultivated in Poland, the common millet cultivated in Germany, and in England and United States, and the great or Indian millet, cultivated in India, Italy, and now in America.' The Egyptian millet which you spoke of we think must be the great or Indian millet. We have it dried and hung up in our seed-room, as also the common millet. The latter is a frequent crop in this State. It is excellent both as a green fodder, or to be cured for hay." NB- This is a pretty prominent mention for Polish millet, such as it is. The "great or Indian millet" may be sorghum. "Egyptian millet" may be pearl millet?? Regarding "common millet," this is a term I avoid, because its application varies, but I suspect that here, as generally in the US during the 19th century, it referred to foxtail millet, Setaria italica, of which a variety from Germany (sometimes called German millet) being apparently common. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) had a 2 part series on millets in 1877. It confirms some of my hunches concerning nomenclature above. The second part (13 Sep. 1877, p. 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/27309529/ ) has this about Polish millet: "Polish millet. The manna grass of the Germans, [D]igitaria sanguinalis of some botanists, has already been noticed in a former paper under the name Panicum sanguinale. It is sometimes cultivated in Poland, whence its trivial name, for the grain as a substitute for rice. etc. It seems to thrive there under cultivation, almost as well as with us, in spite of our attempts to exterminate it." The latter remark indicates a perception of the plant that was at least ambiguous. Later reporting on the species refers to it more often as crabgrass, and as a weed problem on farms, and how to deal with it. Searching on "crabgrass" and "Digitaria" I found a reference earlier than all the above to using this species for hay in the SE US: The Newbernian (New Bern, NC), 16 Aug. 1833, p. 3 https://www.newspapers.com/image/53995071/ . Forty years later in the same state, a longish article on crabgrass acknowledged that it was a "public enemy," but made the contrarian case for promoting it as a forage crop given its tenacity and ability to grow on poor soils. Scotchman and Observer, 29 July 1873, p. 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/73230269/ (If you dig deeper on the subject, there are discussions elsewhere of when and how to best mow this species for hay, and how to dry it - people have put some time into it.) As for crabgrass as a weed on lawns, the earliest mention I saw in my rapid searches was in 1889 (the same article in several papers). These references got more frequent by the 1920s or so. That brings us to a context more widely familiar to many people today. I'd conclude with the usual call for more research, but do think that this relative of fonio deserves more attention. How do varieties cultivated in central Europe (if we still have them) and India compare with each other, and with the weedy varieties that we try to get rid of? Are the grains of this obscure millet really a "manna" in terms of taste? How hard would it be to breed varieties that produce seed in a shorter time window, making production for grain more feasible? Could the lessons from processing fonio be directly applied to this Polish millet? Is crabgrass actually a potential temperate-zone fonio, both as a resilient crop and as a nutritious food? Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Chef Pierre Thiam on the Future Fork podcast (26 Aug. 2024)
by Don Osborn 31 Aug '24

31 Aug '24

As we close out August, in which fonio is the millet of the month (along with related Digitarias), I'd like to share info on a recent podcast featuring Chef Pierre Thiam, who has certainly done more than any other individual to introduce fonio to the world. The podcast in Paul Newnham's Future Fork series, is entitled "The importance of agricultural diversity" (26 August 2024. 34:56). Link and episode description follow: https://omny.fm/shows/future-fork/pierre-thiam "Pierre Thiam is an Author, Activist, and the Executive Chef at Teranga and NOK by Alara. His restaurants allow him to showcase West African cuisine with a focus on sustainability. He founded Yolélé to support smallholder farms in the Sahel region of Africa and advocate for the nutritious West African grain, Fonio. Pierre has also written four cookbooks so people can enjoy African cuisine at home. "In this episode, Pierre shares how his passion for food took him from Dakar to New York City and how he uses his position to celebrate and preserve traditional food cultures. Pierre also shares how he promotes sustainable food systems, supports small farmers, and raises awareness about underutilised crops such as Fonio." DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

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Northern climate breeding programs
by Joni Kindwall-Moore 31 Aug '24

31 Aug '24

Hi everyone, have you ever worked with the team at https://www.aerc.ca/ If yes, could you please make an introduction? thanks *Joni Kindwall-Moore BSN-RN, BA* Founder, Innovator, Mother, Nurse, Activist *P: 406-334-1608* *www.snacktivistfoods.com <http://www.snacktivistfoods.com/>* *Welcome to the Snacktivist Nation! *

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Goitrogen issue again - pearl millet & fonio
by Don Osborn 30 Aug '24

30 Aug '24

Anti-nutrients of one sort or another are present in varying degrees in many of plants we eat (grains, pseudo-cereals, pulses, and vegetables)./a Among the anti-nutrients, goitrogens are often associated with millets. Some articles about millets raise the issue, But how much of a concern are goitrogens, are there differences among millets or varieties of a millet, and how do they compare with what one might find in other plants? Without trying to go into more detail than I am qualified to comment on, I thought I'd pass on two interesting recent links. First, however, let's review a definition: "Goitrogens are substances that disrupt the production of thyroid hormones. This triggers the pituitary to release thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which then promotes the growth of thyroid tissue, eventually leading to goiter."/b 1. Anitha S, Upadhyay S, Grando S, Kane-Potaka J. "Does consumption of pearl millet cause goiter? A systematic review of existing evidence." *Frontiers in Nutrition*. 2024 Mar 7;11:1323336. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1323336. PMID: 38515523; PMCID: PMC10955131. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10955131/ Abstract: "Millets (defined here to also include sorghum) have been consumed in Asian and African countries for centuries, and have in recent years become increasingly popular in Western countries, especially because of their proven health and environmental benefits. Nevertheless, some concerns have been raised that their consumption can interfere with thyroid function and cause goiter. This systematic review aimed to investigate the link between millet consumption and goiter. We found nine papers that were relevant to this topic and included them in this review. Among nine papers eight were on pearl millet and one was on fonio millet. The findings of the review indicate that published literature on the association of pearl millet and increased goiter prevalence are not compelling and strong enough to assert that pearl millet consumed as part of a balanced diet can lead to goiter in the general population. To ensure appropriate factual messaging about millets, we need more scientific research to conclusively state whether millet consumption mediates goitrogenic effects." 2. The podcast "Gut Feeling with Dr. Pal" (Dr. Pal Manickam) featured an episode entitled "All About How & When to Eat Millets - Health Benefits & Side Effects of Millets Explained by Dr Rao" (15 June 2024) includes a discussion of thyroid and the goitrogen issue (at the 51:21 mark, for a bit more than 2 minutes): - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKBwKbunTJA&list=PLVlf929ZD8laSTsczo4BlVS_N… - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-about-how-when-to-eat-millets-hea… This is a long and wide-ranging discussion of millets, if you have the time to listen, but it's easy to drop into the point indicated to hear what they have to say on this topic. Comments based on all the above: * A single line of research in Sudan looms large in discussions of pearl millet and goiter. * A combination of low iodide in diet plus goitrogens may raise risk * Since there does not seem to be a high incidence of goiter in other regions where pearl millet is consumed (notably those in India), might there be a chemical difference in varieties of pearl millet? * Chemically, the goitrogens in fonio are different than those in pearl millet (which in turn raises questions about the nature of goitrogens across other foods) If you have other items on this topic, which comes up periodically, please share. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Notes: a. Petroski W, Minich DM. "Is There Such a Thing as 'Anti-Nutrients'? A Narrative Review of Perceived Problematic Plant Compounds." *Nutrients*. 2020 Sep 24;12(10):2929. doi: 10.3390/nu12102929. PMID: 32987890; PMCID: PMC7600777. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7600777/ b. "Goitrogen" on Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goitrogen

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Sikiya millet in India (D. sanguinalis)
by Don Osborn 29 Aug '24

29 Aug '24

The Baiga <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baiga> of Dindori district <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dindori_district> in Madhya Pradesh <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhya_Pradesh> cultivate a small millet called "sikiya," which is apparently a variety of *Digitaria sanguinalis*. This is evidently on a very small scale Looking for other sources, but in the meantime, see: - "Madhya Pradesh's century-old millet sikiya finds few revivalists," by Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, Down to Earth, 14 Aug. 2018 https://www.downtoearth.org.in/food/madhya-pradesh-s-century-old-millet-sik… - "Fonio of the Baigas," Agro-Eco Wisdom: The Indian Context (blog), 18 Dec. 2019 https://agriwisdom.wordpress.com/2019/12/18/fonio-of-the-baigas/ *D. sanguinalis* has also been called Polish millet, based on its use in Central Europe, but is more widely known as ... large crabgrass Is there a food potential to this "weed" that merits more attention? Has there been a study of varieties of this now-global species? Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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a Minnesota tradition
by Robin Asbell 24 Aug '24

24 Aug '24

I know it's not a food use, but millet always shows up at the Minnesota State Fair in the Seed Art. Those of you from other parts of the world may find this a strange thing, but people love it. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/08/21/blossoming-late-new-state-fair-cro… -- *Robin Asbell* *http://robinasbell.com/ <http://robinasbell.com/>*

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Could raishan be the next fonio?
by Don Osborn 23 Aug '24

23 Aug '24

The title plays with the common trope, "Is Y the new X?" However, raishan (Digitatia compacta) - a relative of fonio (D. exilis) - is apparently cultivated only in the Khasi Hills area of Meghalaya state in northeast India. It does not appear to be produced at a level that would support wider marketing. Raishan got a prominent mention a couple of years ago in an article by author and BBC reporter Dan Saladino ("The Ancient Super Grain That Could Help Feed the World: Once headed for extinction, millet is now being recognized as a solution to global food problems," Foreign Policy, 8 Oct. 2022 https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/10/08/food-crisis-biodiversity-agriculture-i… ). A 2015 webpage asking "Millets – Why Are They Languishing?" (Zizira.com. https://www.zizira.com/blogs/plants/millets-why-are-they-languishing ) has a pretty good section on "Raishan - Millet of Meghalaya." The mention of the labor intensive processing of the grains (and how that can be a deterrent to using it as food, as opposed to just as fodder) reminds of discussions about fonio processing, and how small scale hulling machines helped energize production of that grain. In fact, in the case of raishan, Mr. Saladino wrote that "new technology is now helping to make millet a more appealing crop to grow." That technology is not stated, but one imagines it could be small-scale mechanization to address the processing issues. A short academic article from half a century ago gives a good introduction (note that the species name at the time was D. cruciata, and the administrative region where it is grown was then Assam): Singh, H. B., & Arora, R. K. (1972). Raishan (Digitaria sp.): A Minor Millet of the Khasi Hills, India. *Economic Botany*, *26*(4), 376–380. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4253381 [NB- you can register for a free JSTOR account to read articles such as this online] The distinction between wild and cultivated varieties of raishan is important. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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"Millets triangle" - new presentation of latest version
by Don Osborn 23 Aug '24

23 Aug '24

Attached is a PDF copy of a new PPT presentation of the current version of the "millets triangle." (If you'd like the PPT version, please ask offlist - the file size of that is larger than the PDF.) In 2022, I introduced the concept of conveying the diversity of millets in a single graphic that could be used to convey information about who grows which ones where and for what). I revised that millets triangle shortly afterwards. A previous version of this presentation introduced that second version of the triangle, and it received some helpful feedback. I revised the millets triangle again earlier this year, but not until now have I revised the presentation (so this is presentation version 2, but displaying the third version of the triangle). I hope the introduction to the millets triangle is clearer in this version. The examples in the last section before the conclusion (starting at slide 23) are new or have been reworked from the earlier effort. A key use that is anticipated for this diagram is being able to characterize uses of various millets in diverse contexts. This is an ongoing project, with the object of bringing millets as a group into clearer view. The current version of the millets triangle may be revised, or perhaps give rise to another conceptual approach to bringing information about the diverse millets into a reusable graphic. Your feedback and suggestions for improvement are requested. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Cool job opportunity!
by Joni Kindwall-Moore 12 Aug '24

12 Aug '24

Hello Millets community, this is a great opportunity to live in beautiful Bozeman, MT. This facility will process both proso millet and "naked" high-protein oats. Please let me know if you would like to learn more. Thanks, Joni *Joni Kindwall-Moore BSN-RN, BA* Founder, Innovator, Mother, Nurse, Activist *P: 406-334-1608* *www.snacktivistfoods.com <http://www.snacktivistfoods.com/>* *Welcome to the Snacktivist Nation! *

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Kansas State University's attention to millets
by Don Osborn 10 Aug '24

10 Aug '24

Kansas grows more sorghum than any other state in the US, and now there is also interest in promoting "millet" as a crop there. The type of millet is not specified - I was assuming proso - but read on. According to an article entitled "Sorghum gets boost with collaboration with millet" (by Dave Bergmeier, High Plains Journal, 1 Sept. 2023),/1 researchers at Kansas State University (K-State) are interested in water-saving millet as a crop in western Kansas, where declining levels in the Ogallala Aquifer are of increasing concern. This current interest figures in a broader Global Collaboration for Sorghum and Millet (GCSM)/2 announced at the Global Sorghum Conference in Montpelier, France last year/3 by Prof. Ernie Minton, Dean of the K-State College of Agriculture. K-State has also been the host for the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (aka Sorghum and Millet Innovation Lab, or SMIL) since 2013./4 SMIL, currently headed by Dr. Timothy Dalton, has research relationships and projects in Africa, where sorghum and pearl millet are major crops. Dr. Dalton is also Director of Research with the GCSM, and Nat Bascom is its Director of Engagement and Leadership. The HPJ article mentioned that the K-State Agricultural Research Center in Hays/5 at one time had a research program on millet./1 This may refer to a research program on pearl millet, led by William Stegmeier beginning in 1969, which later linked to international programs./6/7 This research ended but was apparently restarted by Prof. Ramaswamy Perumal. However, the page on that has been removed, so I retrieved a link on the Wayback Machine./8 K-State and its Research-Extension Centers around Kansas also have a history of research on proso/9 and foxtail millets,/10 as well as sorghum, of course./11 Given this background, it will be interesting to see how their research agenda develops. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US ) North American Millets Alliance Notes: 1. HPJ article https://hpj.com/2023/09/01/sorghum-gets-boost-with-collaboration-with-mille… 2. GCSM https://globalsorghumandmillet.com/ 3. K-State Research & Extension News, 5 Jun. 2023 https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/stories/2023/06/agriculture-sorghum-mille… 4. SMIL https://smil.k-state.edu/ 5. K-State Hays https://www.wkrec.org/about/locations/archays.html 6. N.B. Christensen, et al, "Pearl Millet: A Potential Crop for Kansas," AES Keeping Up With Research, 77, May 1984. https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/historicpublications/pubs/SRL77.pdf 7. History of the Ag. Res. Ctr. - Hays https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/historicpublications/pubs/SB663.pdf 8. https://web.archive.org/web/20230831132317/https://www.hays.k-state.edu/pro… 9. https://search.k-state.edu/people.html?qt=%22proso+millet%22&curtab=0 10. https://search.k-state.edu/people.html?qt=%22foxtail+millet%22&curtab=0 11. https://search.k-state.edu/people.html?qt=sorghum&curtab=0

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