There is a new study out of the University of Georgia that found that black and sumac variety of sorghum bran have significant levels of antioxidants. Even more so than the superfruits such as blueberries and pomegranate.

Photo from Gluten Fighters. In Africa and Asia, sorghum is mainly eaten as porridges and flat breads. Sorghum looks similar to corn, but has many seed grain hanging from it.

It is a gluten-free grain. About one percent of the population worldwide is thought to suffer from either an allergy to or intolerance for wheat gluten. People with Celiac Disease must avoid gluten in their diet.

When I was younger, I remember mom growing something that looked similar to sorghum. It looked like a small corn plant and had skinny stalks. We would gather the seeds and cooked them as mini-popcorn. It’s a pretty neat thing to see when you’re a kid.

Or you can watch from Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.  He seems to really like and thinks it will be the next big thing!

The U.S. (especially grown in Kansas) is the largest producer of sorghum, but it’s the low tannin variety. This variety ends up as cattle and poultry feed or used to manufacture ethanol to fuel cars.

The high tannin variety, including sumac and black sorghum is what needs to be grown more in the U.S. Science Daily News noted, “The researchers said they hope to generate interest in sorghum bran or its extract as an additive to food and beverages. Sorghum bran extract could be added to a variety of foods and beverages as a liquid concentrate or dried powder.”

The researchers also believe sorghum would be an inexpensive and nutritional food additive. It could be a great alternative to bleached or refined flour. Close up of Gluten Free Sweet White Sorghum Grain. Photo from NutsOnline. It’s described by the folks at Nuts Online as hearty, chewy texture.

Makes it the perfect gluten-free substitute for couscous, bulgur, and pearled barley in soups and side dishes. I’ve never had sorghum and can’t vouch for how it taste. But if I see them at the health food store, I’ll give them a try.

Reference: 1. Amy Burdette, Pamela L. Garner, Eugene P. Mayer, James L. Hargrove, Diane K. Hartle, Phillip Greenspan. Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Select Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) Brans. Journal of Medicinal Food, 2010; 13 (4): 879 DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2009.0147

Recently I saw a beautiful flowering plant at Target’s garden center and recognize the leaves right away. Growing up , I remember seeing these plants grow all over our backyard.  Except these had more colorful and pretty flowers.

Photo of “Purslane:  Portulaca Umbraticola”.

My dad was the one who first told me these are edible herbs.  They are really a succulent herb as the leaves are fleshy.  Dad said purslane are great for joint health too.  I also remember my dad and I collecting the purslane from the yard. We gave them to mom to wash and she prepared them for dinner. We had steamed purslane with grilled meat and hot sauce.  I thought the purslane was a bit slimy (but not strange slime). It was actually very good.  It had a lemony-tart taste and the leaves were fleshy.  But since then, I really haven’t had any purslane at all.

This is the type of purslane we had for dinner. They are considered to be weeds.  Photo from Calfora.net

Purslane is known throughout most of the world as both a beneficial and tasty plant.  And it can be eaten raw too.  But in the U.S., they consider it a weed and appropriately named it “pigweed” or “hogweed”.  I think that is just too bad!  In California, they also consider it an invasive plant.  I really don’t think it’s a problem, as you can always pull them out once it gets out of control.  And it’s not full of spike or has strange smells either.  Just bring on some hungry goats to clear them out!

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