Posted on May 18, 2023
What America’s ‘lost crops’ tell us about food in the age of climate change
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“The wild ancestor looks completely different. It's just a tiny stack of rock hard seeds that don't look at all appetizing,” she said. “Over time that was transformed through evolution in human-managed environments into the juicy corncob that we know.”
Corn is one of the biggest examples of human domestication of plants over thousands of years. Mueller studies a lesser-known domesticated crop — an extinct, Indigenous member of the buckwheat family called erect knotweed.
“We don't really know exactly when people stopped growing [erect knotweed],” she said. “The latest dates that we have on these lost crops are like in the 1400s. … A lot of practices were lost during that time because populations were displaced, and they could only take certain things with them — and knowledge holders were lost.”
Corn is one of the biggest examples of human domestication of plants over thousands of years. Mueller studies a lesser-known domesticated crop — an extinct, Indigenous member of the buckwheat family called erect knotweed.
“We don't really know exactly when people stopped growing [erect knotweed],” she said. “The latest dates that we have on these lost crops are like in the 1400s. … A lot of practices were lost during that time because populations were displaced, and they could only take certain things with them — and knowledge holders were lost.”
What America’s ‘lost crops’ tell us about food in the age of climate change
Posted from news.stlpublicradio.org
Farming
Agriculture
Climate Change
Ancient History
Native Americans
Posted 12 mo ago
Responses: 4
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."It was a photo of grain that first drew Natalie Mueller to study the origins of agriculture. The kernels weren't the type you’d see at a Memorial Day cookout. It was corn's wild ancestor, teosinte.
Erect knotweed is found primarily in the northeastern and north-central parts of the United States.
“The wild ancestor looks completely different. It's just a tiny stack of rock hard seeds that don't look at all appetizing,” she said. “Over time that was transformed through evolution in human-managed environments into the juicy corncob that we know.”
Corn is one of the biggest examples of human domestication of plants over thousands of years. Mueller studies a lesser-known domesticated crop — an extinct, Indigenous member of the buckwheat family called erect knotweed.
“We don't really know exactly when people stopped growing [erect knotweed],” she said. “The latest dates that we have on these lost crops are like in the 1400s. … A lot of practices were lost during that time because populations were displaced, and they could only take certain things with them — and knowledge holders were lost.”
While erect knotweed can be found in the wild, the domesticated version of the plant is lost to history. Evidence of it being cultivated as a food crop is found in archaeological sites."...
..."It was a photo of grain that first drew Natalie Mueller to study the origins of agriculture. The kernels weren't the type you’d see at a Memorial Day cookout. It was corn's wild ancestor, teosinte.
Erect knotweed is found primarily in the northeastern and north-central parts of the United States.
“The wild ancestor looks completely different. It's just a tiny stack of rock hard seeds that don't look at all appetizing,” she said. “Over time that was transformed through evolution in human-managed environments into the juicy corncob that we know.”
Corn is one of the biggest examples of human domestication of plants over thousands of years. Mueller studies a lesser-known domesticated crop — an extinct, Indigenous member of the buckwheat family called erect knotweed.
“We don't really know exactly when people stopped growing [erect knotweed],” she said. “The latest dates that we have on these lost crops are like in the 1400s. … A lot of practices were lost during that time because populations were displaced, and they could only take certain things with them — and knowledge holders were lost.”
While erect knotweed can be found in the wild, the domesticated version of the plant is lost to history. Evidence of it being cultivated as a food crop is found in archaeological sites."...
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By the look of the surrounding fields, the farmers are going to take another hard blow and most may even lose the family farm. PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
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