Hairy crabgrass

Digitaria sanguinalis

grain

Tiny seeds, hulled and cooked as porridge or gruel, the “manna” of Bohemian peasants until the 19th century.

Origin

Central Europe (Bohemia)

Where to find it

Nobody harvests it any more; it sprouts every summer in vegetable gardens and cornfields, where it is pulled up as a weed.

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

The seeds are hulled with a pestle, winnowed, then boiled for about twenty minutes.

Molecules

In small amounts, not counted Arabinoxylans · Magnesium · Insoluble fibers

Did you know?

Today it is a weed of gardens and sidewalks, crabgrass.