Sorghum - Molly's Black

NZH. Sorghum originated in Northern Africa and was cultivated there as early as 5000-1000 BCE. Sorghum travelled to this land most likely via England although it is possible it came from Australia. By the 1880’s the potential of sorghum as an international sugar crop had been recognised and a fledgling sorghum-sugar industry was established in NZ. Opotiki had a factory built at the time for processing sorghum into syrup. This variety was selected in Ruatoki during this period. It naturalised in the warm climate where it acts as a perennial without frost and was growing “wild” on roadsides and was harvested for snacks for kids. Families called it “sugar cane” and would harvest the stalks that yield the juice for making the syrup and bury them in the ground to keep them fresh for a longer time. We were gifted this seed from our dear friend, Bridget Scully of Nurture Earth in Gisborne. She received the seeds at a seed swap from a Whakatane seed grower. The seeds are also edible and sorghum is the world's fifth most important cereal crop after rice, wheat, maize, and barley. This variety has very beautiful shinney black seeds. They are more difficult to thresh for harvesting the grain than other varieties, which leads me to believe this variety was selected for sorghum syrup production. The leaves are also edible but mostly used medicinally or as a dye as the boiled leaves impart a burgundy colour. Medicinally, Sorghum bicolor leaves contain carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, chlorophyll, lycopene and beta-carotene, as well as palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acid. Some studies suggest that eating the leaves regularly would provide natural antioxidants and essential fatty acids that could help fight cardiovascular related diseases. Grows in clumps that can reach up to 4m in height! Ours this season were well over my head. The taller varieties are actually referred to as Sweet Sorghums as they have been bred to produce more stalk for making syrup. The shorter varieties are grown for grain production.

Scatter sow seeds into trays in October or when you plant corn in your area. Best germinated in a glasshouse or on a heat pad as soil temperature must be min of 13°C. Sorghum requires similar temperatures to corn. Plant into fertile garden bed at 35cm diagonal spacing when 15-20cm tall and there is a good root system established.

50 seeds.