Growing ancient grains for Colorado’s future

Many gardeners are familiar with the Chenopodiaceae family even if they don’t know it, explains Matt Springer, owner and operator of Grey Owl Garden. The plant family includes the common lamb’s quarters, which are often pulled up as weeds, and also  includes quinoa, spinach, orach, and ancient North American crops like pitseed goosefoot. Many plants in this family are nutrient-rich and well-adapted to the regions where they originated.

Springer is fascinated by the history of this plant family and how many of its species have been cultivated across cultures for millennia. These days, he’s particularly interested in two chenopods: quinoa, originally from the South American Andes, and huauzontle, which originated in Mexico. He wants to find out which varieties grow best on Colorado’s Western Slope and which are easiest to clean and process. To kick-start his experiments this season, Springer received a Colorado Grain Chain microgrant.

Springer first started growing quinoa while small-scale farming in Fairbanks, Alaska, in the 2010s. During that time he met John McCamant, a University of Denver professor who helped establish quinoa cultivation at White Mountain Farm in Colorado’s San Luis Valley.

Although quinoa is widely known in the United States today, growing it domestically has been challenging. “Quinoa has this sensitivity,” Springer explains. It grows best in climates similar to the Andes, where it’s not too hot and the day length varies less throughout the year because of proximity to the equator.

At White Mountain Farm, McCamant and others worked to acclimate a Chilean quinoa variety to Colorado’s environment. Springer was able to bring some of those seeds to Fairbanks and successfully grow a crop.

But the experience taught Springer something else about quinoa: it’s hard to clean. The seeds are coated in bitter, soap-like compounds called saponins. The compounds serve as a natural defense against pests, but can leave a bad taste if not removed before consumption.

While growing quinoa for his own subsistence, Springer washed the seeds by hand in multiple changes of water, following a traditional method used in the Andes. “It’s a lot of work, and the alternatives are big industrial rice polishers that take away some of its nutritional value,” Springer says. 

The labor-intensive cleaning process was enough of a hurdle that Springer paused on quinoa cultivation when he moved to Colorado and started Grey Owl as a larger produce and medicinal herb operation. But stepping away from growing the crop didn’t diminish his interest. 

Then last year, he learned about a new saponin-free variety of quinoa: vikinga, developed by Danish breeder Sven-Erik Jacobsen.

“I was like ‘holy smokes,’ and I got really excited,” Springs says. When he couldn’t find a way to purchase the variety in the United States, he asked extended family in Europe for the Holidays to bring seeds back with them. “I really wanted to put energy into trialing this variety, but I’m a full-time farmer, and it’s hard to do these super-fun projects.”

Then he learned about the Colorado Grain Chain microgrant. The 2026 microgrant program provided farmers with $7,500 to support the growth of their grain operations. The microgrant helped Springer purchase specialty cleaning screens and dedicate a portion of his land to the experiment. He hoped his tests of low-saponin varieties would make it easier for small and mid-sized growers to grow chenopods, “helping to strengthen the Colorado Grain Chain,” he reflects..

Although vikinga quinoa was the starting point, Springer also wanted to include huauzontle within the trials. Traditionally grown in Mexico, huauzontle produces seeds that can be harvested as a grain, while its leaves can also be eaten like spinach. Springer is interested in the crop because it comes from a hot and dry climate similar to the American Southwest.

Farming in extreme climates like Colorado and Alaska means “the experience is defined by its barriers and limitations, which is what makes it wonderful, fun, and exciting,” Springer says. “I want to figure out what grows well here in these conditions with as little interference and manipulation as possible.”

Springer ultimately tested the vikinga and the huauzontle alongside two acclimated quinoa varieties provided by High Desert Seed, which served as controls. The trials occupied a quarter-acre plot.

It was a difficult summer for growing. “We were already looking at the lowest snowpack on record, and we had a really intense, hot, dry stretch of weather in the middle of the season,” he explains. “But that’s a really important data set: how do they do under adverse conditions?”

Due to the challenging conditions, none of the three quinoa varieties performed particularly well. The plants were shorter than expected, and produced relatively little seed. “That jives with quinoa not having a great heat tolerance,” Springer continued. “Whereas the huauzontle had a fine seed set, which suggests it may have greater regional adaptability.” 

Now, Springer plans to test the huauzontle for saponin content to determine how many washes, if any, its seeds will need before they’re ready to eat. He’s crossing his fingers that the variety has a lower saponin content and will require less cleaning. If it doesn’t, he’ll continue looking for one that does. The screens purchased with the microgrant will help him breed for larger seeds going forward.

As for vikinga, he plans to try again next year, planting earlier in the season. Although an earlier planting could increase the risk of pest damage, he hopes to manage those challenges and improve the chances that the quinoa will flower before temperatures climb too high.

After another few years of testing, Springer hopes to have viable seeds to share with other farmers in the region.

“I see myself continuing this project for the foreseeable future,” he says. “Stewarding varieties over the long term is exciting.”

For Springer, the work is part of a much longer story. Chenopods have a rich history as a plant family, with many cultivated species developing from wild relatives over generations of human selection. The trials at Grey Owl Garden are the latest step in that enduring relationship between people and seeds—a relationship that has helped feed communities for millennia.

Microgrants like this one are part of CGC’s mission to rebuild Colorado’s grain economy, together. Want to support our work? From now until December 8, we are participating in Colorado Gives Day. Give today and help us keep Colorado’s grain community growing!