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Post by blueadzuki on Jan 12, 2017 8:33:31 GMT -5
Hi all,
As many of you know, one of my many pet projects as been trying to find some way to grow the eating type of Job's tears (the soft shelled kind used like barley, as opposed to the hardshelled one used for beads that most of us are familiar with) Well, I think I FINALLY found someone. Of all people Ricter's Herbs appear to carry it; based on their recent catalog. One catch though, for some reason they won't sell them to the US (maybe the reason I have had so much trouble trying to find a source, is that there is actually some sort of BAN in the US about growing them; I have to check.)
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Post by prairiegardens on Jan 12, 2017 11:58:40 GMT -5
People sell the Job's tears seed in the U.S. , how would anyone tell they were the edible rather than the decorative kind?
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Post by blueadzuki on Jan 12, 2017 12:32:51 GMT -5
The "edible kind" (something of a misnomer, they're all edible, the other kind is just hard to process) are thinner of seed and tend to have lateral lines on the shell that the non don't have. they also are a LOT easier to crack; you can do it with your fingers instead of a pair of pliers. They mention easy cracking so I assume they are the right kind.
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Post by rangardener on Jan 13, 2017 23:23:14 GMT -5
Blueadzuki,
In Peaceseedlings’s 2017 list (peaceseedlingsseeds.blogspot.com):
“Job’s Tears- Ma-Yuen Coix lacryma-jobi var Ma-yuen A shorter season Chinese edible cultivar. Beautiful seed beads. Can be a perennial in milder climates.30/ 3.00”
Since it is specifically listed as “var Ma-yuen” (not something like “var. lacryma-jobi”), could that be what you have been looking for? I am sure you can email [peaceseedlings@gmail.com] to ask. (Note: I remember Alan Kapuler cooperated with some Chinese scientist before.)
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Post by steev on Jan 14, 2017 0:26:55 GMT -5
So what exactly, or approximately, does one do with edible Job's Tears; suffer?
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Post by blueadzuki on Jan 14, 2017 7:01:43 GMT -5
The Chinese use them more or less like pearl barley, mostly in soup. I think its supposed to be good for your lungs or something Blueadzuki, In Peaceseedlings’s 2017 list (peaceseedlingsseeds.blogspot.com): “Job’s Tears- Ma-Yuen Coix lacryma-jobi var Ma-yuen A shorter season Chinese edible cultivar. Beautiful seed beads. Can be a perennial in milder climates.30/ 3.00” Since it is specifically listed as “var Ma-yue” (not something like “var. lacryma-jobi”), could that be what you have been looking for? I am sure you can email [peaceseedlings@gmail.com] to ask. (Note: I remember Alan Kapuler cooperated with some Chinese scientist before.) That would be it, Ma-Yuen is the Chinese name for the eating kind.
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Post by blueadzuki on Jan 14, 2017 12:36:54 GMT -5
I did a little research, and it seems that the USDA prohibits any importation of in the shell non polished job's tears (well they prohibit importation from some countries but the list of banned ones include pretty much any one that would grow them) Why, they did not go into.
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