How sesame grows and how it is useful. Where and how to grow sesame

Oriental sesame, also known as ordinary sesame, also known as Indian sesame, sesame, is one of the oldest spices and seasonings. Sesame - beneficial properties, how to use and store - all this will be discussed in the article.

Where does sesame grow, what does it look like?

How sesame grows - the photo below will give a complete picture of this.

The height of the plant can reach three meters. Sesame blooms primarily with white flowers (although pink and lilac can also be found) that grow from green leaves. Remarkable fact - sesame blooms only for one day, after which it is pollinated, and small pods with seeds gradually form different colors. Sesame (plant photo with boxes filled with seeds).

Sesame prefers warm climates and grows mainly only in tropical zones. Since ancient times, it has been grown in India, North Africa, Arabia and Pakistan. Years later, sesame began to be grown in Russia, in agricultural areas Krasnodar region, however, this is quite difficult to do due to not very suitable climatic conditions. It should be noted that you can grow sesame at home, but the size of the plant will not exceed 80 cm, and its density will not be large.

Types of sesame.

Sesame seeds are different types- white, golden, reddish, brown or black. The most common types of sesame are white and black. Black sesame - how it differs from white sesame, which one is healthier? It is impossible to give a clear answer to such a question - it all depends on your goals. Black sesame is more common in southeast Asian countries, while white sesame is more common in the west. Black sesame has a more pronounced aroma - it is used for marinades, while white sesame is more delicate, it is used mainly in sweet dishes. Black sesame contains more vitamins such as A and B and carbohydrates, while white sesame contains vitamins E, K and C, as well as protein and fat. At the same time, black seed oil is considered to be of higher quality.

Composition of sesame

Sesame seeds have a fairly rich assortment of vitamins and minerals that bring great benefits to the human body. The fat content in sesame seeds is on average 48.7%, carbohydrates - 12.2%, proteins account for 19.4%. Vitamins - B1, B2, PP, E, A, C; minerals- potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, manganese, copper. Sesame seeds are particularly high in calcium - sesame, like poppy seeds, is an excellent alternative to the traditional source of calcium - dairy products, which are actually not as good as they are advertised (the more dairy products you consume, the more calcium you will need not enough). How much calcium is in sesame? One hundred grams of product can contain up to 1.4 g of calcium, which is the daily requirement human body in calcium.

How is it useful?

The benefits of sesame for the body lie in its ability to remove waste and toxins from the body, stabilize metabolism, and lower cholesterol levels. Sesame seeds are a preventative against joint diseases, osteoporosis, and cancer; strengthens nails, hair, skeletal system, help to gain muscle mass, help speed up the healing of wounds, and rejuvenate the body.

Who shouldn't eat sesame?

Calorie content

All plants have seeds, which are a fairly high-calorie product due to their high fat content. Sesame was no exception, the calorie content of the seeds varies due to individual form and size. However, on average 100 grams of product will give you 560 - 580 kcal.

Why soak sesame seeds?

Black sesame, the beneficial properties and contraindications of which we have discussed, requires its own approach to use. This applies equally to white sesame and its other types. In order for the sesame to show best qualities, it is advisable to consume it raw or soaked, because... any seeds that have been subjected to heat treatment lose almost all of their beneficial properties.
If you buy dried sesame and after it soak, then it will be easier to chew the seeds to the required consistency and the level of absorption in the body increases.

Another way to consume sesame seeds is to first grinding. Here it should be clarified that sesame, like flax, is not recommended to be stored crushed, because in this form it quickly loses its valuable qualities.
Sprouted sesame is also very useful. At germination it increases the content of vitamins C and E.

Norms of sesame consumption per day

We have already covered what sesame is, its beneficial properties and how to use it. Now let's talk about how much it can be eaten. In order for sesame seeds to bring the greatest benefit to the body, a standardized daily dosage should be established. Sesame - how much to eat per day - the average dosage for a person is no more than three tsp. for one day. In general, I advise you to focus on your feelings. For example, you can make sesame milk. Most likely, in this case, the consumption rate will be exceeded, but at the same time, the milk cake will be used/eaten at another time.

Sesame oil

Sesame seeds, whose beneficial properties and contraindications, as well as their composition are given above, are also used to obtain oil that is valuable for its medicinal and cosmetic properties.

Oil can be produced from either roasted or unroasted sesame seeds. In the first option, the oil will have more dark color and more strong aroma, and in the second case, it will be lighter, with a less pronounced odor, but much more beneficial for the body.
The oil contains poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and oleic), vitamins, minerals, sesamol, squalene, phospholipids, phytosterols.
Sesame seed oil has many medicinal qualities: analgesic, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, bactericidal, wound healing, laxative, diuretic, anthelmintic, sedative, antidepressant. It is good for the heart and blood vessels. And besides, like sesame seeds, consuming oil helps build muscle mass.

Contraindications The use of sesame oil will result in increased blood clotting, thrombosis and urolithiasis. 100 grams of this oil contain 899 kcal.

Why is sesame bitter?

Sesame may taste bitter for the following reasons:
- as a result of spoilage due to long-term or improper storage;
- as a result of seed treatment with chemicals.
It seems to me that sesame seeds still have the slightest bitterness, barely noticeable. And if it is very bitter, then you should think about it and draw conclusions.

How to store sesame

It is advisable to store unhulled sesame seeds in a dry, cool and dark place. If you manage to purchase peeled seeds, the shelf life of such a product will be shorter than that of unpeeled seeds and over time they will acquire a bitter taste.
As for sesame oil, it is a fairly long-lasting product due to its antioxidant content. It can be stored for many years and not even in a refrigerated place. Over time, the oil does not acquire bitterness and does not lose its useful properties.

Sesame and pregnancy, lactation

Is it possible to have sesame seeds? breastfeeding? - Of course. Sesame during pregnancy, as well as during lactation, should be present in a woman’s diet every day. Its vitamin and mineral composition will have a significant healing and strengthening effect on the body of both mother and baby.
What are the benefits of sesame for women? Thanks to its composition, sesame has a positive effect on the endocrine and female reproductive systems - allows you to alleviate discomfort during menstruation and menopause.
Introducing sesame into your diet will benefit men too- both for diseases of the male reproductive system and to increase potency.
Sesame is also part of the strong aphrodisiac for both men and women, along with poppy and flax (all in equal proportions).

One of the most popular seasonings is rightfully sesame seed or sesame. This is very ancient plant, the beneficial properties of which are discussed in the medieval works of scientists. This article will focus on sesame, how sesame grows and why it is so popular.

Sesame is used in cooking for baking, preparing salads, and other dishes. It adds flavor to food and unusual taste. No less beloved by chefs is sesame oil, which is usually added to many dishes, as it is very beneficial for the human body.

What is sesame?

There is an opinion that sesame - wild plant, but it is fundamentally wrong. It can only be grown in warm climates. Sesame externally represents enough tall plant , which grows up to three meters. Flowers of white, lilac or Pink colour . Moreover, these flowers bloom only for one day.

Immediately after the flower withers, a a kind of pod, which contains sesame seeds. The length of the pod varies from 3 to 5 centimeters, which can contain up to hundreds of seeds.

Where does sesame grow?

As stated earlier, sesame is a plant that only grows in warm climates. This is very heat-loving crop, therefore it does not grow in the wild in Russia.

Initially, sesame began to be grown in India, Arabia and North Africa, as well as Pakistan. Then they started breeding Central and Southeast Asia. Mass cultivation and breeding of sesame in Russia originated in the Krasnodar Territory.

In the temperate climate of this region, sesame does not grow very well. The plant can reach a maximum height of 80 centimeters. In principle, sesame if desired and provided necessary conditions can be grown in middle lane Russia. But agricultural technology experts say that this is a very troublesome and painstaking process.

Sesame seed

In sesame seed contained a large number of nutrients, proteins and oils. Its composition is rich:

The seeds are very small size come in different colors:

• red;
• black;
• yellow;
• white.

How is the sesame plant grown?

This culture loves loamy soil. It can also be grown in fertile soil, but then you need to ensure high-quality drainage.

It grows in summer and is planted in spring. When the soil reaches an average temperature of +17 degrees, it means that it is completely ready for planting seeds. If the air temperature drops sharply to zero, the plant may simply die.

Before planting, the area should be thoroughly prepared. The soil is dug up and all weed, since it seriously interferes with the development of the plant. Then the soil needs to be fertilized. On 1 square meter soil should be applied:

• 100 grams of superphosphate fertilizer;
• 30 grams of saltpeter;
• 20 grams of potassium chloride.

For sowing seeds, you need to make furrows 3 centimeters deep. The row spacing should be about 50 centimeters wide. Growing in such conditions, sesame will develop well and at the same time it will be very easy to care for. Seeds should be sown in slightly moist soil, so you need to water it a little first.

When the first shoots appear, the sesame seeds need to be thinned out. In order for the plant to develop as best as possible, the distance between them should be about seven centimeters. Subsequently, caring for sesame will consist only of watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds.

It is incredibly interesting to watch the growing sesame. On the Internet you can even find a video or photo showing the phased development of the plant. There are also many recipes online that contain this wonderful seasoning.

As the plant grows, it begins to appear on its stems. fluffy leaves that are wind resistant. It is thanks to its leaves and resistance to gusts of dry wind that sesame is grown as a canopy crop that protects weaker plants like a wall.

Harvest dates

In September, when the sesame leaves turn yellow and then fall off, it is time to harvest the sesame crop. It must be carried out very carefully and carefully, since the pods with seeds open at the slightest wrong movement and click loudly.

When you open the pod, the seeds will simply spill out completely. That is why you should first ensure that a woven cloth is spread under the plants. It will help you harvest one hundred percent of the harvest without losing a single grain. Seeds should be stored in a dry room where the humidity does not exceed 10 percent.

Diseases, pests and their control

In this aspect, growing sesame is not very troublesome. The smell of the plant's leaves repels insects, but, unfortunately, not all. Plant Can be affected by aphids and whiteflies. In such a situation, it is simply impossible to do without the use of specialized drugs - insecticides. But it is only beneficial for small area. If an insect infestation occurs, such treatment will not be economically viable, since a large amount of preparations will be required.

Diseases that can affect sesame are mainly microorganisms that grow in moist environments. They can even kill a young plant.

What are the benefits of sesame?

The use of plant seeds was mentioned above, and now let’s talk about the beneficial properties of this wonderful seed:

Having decided to grow this crop on his plot, the gardener will be able to provide for himself and his family very useful harvest. At the same time, the process of growing sesame is a very entertaining spectacle from which it is impossible to take your eyes off. Although this is a complex, painstaking process, it is very interesting and it is worth at least once trying to grow such a useful and ancient culture. Dishes seasoned with sesame seeds become absolutely magical taste qualities, and its benefits for the human body are simply invaluable.

Sesame seeds and oil have been widely used in cooking and folk medicine since ancient times. For example, in Ancient Rome the seeds of the plant were considered a remedy for male impotence, and in Assyrian and Babylonian myths, sesame wine was the drink of the gods. About how sesame grows and whether it can be grown on summer cottage, – in the material below.

Sesame is a genus of plants called Sesamum in Latin. This is where the second name of the genus comes from - sesame. The famous fairytale spell “Open Sesame” apparently has something to do with eastern legends about a magic herb that can open locks.

All sesame plants are herbaceous annuals or perennials. Since there are many forms, it is difficult to definitively describe what a sesame plant looks like.

As a rule, it has one vertical powerful stem, but some species are capable of branching. The leaves have a rich green color, located opposite or alternately. In the leaf axils along the entire height of the stem there are flowers with a bell-shaped or funnel-shaped corolla. From them, fruit boxes with small seeds subsequently ripen.

Types and varieties of sesame

The genus Sesamum includes more than 20 various types. But only one of them entered the culture as a valuable oilseed plant - Indian sesame (Sesamum indicum).

Indian sesame is a vigorous annual. Its stem is slightly pubescent, and its flowers are pinkish, white or lilac in color. Each box contains 60 to 80 seeds. In the nests of the box they are stacked.

Today, the State Register of Breeding Achievements lists only 2 varieties approved for cultivation in Russia:

Early ripening and resistance to soil and climatic conditions are very important factor. It has been noticed that the adaptive properties of Indian sesame are rather weak. For example, plant ecotypes that grow successfully in the arid regions of Central Asia do not take root in the humid climate of the North Caucasus. Therefore, when choosing seeds for sowing, it is necessary to take into account recommendations for the growing zone.

Natural habitat: where and how it grows

Indian sesame is actually of African origin. In his natural environment it grows in the southeast of the continent, in the humid subtropics. This plant was brought to India during the Great Geographical Discoveries. Similar climatic conditions allowed sesame to successfully take root in a new place, and India is now the main region for its industrial cultivation.

The countries where sesame grows are located in different parts of the planet:

• South-East Asia (India, Pakistan, Burma, China) – 70% of sown areas;
• Africa (Sudan, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia) – 23% of sown areas;
• Northern and South America(Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico) – 7% of sown areas.

In Europe, sesame is cultivated in small quantities. In Russia, they began to sow fields with this crop quite recently - mainly in Krasnodar region and in the North Caucasus.

Growing sesame in the garden

An analysis of the natural conditions in which Indian sesame was formed as a species gives a general idea of ​​the ecological characteristics of the plant:

• High heat requirement. The optimal average daily temperature required for the formation of vegetative mass is from +22 to +25 C. During the period of flowering and fruit formation, the need for heat increases, and cold weather can cause a massive discharge of buds and ovaries.
• High need for moisture supply. Since sesame is a subtropical plant, even its drought-resistant varieties are sensitive to air and soil humidity. With a lack of irrigation, fruit set drops sharply and crop yield decreases.
• High demands on soil fertility. High-humus chernozems, chestnut soils, light structural loams, and sandy loams are optimal for growing sesame. Heavy cold clay soils, waterlogged and saline soils, low-humus sandy and peat soils are unsuitable.

All these requirements must be taken into account before sowing garden plot.

Agricultural technology for sowing it includes the following activities:

• pre-sowing treatment of seeds with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
• sowing in soil heated at a depth of 10 cm to a temperature of 16-18 C;
• sowing seeds to a depth of 3-4 cm and thoroughly watering until germination.

Sesame sowing is done in rows, the interval between which should be at least 50 cm. The seeding rate is 1 g of seeds per 1 square meter. If the air temperature is unstable, the crops must be protected with spunbond.

Basic rules of care

At favorable conditions sesame seeds germinate quickly – within 3-5 days.

After emergence of seedlings, two mandatory operations are performed:

• thinning - 6-10 cm is left between seedlings in the row;
• mulching – the top layer of soil is covered, both between seedlings and in row-spacings.

To mulch sesame, it is better to choose organic, quickly decomposing mulch - fine straw chaff, peat, compost, grass clippings.

These materials will help achieve four goals simultaneously:

1. Protecting the top layer of soil from drying out. Root system The seedlings develop slowly, are located at shallow depths and quickly die from lack of moisture. Mulch prevents irrigation water from quickly evaporating, baking the soil into a crust.
2. Natural feeding with carbon dioxide. Plants increase their vegetative mass by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air. Organic mulch, decomposing, secretes it directly under the plants.
3. Increased activity of soil flora. Under a layer of mulch, a favorable environment is created for the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, many of which are antagonists for various pathogenic fungi. The activity of earthworms also increases and predatory insects eating pests.
4. Maintaining constant soil temperature. Under the mulch, the soil will neither overcool nor overheat. A stable temperature in the root zone allows the plant to normally absorb nutrients from the soil.

When the budding phase begins, the plant must be fed. There are no special fertilizers for this crop in Russia, so you need to focus on the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

It should be as follows:

• nitrogen (N) – 20;
• phosphorus (P) – 30;
• potassium (K) – 30.

It is better to apply fertilizer in liquid form, accompanying it abundant watering. It is also important to carefully monitor soil moisture during the periods of budding, flowering and fruit ripening.

Collection and storage of sesame seeds

The moment of maturation can be determined by a number of external signs:

• yellowing of the plant;
• drying of the lower leaves;
• drying out of the boxes.

However, harvesting can be difficult because the bolls on the stem do not ripen at the same time - the lower ones are faster than the upper ones. Therefore, mowing begins only after the lowest bolls begin to crack.

The beveled sesame stems are laid out on a clean sheet and the boxes are carefully removed. Then the stems are removed and the fruits are dried. Completely dried boxes are easily opened with your fingers, and the seeds pour into your hand.

Keep sesame seeds It is better in a form that has not been peeled from the outer shell. To provide optimal conditions When storing the product, you need to pour the seeds into paper bags, close them tightly and put them in a dry, unheated room. At temperatures close to 0 C, the seeds are well preserved for six months.

Sesame is suitable for more than just culinary purposes. Traditional medicine his medicinal properties. Therefore it self-cultivation in a garden plot, although it involves a lot of labor, it pays off with the benefits that the plant brings.

Sesame. Useful properties of sesame. How to grow sesame. Recipes for diseases

Oh, and the sesame buns are delicious! Everyone in our family loves them. We can proudly boast that we grow sesame seeds for baking right in our garden.

Growing sesame

Place in the garden

By the way, to consume the daily requirement of sesame, you don’t need to add it to all dishes. It is enough to eat a small piece of kozinaki from these seeds.

In what conditions to grow sesame

Sesame comes from warm regions, and therefore is very demanding of warmth and light. The plant will not survive in waterlogged or wet conditions. Sesame grows best at a temperature of +25-30 degrees. You can sow seeds only when the top layer of soil warms up to +16-18 degrees.

Rice. Sesame - beneficial properties. (Photo source: povar.ru)

How to sow sesame

I prepare carefully for sowing. I loosen the bed and weed it to destroy all the weeds. This is important, since sesame grows very slowly in the first month after germination, and weeds can choke out young plants. Before sowing, be sure to apply fertilizer - 30 g ammonium nitrate, 100 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potassium chloride per 1 sq.m. To get friendly shoots, I water the rows. I sow seeds at 0.5-0.8 g per 1 sq.m with row spacing of 50-70 cm, at a depth of 2-3 cm. Parsley. I thin out the young shoots, leaving 6-8 cm between them (I send the removed plants to compost). The usual care for crops is weeding, loosening, weed control, watering.

Thanks to the pubescent leaves, sesame is able to withstand dry winds. Therefore, it can be placed in 2-3 rows in an area with less drought-resistant crops. He will cope well with the role of a defensive backstage.

Rice. Sesame (Sesamum indicum) Botanical illustration from the book “Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen”, 1887

“Sesame, open up! " - exactly this Magic word used by Ali Baba to enter the robbers' cave. So here it is “sesame” is the second name for sesame, the ripe pods of which open with a loud click at the slightest touch.

When to Harvest Sesame

Harvest in early September When the leaves of the plant begin to turn yellow and fall off, I harvest. The box cracks and the seeds easily fall into your hands. There are usually from 50 to 100 pieces in one box.

The benefits of sesame for the body

The main beneficial properties of sesame include:

• Normalization of metabolism. Blood condition improves. Destroys cholesterol layers in blood vessels;
• Sesame will help cope with many problems associated with the sexual environment; Significantly helps in the treatment of mastopathy;
• Copes well with many skin diseases;
• Rejuvenates the body, improves skin color and structure, smoothes wrinkles;
• Sesame will help cope with many colds;
• It is of great value among people who want to lose extra pounds;
• Anticancer property;
• Sesame contains plant lignans, analogues of female sex hormones. Therefore, many older women are recommended to use this product;
• Helps fight osteoporosis;
• A beautiful and healthy ingredient in many dishes, it is widely used in cooking.

The healing properties of sesame - this is what Avicenna believed

If you delve deeply into the works of Avicenna, you can find out:

• sesame resolves some types of tumors,
• a gauze bandage soaked in sesame oil with the addition of a few drops of rose oil will relieve severe headaches,
• Regular intake of sesame will make your voice clear and sonorous,
• Boiled sesame will help get rid of belching.

Nutritional value per 100 grams:

Calorie content of sesame - 183 kcal per 100 grams
Protein Content of Sesame - 5.64 mg per 100 grams
Fiber content in sesame - 3.88 mg per 100 grams

For more than three and a half thousand years, sesame has been used not only as a seasoning and additive to meat or vegetable dishes, but also how medicine. Sesame seeds contain vitamin E and calcium, which rejuvenate the body.

Sesame - source:

• copper,
• calcium,
• magnesium,
• gland,
• phosphorus,
• vitamin B1
• dietary fiber .

Sesame oil is used to harmoniously increase muscle mass and increase in platelet count. It is included in masks for irritated skin.

In addition to these useful substances, sesame seeds contain two unique substances: sesamin and sesamolin. They belong to a group of particularly beneficial fibers - lignans, which help lower cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure!!! Sesamin also helps protect the liver from oxidative damage.

Vitamins in sesame

Rice. Content of vitamins in 100 grams of sesame. Photo source: emorehi.rf

Minerals in sesame

The homeland of sesame is Africa. It has long been grown in Ethiopia, Egypt, Greece, Iran, and India. In the European part of Russia, sesame began to be cultivated at the end of the 19th century. In 1970 alone, the world's crop area was about 5.8 million hectares. Sesame is also grown in Russia, in particular in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories.

Sesame is mainly grown for its oil. Cold-pressed oil has high nutritional qualities (a substitute for olive oil); it is used in food, as well as in the production of canned food, margarine, confectionery and in medicine.

From peeled and ground seeds, a paste is obtained - tahini oil, from which halva is made.

Oil extracted by hot pressing is used for technical purposes.

Many peoples consume it directly as food (raw, boiled, fried). In Russia, buns with sesame seeds have long been known and loved by both children and adults. It is in this regard that growing sesame in industrial farming conditions is very profitable and is still a little competitive type of business (in the background photo above you can see how sesame grows on an industrial scale).

The plant is up to 2 m high. The stem is erect, branched, tetrahedral or octagonal in cross section, in some forms it is prone to fasciation, usually covered with glandular hairs, green or anthocyanin colored. The number of lateral branches is from 3 to 15.

The root is taproot, penetrates the soil to a depth of 1 m, its lateral branches are mainly concentrated in the upper layer of soil. Lower leaves petiolate, usually shorter and wider than subsequent ones.

The flowers are large, on short stalks, formed in the axils of the leaves, 1-3, rarely 5 pieces.

The sesame fruit is a 4-6-8-sided box with a length of three to five centimeters. When sesame seeds ripen, they crack along the veins of the carpels, and the seeds fall off.

One box contains about 80 seeds of various colors - from white to black; their length is 2.5-2.5 mm, width 1.6-2 mm, weight of a thousand seeds is 2-5 g.

Sesame is sown in well-warmed soil (up to 20°C) in a wide row with row spacing of 45-60 cm.

Seed seeding rate for planting - 0.6 grams per hundred square meters, planting depth 3-4 cm. The plant is very demanding of heat.

During the period from sowing to mid-flowering, sesame produces high requirements to the level of moisture in the soil. Subsequently, it satisfactorily tolerates soil drought, but suffers from atmospheric drought.

The plant also requires fertilizing. Does not tolerate saline and heavy, floating soils.

In cultivation in Russia, the most common type of sesame is Indian.

You can also grow sesame in the countryside, personal plot. It depends, of course, on what purposes (about the beneficial properties of sesame below).

Previously, sesame seeds could be bought, including at the Institute of Oilseed Crops, which is located in Krasnodar, but now we cannot say for sure.

Read also:

Sesame - beneficial properties

Let us list several beneficial properties of the sesame plant, its seeds and their derivatives, including: oils

1. Indispensable for boosting immunity and improving overall metabolism - due to its unique composition.
2. High content of well-digestible calcium (according to domestic nutritionists, who have more faith, up to 1.3-1.4 grams per 100 grams of seeds). (Based on this, be careful with pregnant women).
3. Sesame helps normalize the condition of patients with osteoporosis.
4. With regular use of sesame in food, cholesterol in the blood decreases (due to high content phytosterol in sesame), and also, as endocrinologists believe, general rejuvenation of the body.
5. A powerful antioxidant, it also contains a plant variety of female hormones - “lignans”, which is why it can be successfully used in the treatment of mastopathy.
6. One of the best herbal remedies for the treatment of asthma, dry cough, smoker's cough (tested on myself - it helps, especially in facilitating breathing).
7. Many people use sesame to treat colds due to a weakened immune system (it didn’t help me).