Open Sesame

Picture of a Sesamum Indicum (Sesame plant)

The “shot heard round the world” refers to the opening shot at the battle of Concord and Lexington in the American Revolution. This series of battles eventually led to the creation of the United States of America. When I think of a gunshot, I think of the popping sound of a sesame pod that has fully ripened on the stalk of a mature sesame plant. Why does this remind me of a gunshot in the Revolutionary War? Here’s the story.

History

America has been and always will be the melting pot of the world. In the early days of America, farming and gardening were a way of life for almost every American, just to meet the daily nutritional needs. Many new crops were being tried. Of course, staples such as corn, wheat, beans, and barley were common. Early American botanists were interested to see what foreign crops could be introduced into America.

The authors and signers of our federal Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were farmers and plantation owners. They were keenly aware that our ability to survive as a nation depended not on resources from overseas, but from what we could produce on our own soil.

Monticello

Meet Thomas Jefferson, a young man with a vision. He was one of the earliest in our nation to study and catalog his farming & gardening adventures. And you guessed it, he was planting the sesame seed brought from Africa and India on his plantation which he named “Monticello”.

Today, the gardens are still active thanks to many donations, and the sesame or “Bennu” as he called it are still cultivated and seeds sold to the public. Jefferson wrote in 1811, "I did not believe there existed so perfect a substitute for olive oil".

Jefferson pressed the oil from his plants to make a salad dressing. Used primarily as a border planting in his gardens, it prospered. Largely forgotten throughout the years in this country, it is now primarily grown to feed our fast food requests for hamburger buns topped with sesame! The US food market for sesame seed tops 6 billion annually.

growing and harvesting

Naturally, being a gardener and lover of history, I had to get my hands on some of this seed, get it into my garden, and into my kitchen. I bought the seeds from monticello shop, planted them along the edge of my strawberry patch, and waited to see what would happen! Those things grow like weeds! The pods develop from a blossom between each stem and the stalk. They are stunningly beautiful, and love the hot summer weather.

Once harvested, I followed the instructions and hung them upside down in a paper bag in the pantry. One day while looking for something in there, I heard a “POP” and a “rattle”. My first thought was, gunshot! Or to look for a rat… But no, it was “OPEN SESAME” time. I opened the bag to discover that most of the sesame pods had popped open and little brown seeds were scattered all around the bottom of the bag. Off to the kitchen I went to make some (you guessed it) fresh hamburger buns. What a satisfying way to celebrate a little history and get a taste of the past!

If you are interested in growing your own here are a few tips I learned along the way. Grow them in a raised bed and add a bag of organic mushroom compost mix with your soil before planting. Sow seeds every 2-3 three inches in June, and water every day until they sprout. When sprouted, thin to one every 1-2 ft (they get big, almost 5ft tall).

Water daily at the root and dress them with natural mulch. When the leaves start to turn a yellow to reddish color go ahead and harvest. Cut them off at the ground and remove all the leaves. Hang upside down in a paper bag until you hear them pop open! OPEN SESAME! Enjoy.

Recipe

Here’s my favorite recipe for hamburger buns.

• Mix 200 grams of water with 2 tbsp of yeast, 3 tbsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of flour in your mixer bowl.
• Whisk and let bloom.
• Add 400 grams of all purpose flour with 1 tbsp of salt and knead on speed 2 with your dough hook for 4-5 minutes.
• Separate into 8 equal portions and place in a refrigerated container for 24 hours.
• Knead and reform each portion into balls, flatten into 4 inch disks, press into fresh sesame seeds, and place onto an oiled cookie sheet.
• When doubled in size, bake at 425F for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Cool, slice & serve.