Tasagui is a tall, sweet sugar-type sorghum collected from a remote Guarijio rancho in the Sierra Madre foothills, where the stalks have been eaten like sugar cane for generations. This heirloom grain produces dark red seed and grows as a substantial crop with 8-inch seed heads. It represents a living connection to indigenous agricultural traditions of northern Mexico, now preserved and shared through the Native Seeds/SEARCH Seed Bank Collection.
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6-10
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Moderate
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Collected from a remote mountain rancho in Mexico's Sierra Madre, Tasagui carries the flavor and farming legacy of the Guarijio people. The stalks are sweet enough to chew fresh like sugar cane, and the dark red seeds can be ground or saved for next year's planting. This is a tall variety that demands space but rewards you with a crop that sustains both hunger and cultural memory.
The stalks are eaten fresh, chewed like sugar cane to extract the sweet juice. The seeds can be ground into flour for baking or porridge, or saved whole for replanting, making this a complete subsistence crop that provides both immediate fresh food and seed for future harvests.
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Direct sow Tasagui into warm soil after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperature has reached at least 60°F. This is a heat-loving crop that germinates best in warm conditions.
Harvest the stalks for fresh eating anytime they reach full height and sweetness develops. For seed saving, allow the seed heads to mature fully on the plant, then cut the entire head when the dark red seeds are hard and no longer milky when squeezed. Dry the seed heads thoroughly before threshing out the seeds.
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“Tasagui comes directly from a Guarijio rancho tucked into the foothills of the Sierra Madre in Mexico. The Guarijio people have cultivated this sweet sorghum for generations, developing it specifically for eating the stalks fresh, much like sugar cane. Native Seeds/SEARCH, a nonprofit seed conservation organization, collected seeds from this remote rancho and now maintains them in their Seed Bank Collection, ensuring this variety and the agricultural knowledge it carries don't disappear as farming practices change across the region.”