Lupinus mutabilis
Origin: Peru
Improvement status: Unknown
Seeds per packet: ~20
Germination tested 12/2024: 87%
Life cycle: Annual
Called 'tarwi' in Quechua, and 'chocho' in Spanish, these white-seeded, purple-blue-flowered edible lupins from the Andes have long been an important staple food among certain Indigenous peoples. Bitter alkaloids should be leached from seeds before consumption by soaking in multiple changes of water over a few days (boiling a few times in different changes of water can work too). It has a relatively thin seed coat, allowing for easy cooking. The seeds are rich in both protein (40%!) and oil (20%), and they have a full suite of amino acids, making them more nutritious than soybeans. They are used in a range of dishes including soups, stews, salads, and other meals, although their use even in the Andes has been greatly reduced, replaced in many places by the fava beans introduced from Europe.
Given these plants, which can reach four feet tall, require a long season and prefer cool, high-altitude locations, they are probably best suited in the US to areas like the Pacific Northwest, coastal California, the southern Rockies, and parts of Appalachia, though we know of people growing them successfully in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as well. They're certainly worth a try!
GROWING TIPS: Adapted to long Andean growing season, these should be started very early indoors to have the best chance of growing them to maturity. They also tend to mature faster during times of drought, so reducing water once the plant reaches full size might help you get a crop in shorter-season areas.
Bill Whitson of Cultivariable has a very helpful and informative write-up about this great crop, available here.
