What We Grow: Sesame

Known as one of the oldest oilseeds ever existed, sesame is used rigorously in food, beauty, and health. In this blog, we will be showing you how we grow sesame at our farm. Enjoy!

Have you heard of an expression “Open Sesame” in the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves? The story is dated back thousands of years since the historical time of Persia in Mesopotamia. That’s how long sesame has been known to human civilization. In fact, it is considered one of the oldest oilseeds ever introduced to mankind.
Originally based in Africa, sesame traveled to India and finally landed in South East Asia. The tropical drought-prone climate of Burma and Thailand makes a great place for sesame plantation.
The distinctive aromatic nutty flavors in sesame are what make people drool over. According to its nutritional profile, sesame contains a high amount of omega 6 and 9 alongside other nutrients like vitamin Bs, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, and zinc. Studies also reveal that sesame helps regulate blood pressure as well as increase calcium absorption into the bones. In fact, one could easily consider sesame as a superfood.

Apart from its many health benefits, sesame is also used for beauty for centuries especially in India, the origin of Ayurvedic medicine. Cold-pressed sesame oil is used in several ways, from baby massage to muscle relief. Ladies also use as moisturizer or hair oil. Cold-pressed sesame oil is s not greasy and has a very light nutty smell. It can be absorbed very fast into the skin and works almost immediately.
At our farm, we grow sesame twice a year during the early and late rainy season. Each crop takes approximately 2-3 months until harvest. We sell the red and white sesame seeds as food while turning the black sesame seed into cold-pressed sesame oil which can be used as a moisturizer and massage oil.
Although sesame does not require much care during the growing phases, once harvested, we have to make sure that it is fully dry. Otherwise, it can turn moldy and become rotten. So, the timing of the rainfall has a big impact on our harvest.
Below is a video showing you on how we grow our sesame seeds. And please stay tuned for more video as we will be showing you how we turn the seeds into oil and many other products like lip balm or cold-processed soap.
Enjoy!