Diane, I was going to advise on amaranth plants but the info is pages long.
I'm referencing Suzanne Ashworths book "Seed to Seed". She mentions grain
amaranth can grow 9' tall and 3'wide so be prepared. When your seeds are
ready she suggests taking small amounts of the seed, rubbing by hand,
wearing gloves,rub the seed heads and allow the seeds to fall into a bowl.
Amaranth seeds are very small, so baskets are not recommended. For larger
amounts of seeds, place the seed heads on a tarp, cover with a second tarp
and jog in place on top of both. Turn the seed heads several times and
continue to jog until most of the seeds are free.
Kind of neat don't you think?
This is a really informative book, ISBN 0-9613977-7-2 (softcover)
I understand also that Suzanne is teaching a class at the American River
College in Sacramento next semester. Wish I lived closer.
L
And excellent exercise, too! Thanks for the information. I'll definitely
check ou the book (for free at the library if possible ;-))
Diane Ridout, Instructor, ACP.............................................
Kwantlen University College, "Talk
12666-72 Avenue doesn't
Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 2M8 cook rice," they say.
Tel: (604) 599-2964 Voice mail 9837.......................................
Diane Ridout wrote:
Just wanted to point out something many of you probably already know.
Many libraries in the US are in an interlibrary exchange. I go to my
library with the names of the newest books and even older hard to find
gardening titles. Books I couldn't even get thru amazon.com can be had
thru the library. For instance, if anyone in Farmington, New Mexico is
trying to check out "The Book Of Herbal Teas" by Sara Perry, it's not
there! I've got it way over here in Arkansas! This is a great program
that everyone should take advantage of!
--
Joey Pierce
Eureka Springs,Arkansas
joey@gardener.com
Joey,
How funny, I just received a call that my interlibrary loan book was in
(on ADHD). Yes, it is a wonderful resource. Our loan circle isn't as wide
as yours seems to be-wow NM to Arkansas!
Diane Ridout wrote:
Just wanted to point out something many of you probably already know.
Many libraries in the US are in an interlibrary exchange. I go to my
library with the names of the newest books and even older hard to find
gardening titles. Books I couldn't even get thru amazon.com can be had
thru the library. For instance, if anyone in Farmington, New Mexico is
trying to check out "The Book Of Herbal Teas" by Sara Perry, it's not
there! I've got it way over here in Arkansas! This is a great program
that everyone should take advantage of!
--
Joey Pierce
Eureka Springs,Arkansas
joey@gardener.com
Is anyone familiar with the insect pests of vegetable amaranth? Itried to
grow some- at first it looked gorgeous, then some 1/4" beetle skeletonized
it. It (the beetle) was black with silver edged all the way around its
wings. Big hind
legs (relatively speaking) and sure could jump, so probably some type of
flea beetle, but none of the ones shown in my insect books. Am curious as
to what it is.
Peg
Bill Jones wrote: ...although I was fascinated to hear (elsewhere) that the
Spanish
banned amaranth cultivation in Central America, and would like to know
more.
Hi Bill, and all
I think worse than banned - the Spaniards were said to have eradicated
grain amaranth in Central America. As I heard it, they decided it was the
"devil's grain" or something because amaranth seemed to play a role in the
pagan religious ceremonies (as wheat does in the west, rice in the east,
etc etc), and simply destroyed it. It's Rodales that knows about amaranth.
They played a role in rescuing grain amaranth, finding surviving old
varieties and developing new ones. Apparently some original varieties were
found in the Philippines, taken there from Mexico of old in spite of the
ban. In the 1980s Organic Farming and Gardening published an article on
peasant amaranth cultivation still continuing in remote areas of Mexico,
using the old varieties and the old techniques. I grew a grain amaranth
crop from Rodales seed in a traditional farming research project here in
Hong Kong in the 80s, and again later on a smallholding in southern
England, nice crop both times. More recently the potential of grain
amaranth in Third World farming was the subject of a study here at the
Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre of the University of Hong Kong, I
think with positive results.
It's advantages are that it's a herb (like buckwheat), not a grass (wheat
etc), so it has a better range of amino acids, and no gluten (did I get
that right??), and that it gives a double vegetable crop as well as a grain
crop: you pick the leaves while it's growing and eat the peeled stems after
you harvest the grain. I found the leaves aren't quite as good as leaf
amaranth ("Chinese spinach", "een choi"), but still good. They're certainly
the same plant, but it's a bit puzzling: Geoffrey Herklots says in
"Vegetables of South-east Asia" (George Allen & Unwin, London 1972) that
leaf amaranth (Amaranthus gangeticus L - ie, from India) is a "very ancient
pot herb in South-east Asia" with more than 50 species in both tropical and
temperate regions eaten as greens, while "some yield seed of a high food
value which are eaten as grain". He says nothing about Central American
grain amaranth, and I never saw anything in Rodales about indigenous East
Asian grain amaranth. I haven't encountered a grain crop in the east, nor
any such seed, but, like all the local farmers, there's a lot of leaf
amaranth in our garden right now, very nice too. "Probably this is the best
of all tropical spinaches both in flavour and food value," says Herklots -
agreed!
As far as grain amaranth is concerned, an interesting aspect of it that I
never got as far as figuring when I was doing all this (12 years ago) was
how it can best be fitted into traditional mixed farming systems - what's
it got to do with animals? (fodder, straw, grazing, manuring, rotations,
etc.)
Hope that's not overkill!
Cheers
Keith Addison
Lantau Island
Hong Kong
What I have seen of amaranth, it is extremely easy to harvest. The
grain (looks and feels like poppy seeds) just fall out of the flower,
and I don't think there's any hulling necessary. I am talking about
the same amaranth, right? Several varieties of red-crimson flowers
filled with small black seeds? I've heard it's extremely high in
protein. When I was an intern on the bd farm we had one volunteer
shoot up in the middle of the winter squash patch that was the
biggest monster of an amaranth I'd ever seen -- head the size of a
basketball! It was the talk of the town -- at least for the birds!
Anita
Anita Graf
313-F Conner Hall
Dept. of Agricultural and Applied Economics
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-7509
(706) 542-1915 phone
(706) 542-0739 fax
agraf@agecon.uga.edu
Hello to all...
I am sure that I have commented on winnowing amaranth before... but I
will share a few brief comments...
Amaranth is very is easy to thresh... but not so easy to winnow... there
is a big big difference...
Threshing is the process of getting the seeds of a plant to detach from
the inflorescence/seed head... during threshing you also end up with all
sorts of chaff that varies from species to species (all the different
parts of the plant which can detach during beating may end up in your
threshed seed and chaff mix)
Winnowing is the process of separating the seeds from the chaff...
Amaranth seeds are quite small and light weight and much of the chaff is
of similar size and weight...
This is all I have time to post right now... but I can assure you that my
experience is that after starting with alot of easily threshed
amaranth chaff and seed, many hours later I have ended up with not a whole
lot of seed that is still not completely clean...
The bottom line is that the bigger and heavier the seed, the easier it is
to end up with clean seed using simple manual techniques.
Joel
Jane wrote:
(snip)
There is detailed growing and harvesting information on the Salt Spring
Seeds website - www.ssseeds.com (I think, but don't hold me to that!).
I can vouch fo the "easy to grow" part, at least in my climate and
loction, but I dunno about harvest, threshing, winnowing, etc. Last year
was a small test patch that I never did harvest (let the birds have it)
but this year I'll grow a bigger patch for harvest. *THEN* we'll see...
I would also think that different varieties (or even the same ones grown
in different locations) would have different characteristics in regard to
these processes, too.
Diane Ridout, Instructor, ACP.............................................
Kwantlen University College, "Talk
12666-72 Avenue doesn't
Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 2M8 cook rice," they say.
Tel: (604) 599-2964 Voice mail 9837.......................................
I tried growing two grain amaranths last year. (I have grown shorter
"leaf" varieties and cut-flower types...there are many members of the
amaranth family which make outlandish flowers...you know the celosias and
gomphrenas and....)
I grew the grain both to try as a cut and to try as a grain. It is a
wonderfully beautiful plant, though I found the fully grown flower head
was just too big, I think, to maintain water (turgor pressure) after
cutting and would only last a day or two (even with repeated stem cuttings
under water). This was enough for some customers who wanted outlandish
cuts to greet dinner guests for a one night shindig or etc...but not long
enough for most.... If someone else has ever had better luck with them I'd
be curious. (I am talking about the huge grain amaranths and not smaller
varieties of amaranth which do hold up well when cut.)
So, on the topic of harvesting the grain I agree that it's relatively easy
to separate the seeds from the plant but not to separate them from chaff,
at least, not when using my low tech methods.... Isn't it also true that
seed doesn't ripen all at once (forget that term at the moment)? I cut
down my seed heads, let them dry, stomped on them lightly and then after
trying the winnowing composted them... I might have had more patience if I
had not be so dang busy. Also, I don't think I am very creative when it
comes to thinking about grain harvesting techniques.... (Similar
experience with quinoa...)
:-)
eliza whose customers also loved broomcorm and red orach seed heads which
do great with or without water....
(snip)
I also used grain amaranth for cuts last year. The ones that worked best
were the smaller side-shoot flowers, and ones that were growing from
spilled seed on a patch of unimproved clay. The plants stayed much smaller
and the flowers worked very well and lasted about 5-6 days in water. I
also stripped all or almost all the leaves off the stems, all the way up.
(A pity as the leaves are very beautiful...)
For the benefit of those who've never grown them: They (amaranths) come
in gorgeous colours, purples, reds, and yellows, and grow from a couple of
feet to over seven feet tall, depending on conditions, but are not wide,
having about the same proportions as sunflowers. The leaves are veined and
stained in the same colour as the flowers, which arise from the terminal
shoot and from side shoots formed at the leaf nodes. The flowers are
composed of multiple spiky inflorescences (if that's the correct term,
don't have a reference book handy! :-) that are highly reminiscent of
gelled punk hairdos, as they stick out every which way. The flower
clusters can be, as Anita pointed out, as large as a basketball, or quite
a bit smaller, about the size of a hand.
They are fabulous landscape plants, even if you never eat them at all (the
thinned seedlings are wonderful food, as well). I had them planted to the
east of my house, and when I looked out the kitchen window in the evening,
the lowering sun behind us filled the amaranth with a glow, lighting all
the colours and thrilling me to the toes. They can also be used in place
of other backdrop plants, fronted with other sunlovers like mid-height
sunflowers and some hot-coloured zinnias, or tall asters and tall sedums
if you prefer perennials.
There's also a weeping form of amaranth used solely, afaik, as an
ornamental. It called A. caudatus, or love-lies-bleeding, and it gets
about 3 feet tall and forms great dangling flower tassels that look like
chenille ropes. It comes in either green or a rusty-red, and it is good
for cutting as well, though hard to fit into an arrangement! They dry
nicely, too, and look great hanging here and there in the house.
Diane Ridout, Instructor, ACP.............................................
Kwantlen University College, "Talk
12666-72 Avenue doesn't
Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 2M8 cook rice," they say.
Tel: (604) 599-2964 Voice mail 9837.......................................
This would match my limited experience. I always have a few amaranth
volunteers so have never planted it deliberately, but have never managed
the winnowing successfully.
sph
Sandra P. Hoffman ghidra@conscoop.ottawa.on.ca
http://www.flora.org/sandra/
It's a thankless job, but
I've got a lot of karma to burn off.
> Winnowing: I only clean as many seeds as I'm going to need at any one
time. I put them into a shallow container with a smooth bottom, such
as a rectangular glass casserole dish and shake it around to loosen the
chaff. Then I tip the dish. The seeds are round, so they roll the the
lower end of the container, while most of the chaff stays at the higher
end. I remove the chaff at the upper end; repeat the process a couple
of times, and the grain's then fairly clean.
I use amaranth in the following ways:
__Goat and chicken feed (they love both the leaves and the seeds.
__Green manure. In my climate amaranth grows as rapidly as buckwheat,
produces lots of organic matter.
__Human food: greens & seeds
__Medicine: I add amaranth leaves to other herbs in tea to cure the
symptoms of diarreah.
Recipes:
*Quelite Tacos*
I got this recipe from Jiggs Walker, who was visiting my place and saw
amaranth growing here and started telling a story. The story was quite
long, so I'll just tell the part about amaranth.
Jiggs and his mule were lost in the Davis Mountains in west Texas at
night and saw a light up ahead. The light came from a lantern in a
ricketty little cabin. Eight Mexican men were camped there, on their
way to various points north. They took Jiggs in and offered him
something to eat. They had a pile of amaranth on the table. Jiggs had
never thought of eating "careless weed" but he was hungry so he decided
to try some.
The men prepared the amaranth (which they called quelite) as
follows:
They first chopped an onion and sauteed it in bacon grease (I've
made this dish using olive oil in place of bacon grease, and it was
good). When the onion was tender they added chopped amaranth leaves
and cooked until tender. Meanwhile, they heated wheat tortillas on a
comal (you can use a cast iron skillet if you don't have a comal. This
dish is much better with fresh homemade tortillas. If anyone wants a
recipe I'll post one). They put some of the onion/quelite mixture on
each tortilla, and rolled up the tortilla. Stuff rolled up in a
tortilla and eaten with the fingers is called a taco.
The tacos were so delicious that Jiggs ate 6 of them.
*Potage aux Concombres*
This is an excellent recipe for cucumber soup which can be served
either hot or cold. Since cucumbers are ripe in the summer, I prefer to
serve it cold.
I probably can't reproduce it here without infringing on a copyright,
so I'll have to refer anyone that interested to Julia Child's book
*Mastering the Art of French Cooking*, Vol Two.
The recipe calls for farina as a thickener, but amaranth works very
well and is more nutritious. To use as a thickener, I grind the seeds
with a hand mill. For this recipe, you want a fairly coarse grind, and
the seeds are already so little I guess it would be more like cracking
the seeds than grinding them.
*Atole*
This is a beverage that has been served in Mexico since pre-Cortez
times. You grind the amaranth, add 3-4 times the volume of water as
seeds and cook until you have a thick liquid. Add crushed fruit or
chocolate. This is a wonderful beverage for a work break to give quick
energy.
You can also pop the seeds like popcorn, but I've never done this
myself.
--Bonnie
_________________________________________________________
Reply from Kris Johnson to #99.6560270 From jgruv@WAM.UMD.EDU(joel b gruver
Joel,
I have had the same experience with trying to harvest my elephant head amaranth - which is a gorgeous flower and seeds itself all over if you let it. I'm wondering if there is some amaranth varieties that produce a bigger and easier to winnow seed. Also wonder if the seed would be hevy enough to sink in water while the chaff could be floated away. I never thought to try that.
Kris
--- Original Note #99.6560270 From jgruv@WAM.UMD.EDU(joel b gruver
Reply from Kris Johnson to #99.6562757 From eliza@Q7.COM(Eliza Lindsay
Eliza,
The elephant head amaranthus holds up quite well in a bouquet. They get huge if they don't have too much competition. I got mine originally from Seeds of Change. They've seeded themselves since.
Kris
--- Original Note #99.6562757 From eliza@Q7.COM(Eliza Lindsay
Well, I've never winnowed amaranth, but I've winnowed plenty of other
small seeds, and all I can say is that I consider it total drugery
and can't figure out how it's done on a commercial scale. But I have
now a few thoughts. If the seed is for planting again, does it
really matter if there's a bunch of chaff mixed in? And if it's for
cooking, could you not put it in a pot of water when you were ready
to use it and then the chaff would float and could be skimmed off?
Oh wait a minute, you said that the seed was as light as the chaff...
ok, back to the drawing board... Anita
> Well, I've never winnowed amaranth, but I've winnowed plenty of other
> small seeds, and all I can say is that I consider it total drugery
> and can't figure out how it's done on a commercial scale.
Here's what Dan Jason of Saltspring Seeds says:
"Amaranth keeps on flowering until hit by the first hard frost. Seed will
often ripen many weeks before that, usually after about three months.
The best way to determine if seed is harvestable is to gently but
briskly shake or rub the flower heads between your hands and see if
the seeds fall readily. (Numerous small and appreciative birds may
give hints as to when to start doing this.) An easy way to gather ripe
grain is, in dry weather, to bend the plants over a bucket and rub the
seedheads between your hands. My own preferred threshing method
is to rub the flowerheads through screening into a wheelbarrow and
then to blow away the finer chaff using my air compressor. Cutting
and hanging plants to dry indoors does not work very well: the plants
become extremely bristly and it is difficult to separate the seed from
the chaff."
So it seems for Dan's varieties, anyway, it's best to let the seed ripen
completely on the plants, then thresh immediately. From the sounds of this
description, winnowing doesn't seem too tough, either - perhaps his vars.
have heavier seed?
Diane Ridout, Instructor, ACP.............................................
Kwantlen University College, "Talk
12666-72 Avenue doesn't
Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 2M8 cook rice," they say.
Tel: (604) 599-2964 Voice mail 9837.......................................
Date: Friday, May 07, 1999 10:25 PM
Subject: Re: amaranth
> On Fri, 7 May 1999, joel b gruver wrote:
> This is all I have time to post right now... but I can assure
you that my
> experience is that after starting with alot of easily threshed
> amaranth chaff and seed, many hours later I have ended up with
not a whole
> lot of seed that is still not completely clean...
> This would match my limited experience. I always have a few
amaranth
> volunteers so have never planted it deliberately, but have never
managed
I also had a tough time telling when it was ready.
I'm hoping wheat and barley are easier to work with. I'm trying
both for the first time this year.
Gil
Yes, but I think it's ugly and many growers around here grow it and the
exceedingly ugly (imnso :-) a. caudatus ('love lies bleeding')
I was trying to find something new and intriguing for the ever fussy
customer :-) I did discover as did Diane that the side shoots of the grain
amaranth held up fairly well....still my customers wanted the huge main
shoots but they wanted them to last as long as my other flowers which is a
very long time.....
:-)
eliza, who wonders when it will be warm enough to sow such things in the
garden...our may is turing out very chilly
I get this info from The Edible Heirloom Garden, Rosalind Creasy, page
22.
There are two types of amarath, one grown for seed one for it's leaves.
At least one type with edible seeds has black seeds ('Hopi Red Dye' or
'Komo'). Leaves are used raw in salads or as a pot herb. The grain
which is gluten free can be ground into flour and used in baking. Also
it can be popped and cooked as a cereal.
I think there is also information in a book about grains written by
Rebecca Wood who wrote the Whole Foods Encyclopedia and the Quinoa Book,
don't have name at tip of my finger though.
Fred
> Thanks, that confirms that at least some balck seeded varieties
> have edible seeds. Of course, I have no idea what variety I have.
HI Sandra,
Good to hear from you. :-) I hope everything is going well in your
new-ish home and multiple gardens.
Dan Jason, of Salt Spring Seeds, has the following to say about amaranth:
"Amaranth
"Amaranth is a warm weather crop best sown around the same time as corn.
The large flowerheads put on a magnificent display for several months.
"Seeds are harvested in early autumn when shaking the seedhead easily
loosens copious amounts into a bucket. My preferred method of threshing is
to rub the flowerheads through screening into a large container and then
to blow away the finer chaff. Further drying of the threshed seeds in a
warm protected area is recommended.
"The tiny, protein-rich (15-16%) seeds can be popped, sprouted, toasted on
a skillet, ground into flour or cooked whole. We usually do the latter,
simmering the amaranth in an equal volume of water for ten minutes. The
varieties listed below have light golden seeds. [So whether black-seeded
ones are just as good/nutritious/etc., we still don't know. :-( -dr]
"Their leaves are succulent and nutty when eaten raw for the
first few weeks and make superb cooked greens until late summer. Amaranth
will cross with Red-rooted Pigweed, a common garden weed, as well as with
other cultivated amaranth varieties. Growing purple-leaved cultivars
facilitates weeding and maintains purity."
This is lifted from the catalogue, and he doesn't say anything else about
amaranth here. You might try the website (I think it's www.sss.com but I
could be wrong - if you're looking on search engines, the company name is
spelled Salt Spring Seeds, not Saltspring, which is the proper name of the
island) which has the catalogue as well as other information. Failing
all else, you could contact Dan directly (dunno if he has an email yet or
not, but the site has his regular post address) and if anyone would know
the answers to your questions about amaranth, he would.
hth,
Diane.
Diane Ridout, Instructor, ACP.............................................
Kwantlen University College, "Talk
12666-72 Avenue doesn't
Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 2M8 cook rice," they say.
Tel: (604) 599-2964 Voice mail 9837.......................................
Thanks, that confirms that at least some balck seeded varieties
have edible seeds. Of course, I have no idea what variety I have.
Leaves are used raw in salads or as a pot herb. The grain
I've so far seen two books about grains, that included superficial
discussions of amaranth. I can't remember their names either. Both
described golden seeded amaranth only and made no mention of
black seeded varieties.
sph
Sandra P. Hoffman
ghidra@home.com
http://www.flora.org/sandra/
Nope, really awful actually.
> Dan Jason, of Salt Spring Seeds, has the following to say about amaranth:
Sigh, I didn't think of checking Salt Spring Seeds.
The seeds self sow here in whatever zone Ottawa is. They
overwinter and sprout fairly late in the spring. A bit later than the
red rooted pigweed.
> "Seeds are harvested in early autumn when shaking the seedhead easily
> loosens copious amounts into a bucket.
The variety that is self seeding in my garden is at this stage by late
summer.
My preferred method of threshing is
> to rub the flowerheads through screening into a large container and then
> to blow away the finer chaff. Further drying of the threshed seeds in a
> warm protected area is recommended.
I didn't have room on the balcony to do this, so I put the seed heads
in large paper grocery bags and stomped on them. I didn't dry them
further, but did freeze them to kill off any extra protein they might be
carrying. I sifted the seeds in square cake pans. If you jiggle the
pan the right way the chaff surfaces and the seed sinks. I then
would scoop of the chaff with a spoon.
I think at this stage I'll assume that no preprocessing is required.
I'm really looking forward to trying the greens (or deep reds in this
case) next spring. I can confirm that growing the a coloured variety
helps with weeding. The ones I have are also prolific self seeders, I
take out about ten plants for every one I let stand, and usually let 3-
5 plants grow to full size. They get over 5 feet tall, with magnificent
red plumes. They are stunning. If I had harvested them all this year,
I would have had an immense quantity of seed.
> This is lifted from the catalogue, and he doesn't say anything else about
> amaranth here. You might try the website (I think it's www.sss.com but I
> could be wrong
(Blushes) I have it bookmarked.
- if you're looking on search engines, the company name is
I will contact him, either via email or postal address.
Thanks for reminding me of this resource.
sph
Sandra P. Hoffman
ghidra@home.com
http://www.flora.org/sandra/
I sifted the seeds in square cake pans. If you jiggle the
> pan the right way the chaff surfaces and the seed sinks. I then
> would scoop of the chaff with a spoon.
I have a large stainless steel bowl (bought from a restaurant auction a few
years back) that I do all my seed separation in. Once the seeds are loose
from the seed head (stomping sounds like a great idea for some of the really
sharp ones Sandra - Echinacea and my Mexican Sunflower especially), I take
the remaining mixture outside. If it's something I want growing next year
"in the wild", I'll finish the process in whatever location that might be -
fence rows for morning glories, roadside for the echinacea, etc. As you
finish "roughing up" or mashing the seeds/chaff mix, just a gentle blow into
the center of the bowl pushes most of the chaff out, leaving just the seeds.
Of course a few seeds fly out when you blow too hard, that's why I've
learned to do this where I wouldn't mind having some of that variety grow on
its own.
I don't know if I'd have the patience to scoop with a spoon.
Paula
S&S Aqua Farm, 8386 County Road 8820, West Plains, MO 65775 417-256-5124
Web page http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/
"Sandra P.Hoffman" wrote:
> Sigh, I didn't think of checking Salt Spring Seeds.
Hi, Sandra..Further to what Diane said about Salt Spring Seeds, I have 3
of his books, The Really Whole Food Cookbook, Greening the Garden and
his new one Living Lightly on the Land. I know there is lots of
information on amaranth there, I could look it up for you. I haven't
had time to read this thread (new computer system, newsletter to get
printed) so if you want to ask me the questions you want answers too off
list, I bet I can find it for you in his books.....................Joan
***********************
joanr@mindlink.net
lower Fraser Valley, B.C.
http://mygarden.cjb.net
Oh I'm *so* sorry to hear that - write me off-list, if you want.
I think your summers are much warmer and get that way much more quickly
than ours on the wet coast, thus the germination dates and the ripening
would be accelerated, I suppose.
As Joan mentioned in another post, Dan has lots of recipes and whatnot in
his other books. I believe at least part of his _Living Lightly on the
Land_, including the recipes, is available online at the SSS website.
> 5 plants grow to full size. They get over 5 feet tall, with magnificent
> red plumes. They are stunning. If I had harvested them all this year,
> I would have had an immense quantity of seed.
I grew some of Dan's amaranth a couple of years ago, and they are gorgeous
plants that would be well worth growing as ornamentals even if one didn't
want to harvest any greens or seeds. I had them paired with sunflowers and
cosmos, and they were a breathtaking sight in late afternoon, lit by the
lowering sun, glowing.
> I will contact him, either via email or postal address.
It'd be interesting to see what he has to say about black-seeded
varieties, Sandra. (Hint, hint!)
ttyl, and kindest thoughts,
Diane.
Diane Ridout, Instructor, ACP.............................................
Kwantlen University College, "Talk
12666-72 Avenue doesn't
Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 2M8 cook rice," they say.
Tel: (604) 599-2964 Voice mail 9837.......................................
> I don't know if I'd have the patience to scoop with a spoon.
They were fairly small batches, and it was actually fairly easy to do.
I'll try blowing on the seeds though. One of the problems with
amaranth though is that it only takes a tiny bit more air to blow the
seeds out with the chaff.
sph
Sandra P. Hoffman
ghidra@home.com
http://www.flora.org/sandra/
Try Seeds of Change http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/index.html for
open pollinated varities.
Don Bowen donb@cts.com
Valley Center, CA Senior Software Engineer
Internet development and software engineering
http://members.cts.com/crash/d/donb
http://www.oldengine.org/members/ihc14
http://www.oldengine.org/members/ferguson/
Hi there--does anybody have a source of seed for edible amaranth? I
want to grow it for the leaves. I've seen it called Chinese spinach
also.
The only U.S. sources I could find are for bulk orders for commercial
growers only.
Thanks for any help.
Eileen in Little Rock, still on her search for a green to grow in her
hot hot summers (and following Moira's recommendation)
We have Good King Henry but not the Amaranth. You could try Richter's -
www.richters.com or I think Johnny's might even have it at. I think their
website is www.johnnyseed.com
Arzeena
-----------------------------
Terra Viva Organics
Organic garden seed, natural fertilizers & predatory insects
www.tvorganics.com
---------------------------
Eileen Hi
I can send you as much Amaranth seed as you would like, but not til mid
summer. Here it is virtually a 'wild green' and we were given a couple of
plants a couple of years ago and now we have a field full of it. It is a
wonderful plant for a hot dry summer as it is so deep rooting that it does
not need irrigaton at all. We eat it, mulch with it and use it as ground
cover in areas that are not planted. I have both a red flushed form and a
green one. If you would like, I will send as soon as I have seed.
regards Janet b
Janet Blenkinship
Crete, Greece
What is this life if, full of care,
we have no time to stand and stare.
William henry Davies
Hi - hope you don't mind me writing to you off list. I recieve a
catalogue every season from an organization promoting the use of ancient
crops of the southwest. They have listed six different types of
amaranths. The info is:
Native Seads?SEARCH
526 N. 4th Avenue
Tucson, Az 85705
Phone: (520)622-5561
Hope this helps!
Don Bowen wrote:
--
Sandy Amdur
"May I always be the person my dog thinks I am"
Native Seeds/SEARCH carries several different kinds. Check their web page
at www.nativeseeds.org. Margaret L
Moira, just to give a different point of view from Margaret's --
We planted Mirah Leaf Amaranth directly into the garden in late summer. It
germinated quickly and grew well. This variety has red-veined leaves and a
nutty flavor. We found it irresistible. My only regret was in not planting
more. We stretched it by cooking it combined with Tatsoi, an excellent
companion.
Pat
I'm not familiar with this variety, Pat. Where did you get seeds? Thanks,
Margaret L
From Shepherd's Seeds. I'd also mention that a couple of young, small
leaves fit nicely in a tossed salad of mixed greens, but the larger, more
mature leaves taste much better cooked.
Tatsoi is good either way.
Phone: 860-482-3638 (Connecticut)
www.shepherdseeds.com
Pat
Margaret asked:
"I'm not familiar with this variety, Pat. Where did you get seeds? Thanks,
Margaret L"
Patricia Ruggiero wrote:
Thanks folks for your opinions. The one I am trying is Called Amaranthus
gangeticus and also Chinese spinach or Hin Choy. The young leaves are
described as "blotched with red".
To begin with I intend to do what they DONT recommend and try
transplanting a few I have started in the glasshouse, but I will follow
this up with further direct sowings for succession (as they DO
suggest). Apparently resowing every two weeks is just about right.
We are really geting into summer at last as regards most of the days,
but still coming down pretty near freezing on a good many nights, so I
will have them under a rowcover tunnel for a bit anyway.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
I just harvested the plumy sprigs of pink amaranth & have them bundled
together inside a pillowcase to gather the tiny grains. My question is,
what happens to the rest of the plants? They look too tender to over winter
here in Seattle, but before I cut them off at soil level, I wanted to
consult here. Any experience with this?
Thanks!
Shari
Shari Rosner wrote:
Shari
I am not exactly sure which species your pink amaranth may be, but it is
almost certainly an annual and will die off anyway having reproduced
itself. Even if it should be a short-lived perennial (as some amaranths
are) and could survive your winter, it would most likely be a very
inferior plant in the second year.
I suggest you get rid of the present plants and use some of your
harvested seed to raise new ones in spring.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan
Wainuiomata, New Zealand, SW Pacific. 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Time
At 01:47 PM4/24/2006 Monday, you wrote:
I have a ton of
little sprouts with pretty purple undersides
It's best to be very cautious with that. In too large quanities (I
don't know what is safe) it's a poison.
Deedee
--
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Hi again, the problem with eating Amaranth and for that Matter quinoa
both are very High in Iron and Calcium, the problemis with the Iron as
it can build up in the body and you can over does on it. I use it in
moderation adding it to salads and to cooked green. I only eat so much
of it and process the rest for the winter. There may be another
chemical that is in it,but I don't know.
George W. Z5 Mo.
It largely depends on how you're going to use it. I don't like
amaranth foliage because I don't like the taste or the mouth feel
(imagine, but don't try, eating chrysanthemum leaves. They have a
matte surface, not shiny like spinach or chard.) I'm growing golden
grain amaranth this year from Bountiful Gardens. It's probably the
same as the Orange Giant. If you have problems with chinch bugs in
your area, they will destroy the seed, or at least damage it. False
chinch bugs are sometimes a problem in my area, and when they swarm
or whatever they do, it looks like the ground and everything else is
moving. IMO, orach, although also a matte-surfaced leaf, is better
tasting than amaranth. Amaranth may be more nutritious,
though. Nutritious foods often do taste terrible to me. Margaret L
Margaret, you mentioned amaranth.
I'm thinking about these from Baker Creek (see below). Never having had
luck with amaranth, I'm not sure what is best to try out.
Garnet Red
Beautiful, bright fuchsia-red plants are brighter than most. This variety is
a natural choice for salad blends; also can be used as a cooked "green". A
new selection that is popular with gourmet growers.
Opopeo
60 days. Beautiful, large red, upright flower spikes and bronze-green
foliage make this Mexican heirloom a real knockout in the vegetable garden.
Tasty leaves are tender when picked young. Easy to grow from seed. From
Opopeo, Mexico.
Thai Round Leaf
The tender, bright-green leaves are a standard part of Thai cuisine. This
popular variety has rounder leaves than most. Tasty and tender the leaves
are used cooked like spinach. Great for growing in warm weather
Orange Giant
Ornamental, 6'-8' plants produce giant, golden orange heads, and the stems
are also golden. A must for the Amaranth enthusiast. Each plant can produce
up to 1 pound of large seeds.
I can choose only one! Do you have any suggestions?
Laura
> <>`` ><>`` ><>`` ><>`` ><>`` ><>`` ><>``
Laura's Homeschooling, Garden, and Genealogy Site
is found here: http://home.att.net/~ekyorigins
``<>< ``<>< ``<>< ``<>< ``<>< ``<>< ``<><
This reminds me that Pigweed Flea Beetles are a major pest of amaranth (wild
amaranth being known as pigweed).
To get a crop of leaves and seeds I have to do two plantings. I broadcast
some seed in May and let the PFBs knock themselves out over it, hoping that
a few plants will survive to produce seed. They do, but the leaves, being
riddled with holes, are inedible.
I plant again in very late summer to get edible leaves. The plants don't
get very tall, certainly won't live long enough to produce seeds, but I can
harvest a nice supply of intact leaves for cooking/freezing for the winter.
Pat
