Planting Information > How to Grow > Amaranth
I was asked recently for some information on this vegetable. Hope
this is a help.
[BOGI Newsletter Editor]
Amaranth is a green tropical spinach. The leaves, stems and seeds
are edible, delicious and very nutritious.
A. gangeticus has red and green leaves which look fantastic in
salads.
A. hydronchondriacus is usually grown for the seed.
The young leaves of both varieties are good in salads or sandwiches,
and older leaves in Asian dishes or quiche -anywhere you would use
spinach.
The seeds can be dried and roasted in a hot pan without oil or
roasted in the oven and sprinkled on sandwiches, added to breads
or used in cakes.
To collect the seeds, cut the seed heads off and put them in a
paper bag. Shake them regularly to separate as many seed as possible
from the husks. Put the seeds in a tray, toss them into the air
and as they land pull the tray towards you. The seed will fall into
the pan, while the husks, which are lighter, miss the tray - eventually.
Sow seeds in the soil - they don't like to be transplanted. Take
a mature flower stalk, rub it between your hands, letting the seed
and husks fall over the prepared bed.
You'll get your first harvest when you thin the seedlings out at
about 6-8cm high. Use them whole. You'll get a second harvest when
the plants are about 30cm high and when you pick out the tops (large
leaves and the soft growing stem) to make them branch. Then later,
as the plant grows, harvest the side branches.
Any plant which is hardy enough to reach maturity after this onslaught,
I let go to seed. If you don't want to collect seed, pick the flower
shoots as they emerge to keep the plant growing and producing leaves.
Amaranth is not as greedy as other greens but will be much tastier
if well fed. it'll grow in semi-shade or full sun. Amaranth can
become pretty rampant in the garden but if you want to get rid of
it, just cover it with newspaper and it won't persist.
Anyway, how can something so useful be a weed?
From Tropical Food Gardens by Leone Norrington. Norrington's books
available at the BOGI Book
Stall.
|
