Amaranth

[americanmutt]

DeanRIowa, how did your Amaranth do? Did they produce enough to save seeds or grain?

[DeanRIowa]

My Amaranth (Elephant Head and Copper Head) did great in my 2008 season. I had plenty of grain and did try the leaves in salads.

I have to admit, they are beautiful plants and produce very well, but I did not utilize them (seeds or leaves) as much as I could have. I guess my life is/was just too busy.

I choose not to plant them again this season, but that does not mean I did not have Amaranth for my 2009 season. I did not understand that they self sow very well. I did not realize here in the corn belt they are considered an obnoxious weed (PigWeed), they came up everywhere in my garden and I figure I will have them for the near future like it or not.

Dean

[Dreyadin]

You can pop it like popcorn, also add to soups (will thicken soups a bit too.). There was a grain salad my sister's friend would make. I know she boiled several whole grains until tender then turned it into a cold salad with assortment of veggies and a vinagrette. She had cut grape tomatoes, scallions and red onions, asparagus and some cheese in tiny cubes. It was a chewy kinda texture to the grains, but really good. There was quinoa and wheatberries in the grain mix.

[Atash]

If it's any consolation, Amaranth contains complete proteins. Excellent protein source. While not drought-resistant, the New World Amaranths at least have the ability to revive significantly after collapsing in a dry spell. They're not one of those rare miracle plants like Sporobolus stapfianus (African Inselberg Grass), that can revive and turn green again if totally dried out crispy, but they can do it better than most crops can.

They are also among the extremely few dicotyledonous plants that know how to do C4 metabolism--as many warm-growing grasses do. That's why Amaranth, and Corn, grow so astonishingly fast in warm weather. Amaranth is weedy even in my decidedly non-tropical climate. It grows so fast once it gets warm.

One big problem is harvesting Amaranth. The seed heads shatter easily. Traditionally, like Quinoa, it was harvested by (gentle!) hand.

Another problem is figuring out what to do with a grain that cooks up GOOEY. Dreyadin, I've tried it in soup. If I don't put in too much, my family will eat it.

It probably works best in small amounts mixed with other things. I've had it in cookies and whole in mixed-grain bread.

The Aztec way of preparing it wouldn't be acceptable to most people. That's how it got banned by the Spaniards.

[americanmutt]

Thank you DeanRIowa for responding so quickly! And thank you to everyone else for your additions! I was curious about Amaranth because, from what I have read, it has been mainly grown as an ornamental by North American settlers but it can be eaten ... all varieties? I thought it was called Pigweed but I wasn't for sure. I am, currently, very interested in eating/growing/identifying "weeds" that are both edible and invasive/noxious. Along side the curiosity of growing Amaranth (we live in the same climate/zone) I am also interested in Quinoa. I read, somewhere, that there were trials done in Minnesota and North American Alpine regions and Quinoa did not fair well?

I like pretty but practical and I rent, meaning I have a much smaller garden area ( I think ) than most of you and I can not grow grain. These were two, probably the only two, alternatives?

[Atash]

I think Pigweed is an Amaranth, yes. It's probably not the kind you want, though. There are basically 2 kinds of Amaranth among any of several species: generally the Old World species are used mostly as a leafy vegetable, and those of the New World as grains. BUT both kinds are capable of, even if not ideal for, either use.

Grain Amaranths from the New World often have attractively colored flowerheads. Those are what you are probably thinking of. Go to the Thompson and Morgan website, and look up "Amaranthus paniculatus". It's in the annual flower section, NOT the vegetable section, but you can eat the seeds, yes. Several of the types bred as ornamentals are convenient heights, 4 feet or less. Some of their agricultural counterparts are too tall for me.

Some of the leaf amaranths are also quite ornamental, with colored leaves. The one variously known as "Joseph's coat" or "Summer Poinsettia", of which you can eat tender young leaves, or for that matter, the small leafy Amaranths grown as a substitute for spinach in Asia (where it is too hot for real spinach) have a maroon blotch on their leaves.

Quinoa does surprisingly well in several climates despite being essentially a tropical alpine. It does great here in the Pacific Northwest. Probably severe heat, and maybe muggy heat, are hard on it. Also, it has a long growing season, BUT it actually varies quite a bit; some varieties are short and go to seed quickly.

Have you ever eaten both of them? I would guess Quinoa is easier for most people to accept as far as grains go (Amaranth leaf is fairly acceptable to most people; better than spinach); cook it in some broth with a bit of cumin seed, and it makes a fairly acceptable "pilaf". It cooks faster than rice, and is significantly more nutritious. But if you grow your own, you have to wash out the saponins or you will have a soapy mess.

Quinoa has colored seed heads, but it is not particularly ornamental. In fact, being a member of the Goosefoot family it looks rather like some common weeds--be careful you don't weed it out! It looks a lot like its weedy relations, just taller.

[Macmex]

I've grown Quintonil, an amaranth which we first obtained in Tlatlauquitepec, Puebla ( 1 1/2 miles high altitude/cold rain forest climate) in 1990. We've carried it with us and successfully grown it in OH, NJ, OK and the Mexican state of Hidalgo (1 mile high altitude, desert). We have never eaten the seeds, as it is laborious to harvest. But we love the greens in spring.

George