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Amaranth
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Topic: Amaranth (Read 2841 times)
bupster
Hectare
Posts: 930
Amaranth
«
on:
September 21, 2005, 15:25:08 »
Anybody here grow amaranth? I'm very tempted, seems like a great all-rounder of a plant and it's something a bit different. Hard to find info on it, though there does seem to be a few seed suppliers. As regular readers of this board will know, though, I haven't a clue. Anyone with more experience?
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For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else.
http://www.plotholes.blogspot.com
Trenchboy
Half Acre
Posts: 111
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #1 on:
September 21, 2005, 16:46:32 »
For the seeds go to
www.greenol.co.uk
. £2.57 for 500.
The plants can get pretty big...
If you suffer from gout, don't bother!
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bupster
Hectare
Posts: 930
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #2 on:
September 21, 2005, 16:52:38 »
Oxalic acid? That's the same as elderly rhubarb, right? Or am I making this up? I don't, but I know someone that does - moo haa haa...
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For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else.
http://www.plotholes.blogspot.com
Trenchboy
Half Acre
Posts: 111
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #3 on:
September 21, 2005, 16:58:39 »
Amaranth has that and some other stuff in its leaves, but the seeds are fine to use. And the rhubarb/spinach doesn't have to be old... I know!
It grows anywhere, as well.
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bupster
Hectare
Posts: 930
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #4 on:
September 21, 2005, 17:10:50 »
I had heard that, which is one of the things that appeals - I'm still pretty hopeless. I didn't know that spinach had oxalic acid in it. Good job I'm not prone to gout, I eat mounds of the stuff.
When should it be planted? There was a bit on the 'Grow Your Own' magazine website that suggested it should go in now, though all the seed sales places seem keener on spring. I would have guessed spring, so the link (
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/diary/food.php
) seems odd...
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For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else.
http://www.plotholes.blogspot.com
john_miller
Hectare
Posts: 956
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #5 on:
September 21, 2005, 17:20:53 »
Every plant has oxalic acid in it to some extent. Levels in different plants can be found near the bottom of this page:
http://growingtaste.com/oxalicacid.shtml
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bupster
Hectare
Posts: 930
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #6 on:
September 21, 2005, 17:25:43 »
Love the conclusion:
"Summing Up
We think it is nuts for anyone not already under medical advice to select this leafy green over that based on oxalic-acid content."
Well, that told us. Any idea about planting amaranth, John?
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For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else.
http://www.plotholes.blogspot.com
fbgrifter
Acre
Posts: 332
All change
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #7 on:
September 21, 2005, 23:28:09 »
i grew the ornamental variety on the allotment and it grew to huge proportions. howerver, the edible variety that i grew which was part of a mix salad pack (i think t&m's niche salad) only grew to about 4 inches before it bolted. nice flavout tho and beautiful colour!
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It'll be better next year
jennym
Hectare
Posts: 3,329
Essex/Suffolk border
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #8 on:
September 22, 2005, 02:10:51 »
This looks interesting. I'm sure I read somewhere that you can grind the seed to make a sort of low gluten flour. anyone tried that? And what variety?
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chrispea27
Acre
Posts: 253
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #9 on:
September 22, 2005, 07:01:56 »
sounds worth trying if only for its decorative properties ::)
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Chris Pea
sarahr
Half Acre
Posts: 111
Oooh Shiny!
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #10 on:
September 22, 2005, 12:23:20 »
The west indians call one form Amarath, Calaloo. You cook it like spinach. I've got a load of seeds if you want a handful. It doesn't grow very tall - a couple of feet at most. It is much bigger in the west indies.
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bupster
Hectare
Posts: 930
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #11 on:
September 22, 2005, 14:50:17 »
I'd love some, Sarahr. I really fancy having a go at this.
And you can grind the seeds, Jenny;
http://www.vidaverde.co.uk/amaranthprocessing.html
shows the process. It's no gluten, which sounds interesting. I'm not on any special diet, but I love trying new foods.
Logged
For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else.
http://www.plotholes.blogspot.com
organicartist
Quarter Acre
Posts: 97
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #12 on:
September 22, 2005, 15:41:18 »
you can buy amaranth cheaply from health food shops and it does germinate ok - I use the tiny seeds as one of my sprouting grains.
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john_miller
Hectare
Posts: 956
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #13 on:
September 26, 2005, 01:31:50 »
A word of warning- if you do grow it don't let amaranth go to seed. Some cvs. can produce 2 million seeds from a single plant-yes, they are small seeds- and can produce huge plants. Our local cv. is commonly called pig weed because it is such a (3 dots) to get rid of. Amaranth, seeds and leaves, was a staple food for the first peoples of both the North and, especially, the South hemispheres over here and has been cultivated for millenia.
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allotmanye
Not So New ...
Posts: 36
Re: Amaranth
«
Reply #14 on:
October 13, 2005, 15:03:35 »
We have two or three people who grow this on our site but find that is now appearing almost anywhere so take note of the warning.
Tastes nice though
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www.hoehoehoe.blogspot.com
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