amarantus

[longlad]

please help before I grow tons of the stuff  are all amaranthus edible ????? ???

[longlad]

[saddad]

My veg book suggests so... but some are best grown for grain rather than leaf /stem.....  :-\

[PurpleHeather]

Amaranth, an ancient crop originating in the Americas, can be used as a high-protein grain or as a leafy vegetable, and has potential as a forage crop. Grain amaranth species have been important in different parts of the world and at different times during the past few thousand years. The largest acreage ever grown was during the height of the Aztec civilization in Mexico during the 1400s. During the past two centuries grain amaranth has been grown in scattered locations, including Mexico, Central America, India, Nepal. China, and eastern Africa. Research on amaranth by U.S. agronomists began in the 1970s, so optimum production guidelines and uniform, adapted varieties have not yet been fully developed. Only a few thousand acres of amaranth are commercially grown in the United States, and markets for that small acreage are fragile. Growers are advised to begin with a few acres, and to have a contract or identify buyers before planting the crop.

[longlad]

thanks for that already have the market   work with aload of kenyans in a hotel  double wammy ;D

[Suzanne]

I bought some elephants head amaranth from US on impulse - mainly because some one told me the grain is really nice toasted and sprinkled in salads and the plants are going to look good on the lottie. But I don't know anything about and am only sowing it this week. Hopefully this will be okay - but let me know if this is too late. Thanks.

[longlad]

hi suzanne  I have only ordered some seed so we can muddle though this together ;D

[djbrenton]

I grow a variety of amaranth that is known as callaloo in Jamaica. It grows as a weed there and produces prodigious amounts of leaf.