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there are a great many west indian gents on our site who grow mainly pumpkins, sweetcorn and callaloo, all of which clearly thrive.
several of these men have offered me callaloo seeds and tell me it's like spinach only tastes completely different  :o (then they laugh at my expression, silly woman)
i wondered if any of you might have a slightly more enlightening description?
also, anyone know a recipe for that lovely spicey sorrel drink which i believe is also west indian?
thanks,
Tara xxx

I have never come across callaloo before, and as we don't have any west indian gardeners, I don't know if I ever will. I am intrigued ...

Derekthefox :D

Ingredients:
2 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) dried sorrel calyxes (also called jamaica or hibiscus)
two 1-inch cubes of peeled fresh gingerroot, chopped fine
3 whole cloves
5 3/4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups amber rum

2 cups ice cubes, or to taste
lime and orange slices for garnish

Procedure:
In a heatproof bowl combine the sorrel, the gingerroot, and the cloves.
In a saucepan bring 5 cups of the water to a boil, pour it over the sorrel mixture, and let the mixture steep for 4 hours or overnight.
While the mixture is steeping, in a small saucepan bring the remaining 3/4 cup water and the sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and let the syrup cool.
Strain the sorrel liquid into a pitcher, discarding the solids, stir in the sugar syrup, the rum, and the ice cubes, and garnish the punch with the lime and orange slices.

Servings:
This recipe makes about 8 cups.


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Callaloo is a staple part of the diet in the W.I. It's sorta their equivalent of spinach. They use it in just about everything  ..... let me find a link  ..............

http://soup.allrecipes.com/az/CallalooSoup.asp    {:¬)#

This plant came up on Hugh F-W and in the Organic Gardening magazine recently. Glad you mentioned it Tara.

Grow some - and let us know how you go...

Darn !  why did it have to be wardy that beat me to it ?  *bangs head on keyboard*

I grew it outdoors this year but there are different varieties, some of which really need growing indoors. It's higher iron than spinach or even cavalo nero but has a shorter season. I like to cook some onions, garlic ( maybe a little chiili ) then add tomatoes. The calalloo has a thin film on the stem. Rip the film off as far as it peels in one go ( a bit like stringing rhubarb ). Rip the leaf from the stem and chop the stem into 1 inch lengths. Steam in just enough water to stop it sticking ( almost just it's own juice ) for 20 minutes, then add in the rest of the leaves ( chopped ) for a further 5 minutes. Stir in with the tomatoes, done.
Callalloo can be frozen successfully.

AD  I grow sorrel in my own garden and so have looked for recipes so I can use the stuff.  Making booze out of it was a natural progression

oh! you lot are fantastic!!!! ;D
where else could you find such a wealth of information so freely given?
i've had a really awful morning and you guys have cheered me right up! THANK YOU  :-*
wardy, i tasted this drink last week at greenwich market. it was hot,  had no rum and was an alternative to mulled wine.
it was really lovely and i am soooooo grateful for the recipe! i'll make loads and omit the rum for the kids!
guess i'd better plant some sorrel this year then along with the callaloo  ;D

D & T    Sorrell makes a good sauce!  It has a lemony taste - very strong so you don't need much.  It's also good in mixed leaf salads but only when the leaves are young.  the plant gets a bit untidy so you can give it a regular trim.  It produces loads of seeds as well.  I got the sauce recipe from a Gary Rhodes book and I can let you have it if you get yourself a plant.

Wardy

Off the top of my head, there's at least 4 types of sorrel. I like the buckler leaved variety the best, it grows well (almost too well) in light shade. Any sort should be eaten in moderation though, because it's toxic in large amounts...

Hi,
I’m interested in growing the outdoor variety of Callaloo does anyone know where I could buy some seeds.

Thanks
David

I'll have loads when they're dry. I'll bump this thread when I know how many.

I've just discovered that Callaloo and Amaranth are the same plant!

You can buy amaranth seeds most seed places....in fact I think I've got some, somewhere...

Some varieties are more prolific producers of leaves than others. Callaloo is just the most productive. Many types are grown for grain rather than leaf.

Common name   Botanical name   Days to   Edible leaf fresh   Daily
      Â                               first harvest   wt. ±SE (g/m2)   productivity
            Â±SE (g/m2)
Amaranth            
  Local   Amaranthus dubius   Â             42   365±2.5   Â     8.70±0.2
  Tigerleaf   Amaranthus tricolor   Â         41   455±2   Â     11.1±0.1
  Callallo   Amaranthus cruentus   Â        40   Â  1158±15   Â   29.0±0.4
  Greenleaf   Amaranthus tricolor   Â        47   240±7   Â     5.1±0.2
  Gangeticus   Amaranthus tricolor   Â      41   295±12   Â     7.2±0.3
  Merah   Amaranthus tricolor   Â             41   432±8.5   Â     10.5±0.2
  Pinang   Amaranthus tricolor   Â             42   430±3   Â     10.2±0.1
  Puteh   Amaranthus tricolor   Â              42   367±14   Â     8.7±0.3

I think I have a reggae song that refers to a 'bungle of callalloo' (ie bundle). Don't think I've ever tasted it knowingly though. Sorry to hijack post but do sweet potatoes grow easily outdoors in the UK? I love em, and imagine they would taste 100% better homegrown.

Quote from: fat larry on December 26, 2005, 09:12:39
.....but do sweet potatoes grow easily outdoors in the UK? ...

There are some previous threads here...
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,15080.0.html

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,12291.0.html

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,11763.0.html
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,9651.0.html

Tara,

When the Callaloo is ready to munch I think it might be time I visited!!! Especially if the drink recipe is a success!

Hope your Christmas was great...we did ok!!

Speak to you soon!

TT

treacletop,
don't you dare wait for the callaoo! :o
visit anytime for goodness sake!! ;D
and when you do, i haven't forgotten i owe you a wedding present

happy new year,
Tara nd co xxx

What a helpful thread. Callaloo sounds delicious and love the drink recipe.
Thanks all

european sorrel Rumex acetosa the lemony-herby-leafy thing is different from jamaican sorrel also called Roselle which is the buds of hibiscus . (Hibiscus sabdariffa).
just saying.

Quote from: Derekthefox on December 16, 2005, 08:58:19
as we don't have any west indian gardeners,

I tried planting a row of west indians, they all died tho  ::)

they used to sell it tinned in our Netto

One small thing I forgot to mention back in 2005 is that when you cut the stems off, you can keep them fresh for days in a bucket of water, much like cut flowers. In fact it wilts quite quickly otherwise.