Amaranth Red Seeds

Info: This red selection of the Amaranth family has attractive oval, mid-green leaves that are streaked through with shades of red and purple. It is very intense and more vigorous than regular Amaranth. Originally, the amaranth comes from the South American Andes and is cultivated there as protein-rich cereal grains. The annual plants are decorative and can reach heights of up to 2 meters.
The harvest of the leaves should occur before flowering, otherwise the pleasant sweet-tart aroma becomes bitter. The young leaves can be used like spinach or for the Caribbean Callaloo recipe. The thumb-thick stalks can be peeled and e.g. prepared together with okra as a vegetable dish or like asparagus.

Sowing & cultivation: Sowing and growing under glass from mid-February to mid-April. Sow the seed thinly and cover them only slightly with soil ("light germinator"). From May, Amaranth can also be sown outdoors. The plants need a sunny place and a nutrient-rich soil. The leaves must be harvested before flowering. Remove any flowers as soon as their buds appear otherwise leaf production will come to an end.