@@dawnmorning do you possibly know which bugs? I know they can attract shield bugs and the best way to get rid of those is lots of walks and flicking them into a tub of soapy water. They are near impossible to get rid of organically. If not them, then please do let me know which bugs you have?
@@jenblindert9093 now that is a really good question that I in all honesty do not know the answer to! If I were to guess, in order to give you and answer, I would say once the tassles are at the length you want them, but try make it before they break out in seed as you will have tiny seeds EVERYWHERE. I hope helps a little 🌻
i live in tropical region (temperature between 77-95F), my amaranth is about 3ft tall now turn yellow from a leaf (start with leaf near the root) then continue to all leaves and also the stalk, can it be about too much sun/heat? thank you
Actually, to grow amaranth, just throw the seeds in the air and let them land. After that, water. The seeds will find themselves a place and grow. I have known this plant for over 50 years. It also has an aroma- once cooked- which makes food more desirable. Delicious.
Yeah I totally agree its as easy as that and once you grow them in the garden once you will always have them as the seeds spread throughout the garden, plus, as you said, they are super tasty and nutritious 🌻
I have a patch in a mostly dry waterway in the western TX panhandle. I mow it several times in the Summer to improve the grass. Amaranth come back year after year...it is truly a tough plant!
Yeah I totally agree they are hard as nails and come back year after without fail! It's just a matter of figuring out where you want them because as you said once you have them they are there to stay 🌻
Thank you! This used to be a very popular grain in Russia for centuries until they banned the production of it. A sacred plant in some sense. Great video!
It's only a pleasure and thank you for sharing that really interesting piece of information! So bizarre that they would have banned such a nutritious, abundant and versatile crop... 🌻
Oh wow, what an amazing comment, thank you so much 💚 I'm so glad you found value in watching this video and hopefully you get to harvest lots of Amaranth in years to come 🌻
We grow them in central florida...and omg...easiest most beautiful landscape plant that needs hardly any care. If you water them they get so huge and full. Ours are triple his in 6 mos. We are doing all edible landscape in our yard. Been such a neat experiment.
Oh wow, this is awesome to hear! I must agree that they are probably one of the most impactful edible landscape plants that come in so many different sizes, shapes and colours. Most certainly a topic of conversation with friends and family! I hope you manage to get a good harvest from them to enjoy their nutritious goodness 🌻
Thank you, and greetings from Northern California! I've been growing these as just a beautiful addition to my garden and they all come back as volunteers every year. I knew they were edible but wasn't sure what to do with them! In .y garden, the flowers look like yours but they're upright and the plants are up to 10 to 12 ft tall and they're spectacular! I'm always giving them to my friends because they're so pretty and they will even grow out of a crack in cement! I do need to water mine though, they're not happy if they don't get water, but they really don't need that much maybe it's because I have the kind that are so tall they need more water. Again, thank you for the information! 🌱💚🌱
What an absolutely incredible comment! Thank you for taking the time to write that out and share your Amaranth growing experience with me. It sounds like the variety you are growing are total show stoppers! I hope you continue to get season after season of enjoyment from them 💚🌻
I have had amaranth seeds for probably 3 years and just planted some of them this year . I don’t know WHY I waited so long haha 😆 I must have just been overwhelmed with what I was already planting and trying to keep up with everything and felt this was too much to add in.. I saw the seeds this year and still had that desire to want to plant them so googled a bunch and said ok.. this actually seems easy! Threw some in the ground in a row.. covered with a tiny bit of dirt.. watered… and made sure I checked with my plant app and verified with online pictures to make sure I didn’t forget and think they were weeds and pull the sprouts out.. So far they are about 5 -7 inches tall and looking beautiful! Super excited to let these self seed and grow for years to come and try out new recipes with the leaves and seeds!! ❤
Aw, what a wonderful comment and thank you so much for taking the time to write out your experiences so far and bring across your excitement 💚 I'm glad my video helped you with some inspiration to get your amaranth going and hopefully you get a bumper crop and good harvest 🌻
It's amazing to see this plant as a harvestable grain while labeled a noxious weed in our monoculture in the midwest! A 'weed' being a plant growing where it is not wanted..
Yeah I totally agree! All over the world it is seen as a weed even though it's incredibly nutritious and the entire plant is edible! So glad this video is getting good visibility so we can share the versatility and benefits of this plant! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment 🌻
Very good info, indeed. My cousin in law has grown some green amaranth in our garden these days. I already collected some leaves and cooked bugulama (a Turk spinach meal). The result was mind blowing! More delicious and satisfying than spinach. When I told her the nutritional value of amaranth she was very surprised and excited, too. Being gluten free - besides all of those incredible nutritions - alone makes this plant special and must have. Regards from Eastern Canada.
Wow, what an amazing comment from the other side of the world! Thank you so much for leaving me a comment 💚 Yeah, Amaranth is highly nutritious and also tasty as you now know. It really is a hidden gem in the veggie garden and a visual show stopper. I hope you are having a good growing season 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney Thank you very much for your very kind words. I inspect and check them everyday along my stinging nettles, purple basils, pepper mints, some other edible wild plants. I am very excited and it gives me happiness each time I see them healthy and growing more everyday. Very best regards, take care. 🌹
Oh wow, what an amazing compliment 💚💚💚 thank you so very much! I love sharing information and helping others and it luckily comes quite naturally. I'm not a teacher, but I am a consultant, so I suppose they can both be categorised as teaching, mediating and talking, lots of talking 😁
Greetings from northern Vermont, USA. Thank you for this wonderfully informative video on amaranth. I grew some in my small garden for the first time this year not really knowing what it was. I planted it amongst the sunflowers for the beauty of of it. Next year I will look forward to processing it and using in in meals. I did pick bunches of it and hung it upside down to dry it as you would an herb to hang around the house. I love the color of it. 🤗
Ah thank you for this wonderful comment 💚 It's an awesome plant to have around and the flowers, once you have harvested the seed to eat, can be user as a natural die, which is a really cool addition to how this plant can be used 🌻
I threw a " love lies bleeding" amaranth seed in the aquaponic system. Most amazing flower and thousands of seeds. Spent hours cleaning it. Those mini celiosa? cockscomb plants are also a type of amaranth, might do well in your amaranth step layers you are planning.. these little beauties as the bottom layer with bright colours highlighting the rest of your plant. Ive popped the amaranth seeds like mini popcorns before but careful they burn easily
Ah that's such a stunning variety as well! Thanks so much for that recommendation. I am going to take you up on that and give it a go next summer season. Thanks for commenting and sharing my love of Amaranth 🌱
This is so helpful! I’m hesitating to start harvest (first time) because they tower over me with such beauty 😍 I feel better able to attend to them after watching. Thank you!!! 🙏
Hey Serena, thanks for your comment and yes, I honestly feel your pain having to give up such beauty for a harvest 🌻 That being said, the superfood crop you can get from it will definitely be worth it. Also super glad to hear you found value in watching this video 🌱
Just shared your video with my 'Gap" year students. There was a character named Amaranth in the text. Now they know a little bit more about the beautiful plant.
Oh wow, that's amazing, thank you for sharing this video 💚 I'm thrilled to hear I have played a small part in their knowledge about edible plants and appreciate you sharing this video with them 🙏🌻
Wow I have learnt so much today, thank you! I grow it but have only been using the leaves, I’m so excited now to have this knowledge re the seeds and will certainly be using them in the ways you’ve suggested. I’m in the Australian tropics so it grows easily in my garden, the dry season is starting so all my last years fallen seeds are sprouting, red and green and I’m so much more excited about that now after seeing your video 🙏🏽💚
Yay, comments like this make me happy 💚 I am so glad you have gained some knowledge from watching my video and that you are now equipped to get even more food from your planting efforts. Wishing you many a great harvest 🌻
So glad to hear it will be back next season! Started a veg garden in Jan and marog came from nowhere and just took over, amazing stuff, the secret of cooking the leaves is to mix with onion and potato that's already cooked, and then enough white pepper and some dairy and don't overcook after the leaves are in. Great video!
Ah, I'm so glad you thought this was a great video 💚 You have given some really solid cooking instructions there and yes, when cooked like this they are delicious and add a lot of nutrients into your dishes 🌻🌻🌻
I removed the amaranth seeds from the stems with my hands and got so many thorn like splinters in my hands. Next time I will use gloves! Thanks for the vid!
Oh wow that's very interesting! Do you perhaps know the variety you grew? That doesn't sound kind a fun time and yeah, gloves will definitely solve the problem. Thanks for your comment and enjoy your Amaranth seed 🌱
My amaranth seeds showed up yesterday 💖 going to be growing the golden giant & Ellens purple amaranth. Super excited, nice upload @MySustainabilityJourney, new subscriber
Oh yaaaay, this is so exciting! The golden giant amaranth variety is a really productive one and adding that purple into the garden is going to add such a wonderful pop of colour. Wishing you all the best for your growing season and I hope this video will help you see your plant through to a successful harvest 🌻🌻🌻
This was an absolutely fascinating, thoroughly informative video. Thank you! I've never tried to grow amaranth in my East Texas garden, but I'm going to try it this year. I appreciate your information.
Im so glad that I found your channel. With El Nino approaching I have been looking at drought resistant crops and cant wait to sow my amaranth seeds. Very informative video. Thank you
Aw, thank you so much for leaving your thoughts. It is comments like yours that keep me motivated to keep sharing content and experiences! I think Amaranth is a really great hot weather, drought resistant crop that is packed with nutrition and delivers quite a decent harvest. Wishing you all the best with the hot growing season ahead 🌻
Redroot pigweed is what I'm going to harvest this year. There is also no mention of the nitrate toxicity levels of leaves in fertilized plots. I also read that there is unknown damages without oxalate crystals present.
Thanks for the video! I planted some amaranth in the backyard to just watch it grow. if these produce seeds I'll gather them, but I'll definitely be using your advice to get some amaranth established long term
Thanks for the comment Brett and so glad to hear you are starting your journey with Amaranth. It's a show stopper in the garden the produces abundantly when left to its own devices. Enjoy them 🌻
I am super excited to find your channel as I am in Somerset West and we are becoming self reliant in our garden and have lots of Marog! We also feed it to my rabbits. Looking forward to working through your channel!
Yay, thank you so much and I am so glad I am able to help out some locals and give some localised learnings and advice 💚 I love that you are taking the step to become more self reliant and this coming year I am going to sharing a lot more sustainable content and actually start an urban sustainability series, which might be super useful for you. Sending lots of luck and joy for your journey that lies ahead 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney I am also doing a lot of lacto fermentation and I have Wheat stored and stone grind my own flour to make bread and corn for cornbread. My two earthworm farms are amazing and we have 3 large compost heaps. My shredder is nearly 20 years old and is awesome for compost making. I also breed meat rabbits and their manure is incredible for the garden and liquid fertilizer. I also make comfrey tea fertilizer. I love this journey!
Great video, we have it here in the UK in abundance & always thought it was a weed, our community allotment is forever pulling it out. Now I know what it is & what to do with it I will be trying it (y)
I grew burgundy amaranth last year and when they came up this spring I put them into containers individually and in clumps. I heard it attracts bad bugs so it can be the sacrificial plant -- I planted them everywhere in my garden beds some I planted pot and all, the others were planted in the soil which did better but not significantly which surprised me. Anyways, I will need to be collecting the seeds before they naturalize everywhere. The chipmunks come and sample them so it's like they show me when they're ready. Thank you for this wonderfully informative video!!!
Ah, thank you for such a positive and wonderful comment 💚 I absolutely love how you are working with nature and using the chipmunks as a sign when your Amaranth is ready to harvest. What a great idea! I must say that Amaranth is not picky about soil conditions and like you, I have found that there is little to no noticeable difference in growth. I also agree with you that they do attract some bad bugs and I found that they are very good at attracting shield bugs. This is great because you just them into soapy water to get rid of them and because they all congregate its a really quick way to reduce pest pressure in the garden. I would love to hear how your havest went 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney I'm learning how to harvest seeds to be able to not rely on seed stores. The abundance of seeds is almost more than exponential with some plants. This will be the first year I've weighed my harvest. This is my 5th garden season here ... I went from a town lot 50'X140' (on the east side of the Rockies), with the house 3/4 of that and 3 driveways, to 6.17 acres on the west side of the Rockies. I refurbished 2 raised beds 5'X15' otherwise I built the gardens from 'scratch'. It's called the Rockies for a reason -- everywhere is rocks!
Thank you so very much 💚 I'm so glad to her that you got value from watching my Amaranth video and I hope you manage to grow lots of it in future growing seasons 🌻
Another of the sudo cereals that is quite good is sorghum, both the sweet used for syrup and the other used like a grain. Also a product originating on the African continent.
I absolutely LOVE Sorghum! One of my favourite meals is Maltabella and I also really like popped sorghum as a cerial - they taste so nutty! They are also incredibly nutritious, much like the other grains like amaranth 🌻
Sorghum is a grass closely related to corn but native to Africa, thus it is a real cereal grain, as all cereal grains are just the seeds of any grass species.
I absolutely love this and you are 100% correct! It ups the nutritional value so much adding this in and combining things like rolled oats and sorghum porridge really makes your body happy. Ancient grains for the win 🌻
Oh nice! Yeah, they are known to sprout up on their own and all over the place if the seeds are not harvested or not harvested in time. That gives the wind enough time to spread the seeds far and wide and they will readily sprout. Hope you get to enjoy the awesomeness of the seeds 🌻
Ah, thanks so much, every subscriber keeps me motivated to keep creating content that hopefully relevant. I am so glad you are giving this great plant a go this year and I hope you have a great time growing it and get a power harvest 🌻
Ah thank you for subscribing, I really appreciate your support 💚 I also love that you are in a similar climate so we can share learnings from opposite sides of the world. Yes, I definitely try to practice permaculture principles as much as I can - it's so important to with with nature and restore as much as we can to create healthy localized ecosystems 🌻
Thanks for this very informative video. Yesterday we harvested half a jar of amaranth seeds that we foraged from the wild. I didnt know you can pop black amaranth seeds. We didn't dry the flower heads since the seeds were falling off everywhere. We still have the plants to dry further so we can get more seeds. We used to buy the white seeds from Spar to use for cereal and pop them. Tried planting the white store bought seeds and it didn't work. Now I will just go and pop the seeds for breakfast and keep some for Spring planting.
It's only a pleasure - I love sharing my growing experiences 🌻 These holes could be from a range of different bugs, so it's to guide on what it could be, but I found a lot of shield bugs on mine. I found it to be okay though because Amaranth is so hardy they caused little damage and the plant could handle it. Hope you get an epic harvest of yummy Amaranth this year!
You can nixtamalize Amaranth too reducing the hardmful antinutrients, unlocking more nutrients, making them more digestable and safer to consume in larger amounts. You can use them like you would corn. I learned this from a fourm post I found.
@@MySustainabilityJourney Look up the Permies forum Amaranth Nixtamal. That's where I found the info and spread the word. I can see amaranth being very important in the future as our climate changes.
Very informational. Amaranth is a beautiful plant and easy to grow although so far I only use it to bring beauty and interest, I hope to give it a try as a food this year!
I'm so glad to hear you are going to venture into using it in the kitchen. The leaves are really tasty and at the end of the season the quinoa like seeds are great addition. I hope you get wonderful harvests this summer 🌻
Oh yum! Those sound like very suitable alternatives and considering Amaranth can also be ground into a flour you can probably mix it in with the flour. Would love to know how it turns out for you 🌻
Yay, I'm so glad you gave it a go and I hope it ended up being a great and useful harvest for you. Super happy to hear this video helped you navigate the Amaranth waters 🌻
Great informative video. Thanks so much. A couple of questions. 1 when you began harvesting you tossed the leaves aside, can we keep those leaves and eat them? Can we eat them raw? Oh, and can we eat the flowers once the seeds are removed? Thanks
It is the greatest of pleasure, Sholeh 🌻 I'm so glad you enjoyed watching it and that you got some value out of this video. Hope you enjoy your lovely Amaranth harvest 🌾
Thank you for this very informative video. I went out and picked some leaves from my Giant Golden Amaranth and sauted them gently. They were delicious, similar to spinach, however within 10 minutes the back of my throat started to burn! Is this usual?
Thank you Ann, I appreciate your feedback a lot 🌱 Wow, I have honestly never heard of that before and yes, the leaves are totally edible and actually highly nutritious compared to spinach. I am no medical expert and would say listen to your body. Nature and plants are incredibly powerful so if something doesn't sit right with you rather don't risk it and look forward to the quinoa style seeds they produce 🌻
Maybe it's oxalates or stuff? We don't grow grain amaranth in my part of Asia but amaranth greens are available and I've never heard complaints about it. Maybe boil it for a bit, throw away the water and then saute it?
It is only a pleasure and I'm so glad you found value in watching this video and thank you for showing your appreciation for the effort that went into making this video 🌻🌻🌻
Really informative video! I grew giant upright burgundy amaranth in two places in my vegetable garden . The big one is about 6-7 feet tall and about 4 feet at it’s widest part in diameter! The other which has less sun grew to a little more than 5 feet tall. I wasn’t sure when to harvest it but I will use the information you had in your video and go check it today !
Thank you so very much and thank you for leaving such a wonderful comment 💚 It sounds like you have some amazing plants there! I have actually just received my order of Giant Amaranth from Bakers Creek and I am so excited to get it growing and hopefully harvest a whole whack of seed! I am glad you now have a better understanding of harvesting and cleaning the seeds and I really hope it helps you get the best out of your crop this year 🌻
Ah thank you so very much for that beautiful comment 💚 I'm so glad you got value out of watching this video and growing Amaranth in your own garden! Wishing you many and massive harvest ahead 🌻
Oh wow, thank you Andrea, this means a lot 🙏 I am actually about to plant out my Indian popping sorghum as they make the most amazing cereal and nutritious popcorn replacement so I will be sure to get a comprehensive video done for this 🌻
Amaranth is a grain that naturally contains oxalic acid. While oxalic acid is not typically harmful when consumed in moderate amounts, if you're looking to reduce its levels in amaranth, you can try cooking it with a mild alkaline substance. One common alkaline substance used in cooking is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Here's a method you can use to cook amaranth with baking soda to potentially reduce oxalic acid levels: 1. Rinse the amaranth: Thoroughly rinse the amaranth grains under running water to remove any impurities. 2. Measure the amaranth and water: Determine the amount of amaranth you want to cook and measure an appropriate amount of water. The ratio is typically 1:2, meaning one part amaranth to two parts water. 3. Add baking soda: For every cup of amaranth, you can add a pinch or a quarter teaspoon of baking soda to the cooking water. This amount is generally sufficient to help neutralize some of the oxalic acid. 4. Cook the amaranth: Place the rinsed amaranth and the water with baking soda in a pot. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the amaranth until it's tender and the water is absorbed, following the package instructions or cooking times specific to your recipe. 5. Rinse and drain: Once the amaranth is cooked, you can choose to rinse it with water to remove any residual baking soda or oxalates. This step is optional, and it may affect the texture and flavor of the cooked grain. Please note that while cooking amaranth with baking soda may help reduce oxalic acid levels, it may also affect the taste and texture of the grain. It's always a good idea to experiment with small batches first and adjust the amount of baking soda to suit your taste preferences. Additionally, if you have specific health concerns or dietary restrictions, it's advisable to consult with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian for personalized advice.
Hey Joseph, thank you so much for taking the time to leave such wonderful insights and advice! It's greatly appreciated and I am sure just as appreciated from my community of followers too 🌻
Oh wow, what a compliment, thank you 💚 Yes, I must say the alternatives to corn are so incredible and I really hope we start seeing more grains like amaranth and sorghum making a comeback 🌻
That's a really good question and I would say yes based on the fact that the entire Amaranth plant is edible. I used the stems in cooked dishes mostly. They are amazing lightly sautéed in garlic butter with the leaves as a creamy spinach replacement on potatoes. Simply delicious! As for tea, I'm not sure about the taste as the stem, leaves, flowers and plant is generally not fragrant and very earthy is flavour so for nutrients yes, but flavour maybe not 😉🌻
Ah thank you so very much Teresa. It's comments like yours that keep me going and motivated to continuously share knowledge and learnings. I hope you continue to get value out of the videos I create 🌻
I grew this last year. Jamaica has a dish called colloloo, with the greens only. It is delicious. My problem last year was bugs that made it not produce. What can I do about the bugs?
Oh nice! I need to give that dish a go, thanks for suggesting it! Yeah, they can sometimes lure in pests and I have seen a lot of shield bugs but I just go out every day and flick them into soapy water.as for other pests I have heard of people covering the heads of seed with brown paper bags as they will still ripen and then cutting them off, bag and all, when the plant has died off. No messing of seed either, so maybe give this option a try? 🌻
During your harvesting, i have a thought to speed it up. Try the juicer for tomato canning. The inverted witches hat, that has the wood driver. Should make that part much easier. Im going to be growing amaranth for the first time this year. I will try it and your method to see which is easier to do.
That sounds like a great suggestion! I would love to hear how your trial goes & what method is the easiest and most effective. Thanks for taking the time to write your comment 🌻
I'm waiting for the seeds of three varieties to arrive now. This will be my first time growing it. I'm vegan and very excited to experiment with a new protein source I can grow at home.
Oh yay, how exciting! Please let me know how you found growing Amaranth yourself and the taste at the end of your growing season? I would love to know 🌻
O get the right root stock..and them maybe it will grow.. I contacted experts over a 3 year period...they are always sold out too. I have seen a cherry tree in north texas. Good luck on the rhubarb
Yeah that's very true! Those little seeds go everywhere and germinate really easily. Luckily they are quite easy to identify and bonus if you love all parts of it. Hope you enjoy your harvests 🌻
Got a late start with some Copperhead. Hoping I can get even 1 meal out of them. Super excited about it, as it's my first time growing them. I started them indoors in those Jiffy peat wafer starter things. I planted between 3 and 5 seeds in each. You mentioned that clumps are a good thing with Amaranth. Does this mean I should not thin them out prior to planting them in the ground?
That sounds like an amazing variety and good stuff on getting them started! Yeah, I would suggest keeping them in those clumps and then space the clumps out nicely. If you want a row you can space them every 6-8 inches but clusters really are beautiful and works well 🌱
You forgot the most important defining feature of a grain! Grains are the seeds of grasses. Amaranth isn’t a grass, thus it is not a grain. Imo, a pretty unimportant distinction in term of nutrition.
You 100% should be cause really are a great addition to the garden! Where you get seeds from very much depends on where you are in the world. I know here I South Africa you can buy them from most online seed retailers but hardly ever at nurseries. I also know there are a lot of options in the US but I'm jot sure of the other parts of the world. I would suggest checking with you local speciality seed companies to see what varieties of Amaranth they have available 🌻
Wow thanks for sharing this video with us! I have just one plant that has come up in one of my pots probably a seed dropped by a bird, I will definitely collect the seeds and hopefully get a few more plants next year! I didn’t know that the leaves, stems and the seed are edible, my plant is very tiny and we are going into Autumn, the days are getting shorter I’m in the UK 🇬🇧 in case you were wondering 😂 I have only just heard about Callaloo and been given 3 little plants by a friend if you have any information about them I would love to hear it please! Take care and God bless you and your family.
Aw, what an amazing comment and thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and questions 💚 If you have one Amaranth plant and it goes to seed then you will have lots in the future as the wind spreads the seed pretty quickly and the seeds overwinter really well, so you should have lots more, which is really exciting! I also didn't know what Calloloo was until I searched it and it turns out is exactly the same plant (Amaranth) except its a Jamaican variety so it will be pretty cool to grow that and see how it turns out. I just got my giant Amaranth seed from Bakers Creek that I'm super excited to plant out! Thanks again for leaving me a comment from the now almost chilly UK. Good luck with the looming winter 🌻
Good question! Nope, they don't if you don't have regular strong winds. Their roots are pretty intense and really strong so they can hold their own pretty well, but when their heads are full of seed then they may become top heavy in stronger winds. A great way to counter this is also to plant in a grouping like you would corn so they can support each other 🌻
Thanks for a really good set of questions! These are really versatile plants. I have seen them growing like weeds at "Edge of Nowhere Farm" and they are in the Arizona desert, I am in a temperate climate and they can grow in very humid environment, so growing them in summer is not an issue. The issue comes in with frosts, which will kill them off. After looking around, it seems like the zones back up the above in that they can grow in anything from zone 2 -11. They most certainly require full sun and they are not picky about soil. They can grow in really poor soils (mine is really sandy) but they will thrive in nutrient rich, loamy compost. The most important thing is to not have a very high nitrogen environment, like most fruiting and flowering plants, otherwise you will end up with a lot of green and not a lot of grain! Thanks again for your questions and I hope I have answered them for you. If you have any more questions, please feel free to drop more comments 🌻
Hey, that's a good question! The biggest thing to consider is how long the growing season is for them and how long it takes for the flowers to mature and dry. I cut mine end summer and left the plants in the ground and they did flower again, but because we were heading into winter the flower heads didn't get very far. I hope this helps? 🌻
Good question! Luckily the answer is simple and that's throughout the growing season 😀 the newest growth is the most tender but the larger leaves are also great to use cooked as a nutritious green 🌻
Good question! You surface sow the seeds in early spring and then you are able to harvest the grains by the end of summer. Amaranth likes dry and hot, which is why I absolutely love it as a grain here with the hot South African summers 🌻
Thanks for leaving me a comment! As far as I know your winters are not freezing like other parts of the US so you probably could if you wanted a really early crop next spring, but they want the summer heat to flower and make nice big heads of seed 🌻
The leaves are they bitter ? Can you eat the leaves raw like in a salad ? The seeds once harvested how long they can store ? How best to store the seeds? Can you grow amaranth in cold climates?
Last year i bought a mixed bag of wild flowers 💐 so the birds could enjoy and now an Amaranth has popped up. Can you say they are a bit invasive? I am in 9a/b Central Florida. 😊 Thanks for the informative video.
Thank you so much for dropping me a comment 🌻 Yes, I tend to agree with you that if you forget to harvest, or harvest too late then the seeds can go everywhere and they will spread like wildfire. Luckily they can easily be removed and they are incredibly nutritious for ani also like chickens and goats if you have those. Super glad to hear you got value from watching this video 💚
I'm an not sure where you are based which will impact where you can get seed. I got mine from Bakers Creek in the US and shipped it to SA. Once you have it you will never need to buy seed again! As for the market I would say your eco mindset and healthy eaters. It's very much in the group of quinoa and chia and as a super food it should be an easy sell. Good luck! 🌻
Do you have any questions about Amaranth that you need answered? Pop your questions below so I can get back to you 🌱
Got bugs on my leaves. Suggestions?
@@dawnmorning do you possibly know which bugs? I know they can attract shield bugs and the best way to get rid of those is lots of walks and flicking them into a tub of soapy water. They are near impossible to get rid of organically. If not them, then please do let me know which bugs you have?
When do you harvest for bouquet making?
@@jenblindert9093 now that is a really good question that I in all honesty do not know the answer to! If I were to guess, in order to give you and answer, I would say once the tassles are at the length you want them, but try make it before they break out in seed as you will have tiny seeds EVERYWHERE. I hope helps a little 🌻
i live in tropical region (temperature between 77-95F), my amaranth is about 3ft tall now turn yellow from a leaf (start with leaf near the root) then continue to all leaves and also the stalk, can it be about too much sun/heat?
thank you
Actually, to grow amaranth, just throw the seeds in the air and let them land. After that, water. The seeds will find themselves a place and grow. I have known this plant for over 50 years. It also has an aroma- once cooked- which makes food more desirable. Delicious.
Yeah I totally agree its as easy as that and once you grow them in the garden once you will always have them as the seeds spread throughout the garden, plus, as you said, they are super tasty and nutritious 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourneyand also high in oxalic acid
@@lilsangardenwo0ow thank you for that.
I do that on a breezy day before or right after a shower from my balcony. I call it "old fart gardening". 😂
Where is this video made? I'm sure you need great soil & loads of sunshine all year long. I'm in N.Y. soon to move South.
I have a patch in a mostly dry waterway in the western TX panhandle. I mow it several times in the Summer to improve the grass. Amaranth come back year after year...it is truly a tough plant!
Yeah I totally agree they are hard as nails and come back year after without fail! It's just a matter of figuring out where you want them because as you said once you have them they are there to stay 🌻
Thank you! This used to be a very popular grain in Russia for centuries until they banned the production of it. A sacred plant in some sense. Great video!
It's only a pleasure and thank you for sharing that really interesting piece of information! So bizarre that they would have banned such a nutritious, abundant and versatile crop... 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney Yes it was banned by Peter the First in 18 century.
Peter the whatever sounds like a real A..hole.
Why did they ban it ?
I can only guess it was perhaps ones ability to survive on it....Tyrants want you to depend on them for food.
This was the most imformative harvesting content we have found. It was magical. Thank you.
Oh wow, what an amazing comment, thank you so much 💚
I'm so glad you found value in watching this video and hopefully you get to harvest lots of Amaranth in years to come 🌻
We grow them in central florida...and omg...easiest most beautiful landscape plant that needs hardly any care. If you water them they get so huge and full. Ours are triple his in 6 mos. We are doing all edible landscape in our yard. Been such a neat experiment.
Oh wow, this is awesome to hear! I must agree that they are probably one of the most impactful edible landscape plants that come in so many different sizes, shapes and colours. Most certainly a topic of conversation with friends and family! I hope you manage to get a good harvest from them to enjoy their nutritious goodness 🌻
Thank you, and greetings from Northern California! I've been growing these as just a beautiful addition to my garden and they all come back as volunteers every year. I knew they were edible but wasn't sure what to do with them! In .y garden, the flowers look like yours but they're upright and the plants are up to 10 to 12 ft tall and they're spectacular! I'm always giving them to my friends because they're so pretty and they will even grow out of a crack in cement! I do need to water mine though, they're not happy if they don't get water, but they really don't need that much maybe it's because I have the kind that are so tall they need more water. Again, thank you for the information! 🌱💚🌱
What an absolutely incredible comment! Thank you for taking the time to write that out and share your Amaranth growing experience with me. It sounds like the variety you are growing are total show stoppers! I hope you continue to get season after season of enjoyment from them 💚🌻
I have had amaranth seeds for probably 3 years and just planted some of them this year . I don’t know WHY I waited so long haha 😆 I must have just been overwhelmed with what I was already planting and trying to keep up with everything and felt this was too much to add in..
I saw the seeds this year and still had that desire to want to plant them so googled a bunch and said ok.. this actually seems easy! Threw some in the ground in a row.. covered with a tiny bit of dirt.. watered… and made sure I checked with my plant app and verified with online pictures to make sure I didn’t forget and think they were weeds and pull the sprouts out..
So far they are about 5 -7 inches tall and looking beautiful! Super excited to let these self seed and grow for years to come and try out new recipes with the leaves and seeds!! ❤
Aw, what a wonderful comment and thank you so much for taking the time to write out your experiences so far and bring across your excitement 💚
I'm glad my video helped you with some inspiration to get your amaranth going and hopefully you get a bumper crop and good harvest 🌻
Love amaranth
It's amazing to see this plant as a harvestable grain while labeled a noxious weed in our monoculture in the midwest! A 'weed' being a plant growing where it is not wanted..
Yeah I totally agree! All over the world it is seen as a weed even though it's incredibly nutritious and the entire plant is edible! So glad this video is getting good visibility so we can share the versatility and benefits of this plant! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment 🌻
Thank you. I will be sure to plant some this spring.i love plants that are both beautiful and edible.
Yaaaay, that's amazing to hear 🌻
Very good info, indeed. My cousin in law has grown some green amaranth in our garden these days. I already collected some leaves and cooked bugulama (a Turk spinach meal). The result was mind blowing! More delicious and satisfying than spinach. When I told her the nutritional value of amaranth she was very surprised and excited, too. Being gluten free - besides all of those incredible nutritions - alone makes this plant special and must have. Regards from Eastern Canada.
Wow, what an amazing comment from the other side of the world! Thank you so much for leaving me a comment 💚
Yeah, Amaranth is highly nutritious and also tasty as you now know. It really is a hidden gem in the veggie garden and a visual show stopper. I hope you are having a good growing season 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney Thank you very much for your very kind words. I inspect and check them everyday along my stinging nettles, purple basils, pepper mints, some other edible wild plants. I am very excited and it gives me happiness each time I see them healthy and growing more everyday. Very best regards, take care. 🌹
You must be a teacher. Thank you for an EXCELLENT presentation.
Oh wow, what an amazing compliment 💚💚💚 thank you so very much! I love sharing information and helping others and it luckily comes quite naturally. I'm not a teacher, but I am a consultant, so I suppose they can both be categorised as teaching, mediating and talking, lots of talking 😁
Greetings from northern Vermont, USA. Thank you for this wonderfully informative video on amaranth. I grew some in my small garden for the first time this year not really knowing what it was. I planted it amongst the sunflowers for the beauty of of it. Next year I will look forward to processing it and using in in meals. I did pick bunches of it and hung it upside down to dry it as you would an herb to hang around the house. I love the color of it. 🤗
Ah thank you for this wonderful comment 💚
It's an awesome plant to have around and the flowers, once you have harvested the seed to eat, can be user as a natural die, which is a really cool addition to how this plant can be used 🌻
The amaranth and sunflower must have looked good growing together
I threw a " love lies bleeding" amaranth seed in the aquaponic system. Most amazing flower and thousands of seeds. Spent hours cleaning it. Those mini celiosa? cockscomb plants are also a type of amaranth, might do well in your amaranth step layers you are planning.. these little beauties as the bottom layer with bright colours highlighting the rest of your plant. Ive popped the amaranth seeds like mini popcorns before but careful they burn easily
Ah that's such a stunning variety as well! Thanks so much for that recommendation. I am going to take you up on that and give it a go next summer season. Thanks for commenting and sharing my love of Amaranth 🌱
Isn't celosia a different family? It was available in the Old World, I wonder why it never took off.
That makes sense! From pictures and videos, amaranth immediately reminded me of celosia.
One of my fav “grains” and plants.
That's amazing to hear and thanks for letting me know 🌻
This is so helpful! I’m hesitating to start harvest (first time) because they tower over me with such beauty 😍 I feel better able to attend to them after watching. Thank you!!! 🙏
Hey Serena, thanks for your comment and yes, I honestly feel your pain having to give up such beauty for a harvest 🌻
That being said, the superfood crop you can get from it will definitely be worth it. Also super glad to hear you found value in watching this video 🌱
I let it grow in my garden last year, and it has taken over my garden this year. I would have loved how to use it but didn't have time.
This is the best amaranth video! Thanks for the knowledge!
Thank you so much and I am thrilled to hear you got value from watching this video 🌻
Just shared your video with my 'Gap" year students. There was a character named Amaranth in the text. Now they know a little bit more about the beautiful plant.
Oh wow, that's amazing, thank you for sharing this video 💚 I'm thrilled to hear I have played a small part in their knowledge about edible plants and appreciate you sharing this video with them 🙏🌻
It's a great product. We grow it in Turkey.
That's great to hear! What varieties do you plant that thrive over there in Turkey?
Wow I have learnt so much today, thank you! I grow it but have only been using the leaves, I’m so excited now to have this knowledge re the seeds and will certainly be using them in the ways you’ve suggested. I’m in the Australian tropics so it grows easily in my garden, the dry season is starting so all my last years fallen seeds are sprouting, red and green and I’m so much more excited about that now after seeing your video 🙏🏽💚
Yay, comments like this make me happy 💚 I am so glad you have gained some knowledge from watching my video and that you are now equipped to get even more food from your planting efforts. Wishing you many a great harvest 🌻
So glad to hear it will be back next season! Started a veg garden in Jan and marog came from nowhere and just took over, amazing stuff, the secret of cooking the leaves is to mix with onion and potato that's already cooked, and then enough white pepper and some dairy and don't overcook after the leaves are in. Great video!
Ah, I'm so glad you thought this was a great video 💚
You have given some really solid cooking instructions there and yes, when cooked like this they are delicious and add a lot of nutrients into your dishes 🌻🌻🌻
I removed the amaranth seeds from the stems with my hands and got so many thorn like splinters in my hands. Next time I will use gloves! Thanks for the vid!
Oh wow that's very interesting! Do you perhaps know the variety you grew? That doesn't sound kind a fun time and yeah, gloves will definitely solve the problem. Thanks for your comment and enjoy your Amaranth seed 🌱
I grew it for the first time this year. I love it.
Oh yaaaay, I'm so glad you gave Amaranth a go and that you enjoy what they have to offer. Wishing you many a successful harvest ahead 🌻🌻🌻
My amaranth seeds showed up yesterday 💖 going to be growing the golden giant & Ellens purple amaranth. Super excited, nice upload @MySustainabilityJourney, new subscriber
Oh yaaaay, this is so exciting! The golden giant amaranth variety is a really productive one and adding that purple into the garden is going to add such a wonderful pop of colour. Wishing you all the best for your growing season and I hope this video will help you see your plant through to a successful harvest 🌻🌻🌻
This was an absolutely fascinating, thoroughly informative video. Thank you! I've never tried to grow amaranth in my East Texas garden, but I'm going to try it this year. I appreciate your information.
What a beautiful comment, thank you so much and I hope you get to enjoy them in your garden this summer 💚🌻
Greeks love amaranth greens. We boil them and then serve them with olive oil lemon juice, garlic and a little salt. Delicious!
Oh wow that sounds absolutely incredible and I am most certainly going to have to give this one a try, thank you for sharing 🌻
Thanks from Texas
Im so glad that I found your channel. With El Nino approaching I have been looking at drought resistant crops and cant wait to sow my amaranth seeds. Very informative video. Thank you
Aw, thank you so much for leaving your thoughts. It is comments like yours that keep me motivated to keep sharing content and experiences!
I think Amaranth is a really great hot weather, drought resistant crop that is packed with nutrition and delivers quite a decent harvest. Wishing you all the best with the hot growing season ahead 🌻
Redroot pigweed is what I'm going to harvest this year. There is also no mention of the nitrate toxicity levels of leaves in fertilized plots. I also read that there is unknown damages without oxalate crystals present.
Interesting! I have not heard of these issues before so I will look into it 🌻
Wow so informative! I have some
Lovely giant upright red amaranth in my garden this season - I’m going to harvest it using this knowledge - thank you!
Thank so much Teresa 🌻 So glad to hear you found value in watching this video and let me know how your harvest goes + how it tasted!
Thank you, one more addition to my garden 🙏🏾
Yay, I'm so glad to hear you love them and are going to get them into your garden too - they are spectacular plants to have around 🌻
Very excellent incite into the wonderful Amaranth plant.
Thank you so very much. I am really happy to hear you got value out of watching this video 🌻
Great info. Hard to find start to finish tutorial like this!
Hey James, thanks so much for your wonderful comment, it is greatly appreciated and I'm glad you found value in watching this video 🌻
Thanks for the video! I planted some amaranth in the backyard to just watch it grow. if these produce seeds I'll gather them, but I'll definitely be using your advice to get some amaranth established long term
Thanks for the comment Brett and so glad to hear you are starting your journey with Amaranth. It's a show stopper in the garden the produces abundantly when left to its own devices. Enjoy them 🌻
I planted it one year, 2 yrs later, volunteers keep popping up. I let them grow and enjoy their beauty
I am super excited to find your channel as I am in Somerset West and we are becoming self reliant in our garden and have lots of Marog! We also feed it to my rabbits. Looking forward to working through your channel!
Yay, thank you so much and I am so glad I am able to help out some locals and give some localised learnings and advice 💚
I love that you are taking the step to become more self reliant and this coming year I am going to sharing a lot more sustainable content and actually start an urban sustainability series, which might be super useful for you.
Sending lots of luck and joy for your journey that lies ahead 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney I am also doing a lot of lacto fermentation and I have Wheat stored and stone grind my own flour to make bread and corn for cornbread. My two earthworm farms are amazing and we have 3 large compost heaps. My shredder is nearly 20 years old and is awesome for compost making. I also breed meat rabbits and their manure is incredible for the garden and liquid fertilizer. I also make comfrey tea fertilizer. I love this journey!
Great video, we have it here in the UK in abundance & always thought it was a weed, our community allotment is forever pulling it out. Now I know what it is & what to do with it I will be trying it (y)
I'm so glad you got some value out of watching video and that you can hopefully get to enjoy it's nutritional and tasty goodness soon 🌻
I grew burgundy amaranth last year and when they came up this spring I put them into containers individually and in clumps. I heard it attracts bad bugs so it can be the sacrificial plant -- I planted them everywhere in my garden beds some I planted pot and all, the others were planted in the soil which did better but not significantly which surprised me. Anyways, I will need to be collecting the seeds before they naturalize everywhere. The chipmunks come and sample them so it's like they show me when they're ready.
Thank you for this wonderfully informative video!!!
Ah, thank you for such a positive and wonderful comment 💚
I absolutely love how you are working with nature and using the chipmunks as a sign when your Amaranth is ready to harvest. What a great idea!
I must say that Amaranth is not picky about soil conditions and like you, I have found that there is little to no noticeable difference in growth. I also agree with you that they do attract some bad bugs and I found that they are very good at attracting shield bugs. This is great because you just them into soapy water to get rid of them and because they all congregate its a really quick way to reduce pest pressure in the garden.
I would love to hear how your havest went 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney I'm learning how to harvest seeds to be able to not rely on seed stores. The abundance of seeds is almost more than exponential with some plants.
This will be the first year I've weighed my harvest. This is my 5th garden season here ... I went from a town lot 50'X140' (on the east side of the Rockies), with the house 3/4 of that and 3 driveways, to 6.17 acres on the west side of the Rockies. I refurbished 2 raised beds 5'X15' otherwise I built the gardens from 'scratch'. It's called the Rockies for a reason -- everywhere is rocks!
Excellent video!
Thank you so very much and I'm thrilled to hear you found value in watching this video 🌻
EXCELLENT Video!! All the info in one place!
Thank you so very much 💚 I'm so glad to her that you got value from watching my Amaranth video and I hope you manage to grow lots of it in future growing seasons 🌻
Another of the sudo cereals that is quite good is sorghum, both the sweet used for syrup and the other used like a grain. Also a product originating on the African continent.
I absolutely LOVE Sorghum! One of my favourite meals is Maltabella and I also really like popped sorghum as a cerial - they taste so nutty! They are also incredibly nutritious, much like the other grains like amaranth 🌻
Sorghum is a grass closely related to corn but native to Africa, thus it is a real cereal grain, as all cereal grains are just the seeds of any grass species.
Amaranth and corn flour when mixed the minerals doubles so this ingredients I used today as my dinner and it is delicious 😊
I absolutely love this and you are 100% correct! It ups the nutritional value so much adding this in and combining things like rolled oats and sorghum porridge really makes your body happy. Ancient grains for the win 🌻
it just grew on its own. looking forward to use the seeds
Oh nice! Yeah, they are known to sprout up on their own and all over the place if the seeds are not harvested or not harvested in time. That gives the wind enough time to spread the seeds far and wide and they will readily sprout. Hope you get to enjoy the awesomeness of the seeds 🌻
subscribed
Ah, thanks so much, every subscriber keeps me motivated to keep creating content that hopefully relevant. I am so glad you are giving this great plant a go this year and I hope you have a great time growing it and get a power harvest 🌻
Good video! I subscribed immediately. Here in California we have similar weather to you. Plus, I loved that you mentioned Permaculture.
Ah thank you for subscribing, I really appreciate your support 💚
I also love that you are in a similar climate so we can share learnings from opposite sides of the world. Yes, I definitely try to practice permaculture principles as much as I can - it's so important to with with nature and restore as much as we can to create healthy localized ecosystems 🌻
Thanks for this very informative video. Yesterday we harvested half a jar of amaranth seeds that we foraged from the wild. I didnt know you can pop black amaranth seeds. We didn't dry the flower heads since the seeds were falling off everywhere. We still have the plants to dry further so we can get more seeds. We used to buy the white seeds from Spar to use for cereal and pop them. Tried planting the white store bought seeds and it didn't work. Now I will just go and pop the seeds for breakfast and keep some for Spring planting.
Ah what an awesome comment, thank you for sharing 💚
I hope you manage to grow lots in spring and enjoy the fiest that follows 🌻
Thank you. This was my first year growing it. It has beautiful blooms but all of my leaves have holes from some kind of bug.
It's only a pleasure - I love sharing my growing experiences 🌻
These holes could be from a range of different bugs, so it's to guide on what it could be, but I found a lot of shield bugs on mine. I found it to be okay though because Amaranth is so hardy they caused little damage and the plant could handle it.
Hope you get an epic harvest of yummy Amaranth this year!
You can nixtamalize Amaranth too reducing the hardmful antinutrients, unlocking more nutrients, making them more digestable and safer to consume in larger amounts. You can use them like you would corn. I learned this from a fourm post I found.
This is very interesting, thanks for sharing! I will most certainly read up about this process 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney Look up the Permies forum Amaranth Nixtamal. That's where I found the info and spread the word. I can see amaranth being very important in the future as our climate changes.
Thanks so much, I definitely will and thanks for sharing that resource to find out more 🌻
Very informational. Amaranth is a beautiful plant and easy to grow although so far I only use it to bring beauty and interest, I hope to give it a try as a food this year!
I'm so glad to hear you are going to venture into using it in the kitchen. The leaves are really tasty and at the end of the season the quinoa like seeds are great addition. I hope you get wonderful harvests this summer 🌻
Looks like amaranth could also replace poppy seeds as a bread or bagel topping, maybe even replacing poppy seeds in a lemon poppy muffin.
Oh yum! Those sound like very suitable alternatives and considering Amaranth can also be ground into a flour you can probably mix it in with the flour. Would love to know how it turns out for you 🌻
Quite informative. Thanks.
Thank you and I am glad to hear you got some value out of watching it 🌻
Fry the leaves in bacon grease... a tiny bit of garlic salt, and top with some parmesan = tastes like filet mignon
Oh wow that sounds YUM 🌻
Try Egyptian spinach (Jute, Molokhia). I think it would grow well there. It's delicious.
Thanks so much for that suggestion and with our summer planning on the go I'll add these into the mix and give them a go 🌻
Thank you, my first time planting Amaranth, and wasn't sure how to harvest it.
Yay, I'm so glad you gave it a go and I hope it ended up being a great and useful harvest for you. Super happy to hear this video helped you navigate the Amaranth waters 🌻
I appreciate your knowledge
I really appreciate your comment, thank you 💚
Great informative video. Thanks so much. A couple of questions.
1 when you began harvesting you tossed the leaves aside, can we keep those leaves and eat them? Can we eat them raw? Oh, and can we eat the flowers once the seeds are removed? Thanks
This video was awesome and so helpful thank you so much I'm preparing and cooking some right now. 😍🤩🙌🙌💜💜
It is the greatest of pleasure, Sholeh 🌻 I'm so glad you enjoyed watching it and that you got some value out of this video. Hope you enjoy your lovely Amaranth harvest 🌾
Thank you for this very informative video. I went out and picked some leaves from my Giant Golden Amaranth and sauted them gently. They were delicious, similar to spinach, however within 10 minutes the back of my throat started to burn! Is this usual?
Thank you Ann, I appreciate your feedback a lot 🌱
Wow, I have honestly never heard of that before and yes, the leaves are totally edible and actually highly nutritious compared to spinach.
I am no medical expert and would say listen to your body. Nature and plants are incredibly powerful so if something doesn't sit right with you rather don't risk it and look forward to the quinoa style seeds they produce 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney Thanks, looking forward to the seeds.
Maybe it's oxalates or stuff? We don't grow grain amaranth in my part of Asia but amaranth greens are available and I've never heard complaints about it. Maybe boil it for a bit, throw away the water and then saute it?
Are the backs of leaves a bit prickly like nettles? Never heard of this!
Great video, very informative thank you! Your pup is my favourite part!
Ah, thank you 💚 she is an absolute princess! In winter she sleeps under the duvet with her head on the pillow... 😂
Thanks you for sharing this…..well done for your time and effort of explaining this for us be blessed
It is only a pleasure and I'm so glad you found value in watching this video and thank you for showing your appreciation for the effort that went into making this video 🌻🌻🌻
You put work in with this video. Well done & thanks!
Aw, thank you so much 💚 it's comments like yours that keep me motivated to keep going and keep sharing my knowledge and experiences with you 🌻🌻🌻
Really informative video!
I grew giant upright burgundy amaranth in two places in my vegetable garden .
The big one is about 6-7 feet tall and about 4 feet at it’s widest part in diameter!
The other which has less sun grew to a little more than 5 feet tall.
I wasn’t sure when to harvest it but I will use the information you had in your video and go check it today !
Thank you so very much and thank you for leaving such a wonderful comment 💚
It sounds like you have some amazing plants there! I have actually just received my order of Giant Amaranth from Bakers Creek and I am so excited to get it growing and hopefully harvest a whole whack of seed!
I am glad you now have a better understanding of harvesting and cleaning the seeds and I really hope it helps you get the best out of your crop this year 🌻
Great information on this amazing nutrient dense food…as well as beautiful..thank you for sharing your knowledge and time…stay blessed
Ah thank you so very much for that beautiful comment 💚
I'm so glad you got value out of watching this video and growing Amaranth in your own garden! Wishing you many and massive harvest ahead 🌻
Amaranthine Sunset!
Beautiful isn't it! 🌻
Thank you for sharing!
It is only a pleasure and thank you for leaving a comment 🌻
This is the best video I have seen on Amaranth. Thank you!
Do you hae a video on Sorghum?
Oh wow, thank you Andrea, this means a lot 🙏
I am actually about to plant out my Indian popping sorghum as they make the most amazing cereal and nutritious popcorn replacement so I will be sure to get a comprehensive video done for this 🌻
Because you mentioned South Africa I'm definitely subscribing ❤
Ah, thank you so much 💚
i never know that the seeds can be eaten too 😮
thanks for the valuable information
It is the greatest of pleasure and I so happy to hear you learnt something new and hopefully valuable 🌻
Amaranth is a grain that naturally contains oxalic acid. While oxalic acid is not typically harmful when consumed in moderate amounts, if you're looking to reduce its levels in amaranth, you can try cooking it with a mild alkaline substance. One common alkaline substance used in cooking is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).
Here's a method you can use to cook amaranth with baking soda to potentially reduce oxalic acid levels:
1. Rinse the amaranth: Thoroughly rinse the amaranth grains under running water to remove any impurities.
2. Measure the amaranth and water: Determine the amount of amaranth you want to cook and measure an appropriate amount of water. The ratio is typically 1:2, meaning one part amaranth to two parts water.
3. Add baking soda: For every cup of amaranth, you can add a pinch or a quarter teaspoon of baking soda to the cooking water. This amount is generally sufficient to help neutralize some of the oxalic acid.
4. Cook the amaranth: Place the rinsed amaranth and the water with baking soda in a pot. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the amaranth until it's tender and the water is absorbed, following the package instructions or cooking times specific to your recipe.
5. Rinse and drain: Once the amaranth is cooked, you can choose to rinse it with water to remove any residual baking soda or oxalates. This step is optional, and it may affect the texture and flavor of the cooked grain.
Please note that while cooking amaranth with baking soda may help reduce oxalic acid levels, it may also affect the taste and texture of the grain. It's always a good idea to experiment with small batches first and adjust the amount of baking soda to suit your taste preferences.
Additionally, if you have specific health concerns or dietary restrictions, it's advisable to consult with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian for personalized advice.
Hey Joseph, thank you so much for taking the time to leave such wonderful insights and advice! It's greatly appreciated and I am sure just as appreciated from my community of followers too 🌻
Does baking soda work with any food high in oxlalates?
I an sure that a lot of farmers nearby who are getting tired of growing Canola crop may be interested in this video.
Oh wow, what a compliment, thank you 💚 Yes, I must say the alternatives to corn are so incredible and I really hope we start seeing more grains like amaranth and sorghum making a comeback 🌻
Can you make a tea with the florets? Red things are really nutritious!
That's a really good question and I would say yes based on the fact that the entire Amaranth plant is edible. I used the stems in cooked dishes mostly. They are amazing lightly sautéed in garlic butter with the leaves as a creamy spinach replacement on potatoes. Simply delicious!
As for tea, I'm not sure about the taste as the stem, leaves, flowers and plant is generally not fragrant and very earthy is flavour so for nutrients yes, but flavour maybe not 😉🌻
Such a wonderful video I am immediately subscribed thank you so much looking forward to many more
Ah thank you so very much Teresa. It's comments like yours that keep me going and motivated to continuously share knowledge and learnings.
I hope you continue to get value out of the videos I create 🌻
I grew this last year. Jamaica has a dish called colloloo, with the greens only. It is delicious. My problem last year was bugs that made it not produce. What can I do about the bugs?
Oh nice! I need to give that dish a go, thanks for suggesting it!
Yeah, they can sometimes lure in pests and I have seen a lot of shield bugs but I just go out every day and flick them into soapy water.as for other pests I have heard of people covering the heads of seed with brown paper bags as they will still ripen and then cutting them off, bag and all, when the plant has died off. No messing of seed either, so maybe give this option a try? 🌻
During your harvesting, i have a thought to speed it up. Try the juicer for tomato canning. The inverted witches hat, that has the wood driver. Should make that part much easier. Im going to be growing amaranth for the first time this year. I will try it and your method to see which is easier to do.
That sounds like a great suggestion! I would love to hear how your trial goes & what method is the easiest and most effective. Thanks for taking the time to write your comment 🌻
I'm waiting for the seeds of three varieties to arrive now. This will be my first time growing it. I'm vegan and very excited to experiment with a new protein source I can grow at home.
Oh yay, how exciting!
Please let me know how you found growing Amaranth yourself and the taste at the end of your growing season? I would love to know 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney Absolutely!
Wonderful, informative video btw...thank you
Thank you very much and I am so glad you found this video informative 🌻
O get the right root stock..and them maybe it will grow..
I contacted experts over a 3 year period...they are always sold out too.
I have seen a cherry tree in north texas.
Good luck on the rhubarb
Thank you 🌻
Thank you so much
It's only my pleasure and I'm glad you found value in watching this video 🌻
Very interesting plant.
Amaranth really is an amazing plant to grow 🌱
After harvest,can the rest of the plant be used for silage?
Absolutely! They make a great feed and green manure 🌻
Wonderful! Thank you! I am converting my mini farm to pre industrial, victorian age practices and methods. This is very useful!!!
Becomes a weed if you aren't careful :) I have red amarynth all through the garden from 1 planting.
Yeah that's very true! Those little seeds go everywhere and germinate really easily. Luckily they are quite easy to identify and bonus if you love all parts of it. Hope you enjoy your harvests 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney The chickens love it and they are really pretty. I leave some here and there and those I pull out get munched. :)
Very informative. Keep it up
Thank you so very much 💚 It's comments like this that keep me motivated to continue creating content and sharing experiences 🌻
Got a late start with some Copperhead. Hoping I can get even 1 meal out of them. Super excited about it, as it's my first time growing them.
I started them indoors in those Jiffy peat wafer starter things. I planted between 3 and 5 seeds in each. You mentioned that clumps are a good thing with Amaranth. Does this mean I should not thin them out prior to planting them in the ground?
That sounds like an amazing variety and good stuff on getting them started!
Yeah, I would suggest keeping them in those clumps and then space the clumps out nicely. If you want a row you can space them every 6-8 inches but clusters really are beautiful and works well 🌱
You forgot the most important defining feature of a grain! Grains are the seeds of grasses. Amaranth isn’t a grass, thus it is not a grain. Imo, a pretty unimportant distinction in term of nutrition.
Good point and I'll add that to my follow up video with a bunch of other useful questions and requests I have received 🌻
What is the name of amaranth in your video. It looks easy to harvest.
It's called dreadlocks 🌻 hope you manage to get to grow your own amaranth I. The near future!
Would love to try growing it. Where can I find seeds?
You 100% should be cause really are a great addition to the garden! Where you get seeds from very much depends on where you are in the world. I know here I South Africa you can buy them from most online seed retailers but hardly ever at nurseries. I also know there are a lot of options in the US but I'm jot sure of the other parts of the world. I would suggest checking with you local speciality seed companies to see what varieties of Amaranth they have available 🌻
Wow thanks for sharing this video with us! I have just one plant that has come up in one of my pots probably a seed dropped by a bird, I will definitely collect the seeds and hopefully get a few more plants next year! I didn’t know that the leaves, stems and the seed are edible, my plant is very tiny and we are going into Autumn, the days are getting shorter I’m in the UK 🇬🇧 in case you were wondering 😂 I have only just heard about Callaloo and been given 3 little plants by a friend if you have any information about them I would love to hear it please! Take care and God bless you and your family.
Aw, what an amazing comment and thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and questions 💚
If you have one Amaranth plant and it goes to seed then you will have lots in the future as the wind spreads the seed pretty quickly and the seeds overwinter really well, so you should have lots more, which is really exciting!
I also didn't know what Calloloo was until I searched it and it turns out is exactly the same plant (Amaranth) except its a Jamaican variety so it will be pretty cool to grow that and see how it turns out. I just got my giant Amaranth seed from Bakers Creek that I'm super excited to plant out!
Thanks again for leaving me a comment from the now almost chilly UK. Good luck with the looming winter 🌻
Does it need stakes or a support?
Good question! Nope, they don't if you don't have regular strong winds. Their roots are pretty intense and really strong so they can hold their own pretty well, but when their heads are full of seed then they may become top heavy in stronger winds. A great way to counter this is also to plant in a grouping like you would corn so they can support each other 🌻
excellent
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed watching this video 🌻
Where do these primarily grow. What type of soil is needed. Do they need full sun. Last but not least what type of a zone
Thanks for a really good set of questions! These are really versatile plants. I have seen them growing like weeds at "Edge of Nowhere Farm" and they are in the Arizona desert, I am in a temperate climate and they can grow in very humid environment, so growing them in summer is not an issue. The issue comes in with frosts, which will kill them off.
After looking around, it seems like the zones back up the above in that they can grow in anything from zone 2 -11.
They most certainly require full sun and they are not picky about soil. They can grow in really poor soils (mine is really sandy) but they will thrive in nutrient rich, loamy compost. The most important thing is to not have a very high nitrogen environment, like most fruiting and flowering plants, otherwise you will end up with a lot of green and not a lot of grain!
Thanks again for your questions and I hope I have answered them for you. If you have any more questions, please feel free to drop more comments 🌻
How many times you can cut it?
Hey, that's a good question! The biggest thing to consider is how long the growing season is for them and how long it takes for the flowers to mature and dry. I cut mine end summer and left the plants in the ground and they did flower again, but because we were heading into winter the flower heads didn't get very far. I hope this helps? 🌻
What about grinding the seeds to make a flour ?
That's a really good shout and yes, that would be really good use of them to add a lot of nutrients into your breads. Will have to give this a try 🌻
When is the best time to harvest the amaranth leaves to eat?
Good question! Luckily the answer is simple and that's throughout the growing season 😀 the newest growth is the most tender but the larger leaves are also great to use cooked as a nutritious green 🌻
Hey, can u grow Amaranth from store bought seed? 🙂
You certainly can, however, you just won't know what you getting in terms of size or colour, but I guess that can be part of the excitement 😂
@@MySustainabilityJourney Haha I hope to find some in the supermarkets around since its also a bit hard to find Amaranth in Bulgaria 😅
When can I seed the Amaranth to soil ? And when can I harvest it ?
Good question! You surface sow the seeds in early spring and then you are able to harvest the grains by the end of summer. Amaranth likes dry and hot, which is why I absolutely love it as a grain here with the hot South African summers 🌻
💞🕊️🌎🕯️🌱. Thanks
Yay, it's only a pleasure 🌻
Cam you start deeds in fall in Florida?
Thanks for leaving me a comment! As far as I know your winters are not freezing like other parts of the US so you probably could if you wanted a really early crop next spring, but they want the summer heat to flower and make nice big heads of seed 🌻
The leaves are they bitter ? Can you eat the leaves raw like in a salad ? The seeds once harvested how long they can store ? How best to store the seeds? Can you grow amaranth in cold climates?
Last year i bought a mixed bag of wild flowers 💐 so the birds could enjoy and now an Amaranth has popped up. Can you say they are a bit invasive? I am in 9a/b Central Florida. 😊 Thanks for the informative video.
Thank you so much for dropping me a comment 🌻
Yes, I tend to agree with you that if you forget to harvest, or harvest too late then the seeds can go everywhere and they will spread like wildfire. Luckily they can easily be removed and they are incredibly nutritious for ani also like chickens and goats if you have those.
Super glad to hear you got value from watching this video 💚
If I’m a farmer, who is my market or where can I get the market for Amaranth?
I'm an not sure where you are based which will impact where you can get seed. I got mine from Bakers Creek in the US and shipped it to SA. Once you have it you will never need to buy seed again!
As for the market I would say your eco mindset and healthy eaters. It's very much in the group of quinoa and chia and as a super food it should be an easy sell. Good luck! 🌻
Grind the entire flower into a red flour no need to remove the seeds
Interesting! I've never heard of this being done before so I will definitely give it a try 🌻