12/7/2023 0 Comments Amaranth variety house flipperAmaranth is a wonderfully versatile plant that’s a beautiful flower, a delicious vegetable, and a nutritious grain all in one. In other words, it’s the ideal plant for edible landscaping. You often hear amaranth called an ancient grain because it was once grown and harvested by Aztec and Inca civilizations. Technically, while we think of amaranth as one, it’s not related to true grains such as corn or wheat. Amaranth is related to spinach and swiss chard. I first started growing amaranth because I was taking the plant’s vibrant red flowers to the farmers market. Then one year, time got away from me, and the flowers went to seed. My family and I had so much fun popping the seeds and adding them to cookies that I decided to grow the plant for food as well. The flowers themselves can be 2-feet tall and are a brilliant burgundy color. They’re perfect as the centerpiece in bouquets. Humans aren’t the only ones who love the flowers. Amaranth attracts bees and butterflies as well.Īs a food, the seeds make a delicious grain substitute that is gluten-free and packed with protein. The leaves make a nutty, sweet alternative to kale. If you have livestock, your chickens and hogs will also appreciate your growing amaranth.ĭifferent species of amaranth will produce different qualities of leaves, flowers or seeds. Burgundy ( Amaranthus hypochondriacus) – This is an all-around variety that has tender young leaves for salads and grows six feet tall to produce a stunning crop of flowers.There are over 70 different varieties, so there are plenty of options depending on your goals. It matures in 50 days for a salad crop and 90-100 days for flowers and seeds. Love Lies Bleeding ( Amaranthus caudatus) – This variety is primarily ornamental, but you can still eat it.Burgundy also makes a nice microgreen with a subtly sweet flavor. The flower blooms in a cascading waterfall of color. ![]() Plainsman ( Amaranth hypochondriacus x hybridus) – This is a popular commercial variety you should pick if your goal is to harvest the grain.You may think of the birds as pests, but if you enjoy feeding your local songbirds, such as goldfinches, this is a great variety for them. It grows 5-6 feet tall with a single, unbranched stem which was developed for mechanical harvesting. Opopeo Amaranth Grain ( Amaranthus cruentus) – This is my favorite variety because it is easy to grow and versatile.The maroon flowers are not as colorful as some other varieties. Opopeo takes 65 days to flower and 125 days to produce seed. It can also be used for leaf production until the plant is 2 feet tall. Mercado ( Amaranthaceae Amaranthus hypochondriacus) – This variety takes a long time to mature, at least 125 days, but apple-green seedheads yield a particularly tasty seed.After that the leaves get bitter, and you can let the plant go to seed. Joseph’s Coat ( Amaranthus tricolor) – Joseph’s Coat is known for its stunning foliage, which develops into a tri-color riot of red, yellow and green.It will self-seed and return if you let it. Juana’s Orange ( Amaranthus cruentus) – Pick this variety if you want a taste of an heirloom seed preserved by a woman and her family in Guatemala.The blossoms are fairly innocuous, so don’t pick this variety if you want showy flowers.
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