Lots more info on Amaranth and seeds.

TAC or anyone else have any growing and anything to post?

 

Well that sucks. Maybe some of the other people I sent them to will post as the season goes on.

 

Big Amaranth update

In just under 2 months here is my Amaranth.

All pics that follow are the tallest of each.
I started seeds inside and outside most of the inside starters are doing best.


ROW#1 Love-Lies-Bleeding at 12", only two plants are still alive of the inside starters.

Row#2 Molten Fire one small weak looking 2" plant... No Picture

Row 3 Elephant Head at 16", only four plants still alive of the inside starters.


Row 4 Red Garnet at 31" this is the 2nd best with five good inside starters, and two very small outside.


Row 5 Russian River Merlot THE BEST at 4' 11" WOW! Ten great plants from inside start, and five Ok from outside.


Row 6 Golden Giant at 19.5" is the only inside starter, with seven outside starters under 7".


Row 7 Red Leaf-Grain only one inside at 16", and nine outside with tallest being 13". This one has done the best planted directly in the dirt outside.


Row 8-9 Marvel Bronze at 20" all Eight plants are outside planting, because none from the inside sprouted.



Side note Red leaf Calaloo in part of row seven did not grow. Only two small weak 1" plants alive.

 

Updated pics from my last pic post 2.5 weeks ago. The heat wave we have been having has made a great improvement in everything growing. Almost all of these plants are 9.5 and 6.5 weeks old, with the exception of a few that did not make it and were planted again. I am growing all 6 varieties that I posted about on the first page. Two of the red varieties are the fastest growers, Burgundy number one and then Hopi Red Dye.

 

Mountianman, have you eaten any yet?
I ate some of the leaves raw, in salad, and it tasted very healthy.
I boiled some of the same leaves and it tasted great.

 

I found another source for alot of Amaranth, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. The most at one web site of heirloom Amranth, that I had found. I went ahead and ordered more seeds for next year, because you never know if we can buy them next year. I bought from them more Golden Giant, Green Calaloo, Miriah, Orange Giant, Thai Ruby, Thai RW Tender.

I will be growing alot more next year!

 

Have not eaten any yet. What variety did you eat? Tac had a post about not eating the leaves or seeds raw on the first page, but the link about it does not work now. Must not be fatal, your still around, ha ha. Found it:

LEAVES
"The presence of rather high amounts of oxalic acid and nitrates places some limitation on the quantity of amaranth
leaves that can be consumed daily. The amount of oxalic acid is roughly the same as that found in spinach and
chard. Excessive amounts (over 100 g per day?) may result in a level of oxalic acid that begins to reduce the
availability of calcium in humans. This is especially a concern if calcium intake levels are low to begin with.
Nitrate in vegetable portions of amaranth is a concern because it is hypothesized that nitrates may be chemically
changed in our digestive tracts into poisonous nitrosamines. Evidence for this is lacking at the present time.
Nevertheless, over 100 g per day may be an unsafe amount to eat, according to scientists. Boiling the leaves like
spinach, then discarding the water reduces the levels of both oxalic acid and nitrates."

SEEDS
"We phoned Dr. Cheeke to get his perspective on the seriousness of these negative results. He told us that there are
definitely toxins and/or anti-nutritional factors in the raw grain, and that it is less of a problem with cooked grain.
He said that a scientist in Australia had been feeding raw amaranth seed to poultry as the major component of the
diet. He found that chickens went into spasms, convulsions, and finally died. This unidentified factor causes liver
damage. Other problems are caused by saponins, including unpalatability. But to keep this in perspective, Dr.
Cheeke pointed out that there are few raw foodstuffs that do not have problems. Raw soybeans contain 10 kinds of
toxins. Raw kidney beans will kill rats, but cooking eliminates the problem. The key seems to be to use the grain
in moderate amounts, and to cook it. We asked whether we could say that there would be no problem unless people
had little other than amaranth to eat. He thought that this was probably a fair statement. It is our opinion that more
research needs to be done before we can recommend amaranth grain as a major ingredient in animal feed. To our
knowledge it has not been shown whether these factors decrease the value of amaranth in human nutrition. Until
more work is done, however, the feeding trial results must moderate our otherwise enthusiastic promotion of grain
amaranth."

Does not look like a real issue unless you go overboard eating it.

 

I ate the Russian River Merlot, as two or three plants grew in each spot. So as I thined the weeker plants, I ate them. I have eaten a small amount of the other types but just a leaf here and there. They taste close to the same raw.

I have read alot about eating Amaranth. I do not have a problem eating the leaves raw, but I think I will always cook the seeds. You have to decide for yourself.

I plan on trying to eat the stalks, as the whole plant can be eaten, and the stalks on my Russian River Merlot is about 2" in diameter. I just wonder how to cook it so it taste good. I have not tried it yet.

 

07/30/10

Ok every plant is taking off. In one week my tallest plant of 4' 11" is now 6' 6". Here is my 4' 5" daughter.

 

Oh I thought I would mention that I have not used any fertilizers, or pesticides. I just picked a place in the corner of my property and rototilled the grass, and planted.

 

Will deer munch on the stuff?

I'd like to plant this at our (future) retreat. Amaranth tends to self seed, so I won't have to return every spring to re-plant and I'll always have a standby food source.

It would be an added benefit if they attracted deer!

 

I do not have the answer to that.

I live in a subdivision, and there are not many deer in it, but there are some. None have been to my Amaranth.

Anyone else have a deer problem?

 

The raised beds have purchased soil in them and the plants had Miracle Grow 2 weeks ago. No pesticides used so far but something likes chewing on the leaves. The insect population is at a minimum because of the 14 guinea and 14 chickens that we have outside of the fenced garden area.

 

All the plants this year are in a fenced off area, but last year I had some planted behind the back of the house and the deer and elk did not bother it at all. Sorry for the bad news about attracting walking protein but at least you should not have to worry about them eating your food crop.

 

Ok. thanks.

 

The Hopi Red Dye is the fastest maturing with good size seed heads on them already. The 10.5 week old plants are only 3 feet tall, but that is my fault because I did not thin them out and there are 2 to 3 plants together in each spot. I plan on cutting some of the bottom leaves off soon to make a salad and will report back.

 

Bigger

Getting bigger, and seeds forming. Tallest is 8,6".

 

Well I thought I would give a picture update. This is Sep 4th 2010, and some look close to harvest time.