{"id":821,"date":"2019-08-27T22:36:57","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T22:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=821"},"modified":"2019-10-07T02:21:05","modified_gmt":"2019-10-07T02:21:05","slug":"amaranth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/27\/amaranth\/","title":{"rendered":"Amaranth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Amaranthus<\/em> <\/em>species<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: In North America the amaranths are most familiar as weeds of\ndisturbed places and are particularly common in the rich soil of vegetable\ngardens (is there an American vegetable garden that doesn\u2019t have at least one\nkind of pigweed?) We really should pay a bit more attention to them though, as\namaranth can provide not one, but two valuable crops; it can be grown either\nfor its seed or for its leaves. In other parts of the world they are important\ncrop plants and they could be here too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is estimated that amaranth has been cultivated for at least\n9000 years, which would make it one of the oldest crops in the world. It\nreached its greatest popularity in its native South and Central America and up\nuntil the arrival of the Spanish in the 15th<\/sup> century it was a staple\ngrain crop. Due to its use in various religious rituals the Spaniards\nconsidering it a symbol of pre-Christian culture and actively suppressed its\ncultivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The use of amaranth as a leaf crop slowly spread to other parts of\nthe world and it was adopted by subsistence farmers in Africa, Asia and Europe.\nIn recent years it has been rediscovered as a grain crop and cultivation is\nincreasing around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amaranths even find their way into the ornamental garden and some\nvarieties (notably Love-Lies-Bleeding) are grown purely for their beauty (these\ntoo are edible). The appearance of the various species ranges from bizarre to\nquite attractive to downright spectacular and the latter are certainly very\nornamental. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop value: <\/strong>Amaranth is sometimes referred to as a pseudo-cereal (as are buckwheat and quinoa), as it is grown as a grain crop, but isn\u2019t a member of the grass family. It produces a nutritious, high protein grain that has considerable potential as a garden scale grain crop. It is one of the most practical home grain crops, as it is nutritious, tasty, easy to grow and requires minimal processing to make it edible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
About Amaranth<\/strong>  <\/strong>

Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 50 (60 – 80) 90\u02daF 
Germ time: 5 – 14 days
Seeds per ounce: 30,000
Viability: 7 years
Germination percentage: 70%+
Weeks to grow transplants: 4  

Planning facts <\/strong>
Hardiness: Tender
Temp for growth: 60 (70 – 85) 95\u02daF
Plants per person: 10
Plants per sq ft: 1 grain              
                            1 – 4 leaf
Transplants<\/strong>:
Start: 2 wks before last frost
Plant out: 2 wks after last frost
Direct sow: 2 wks after last frost
Succession sow: every 6 weeks
Plant height: 2 – 8 ft
Plant diameter: 1 – 2 ft
 
Harvest facts <\/strong>
Harvest: 95 – 150 days seed  
              30 to 60 days for greens
Harvest period: 4 weeks seed   
                        4 – 12 wks leaf
Yield: Grain 1 oz \/ sq ft  
         Leaf 1 lb \/ sq ft.
Yield per plant: 2 oz (seed)
                          4 – 16 oz (leaf)   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

In warmer parts of the world (especially in the\ntropics) the amaranths are very important as a heat tolerant, easy to grow leaf\ncrop. This is known variously as Chinese spinach, hinn choy, tampala, calaloo\nand by many more local names. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a rather neglected leaf crop for\nAmerican growers and really deserves to be more widely used. If you are looking\nfor a warm weather substitute for spinach, this is your best bet in most\nplaces. It is tasty, tender, easy to grow,\nvery productive, fast growing and requires almost no work. I got into it\nbecause my garden was full of  volunteers\nfrom a previous grain crop and I had to do something with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing<\/strong>: Plants don\u2019t come much easier\nto grow than amaranth, both as a grain and a leaf crop. It is an\noutstanding summer green vegetable, which naturally takes over as the cooler\nseason crops fade. In recent years it has\nbecome my default summer potherb, as it is pretty much always available.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaves<\/strong>: These are high in vitamins A and C, as well as protein, iron and calcium. They are significantly more nutritious than spinach, to which they are often compared<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with spinach, amaranth leaves contain oxalic acid (though in smaller\namounts), which can react with calcium and make it less available to the body.\nIt may also contribute to the formation of kidney stones, so anyone prone to\nthem should probably avoid the leaves (and spinach). Fortunately this is not a\nsignificant problem to anyone with a reasonable intake of calcium. If used as a\npotherb, a lot  of the oxalic acid will\nbe leached out in the cooking water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild pigweed often ends up in books on\npoisonous wild plants, not only because of the aforementioned oxalic acid, but\nbecause of its habit of accumulating nitrates when growing in fields where\nnitrate fertilizer has been used. This can cause it to become mildly toxic. The\ncultivated crop can accumulate nitrate too (as can spinach), so be careful not\nto give them too much nitrogen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This compulsion to classify everything as poisonous (even one of\nthe most important wild edible greens) is a good example of how disconnected we\nhave become from the natural world and where our food comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeds<\/strong>: These are rich (up to 16%) in high quality protein and have a better amino acid balance than almost any other common vegetable protein. They even contain the lysine and methionine so often lacking in grain proteins. They also contain about 20% oil, along with the minerals calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amaranth seed is an outstanding source of energy, with around 1700\ncalories per pound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seed also contains squalene, a powerful antioxidant which is\nalso found in olive oil. It has been suggested that this substance might be the\nreason for the low cancer rates in those who eat Mediterranean diets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: Amaranth is a tropical plant and likes warm, moist, sunny\nweather (ideally 70\u02daF – 85\u02daF). Like\ncorn and sunflower it uses C4 photosynthesis, which makes it particularly\nefficient in hot, sunny climates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When grown as a grain crop amaranth doesn\u2019t\nneed a lot of water and it is often grown commercially in warm dry climates. It\nhas been grown in desert areas with as little as 8\u02dd of water. In some cases\ndrought may induce early flowering, which means an earlier crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil      <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 5.5 (6.4) 7.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaf Amaranth can be grown almost anywhere, even soils that are\ntoo poor and dry for most crops, but will be most productive on a rich,\nmoisture retentive, well-drained soil. It doesn\u2019t mind acid soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaf crops need a good supply of nitrogen (and respond by getting\nbigger), but too much can be a problem as the leaves can accumulate nitrates\nand become mildly toxic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grain Amaranth needs a well-drained and fertile soil (similar to\nthat for corn) to produce a good crop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Amaranth doesn\u2019t need a great deal of nitrogen or phosphorus,\nthough it does like potassium. The plants respond to extra nitrogen by growing\nbigger, though this doesn\u2019t always mean more grain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: Amaranth thrives in warm sunny weather, so if your garden isn\u2019t\nvery warm you need to plant it in a sunny sheltered spot. It doesn\u2019t do very\nwell in the shade, (though you might get a few edible leaves out of it, that\nyou otherwise wouldn\u2019t have).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amaranth is such an independent plant, it is worth trying as a grain\ncrop anywhere that is warm enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: I find my garden tells me when it is time to\nplant amaranth because volunteers (and amaranth weeds) start to appear all over\nthe place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amaranth needs warm weather to get started,\nideally 70\u02daF or higher in the day and no lower than 60\u02daF at night. Don\u2019t plant\nit until at least two weeks after the last frost date. If your growing season\nis short, don\u2019t wait too long to plant a grain crop, otherwise it may flower\nprematurely when the days get shorter (see Day\nlength<\/strong> below). Also fall\nfrosts may arrive before it is fully mature. This is one situation where you\nmight want to start it inside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day length<\/strong>: Amaranth originated in the tropics and is short day length\nsensitive. It is important to keep this in mind and plant by June at the\nlatest. These plants will be the most productive because they will wait until\nthey have accumulated enough food reserves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plant too late in the summer, the short day length will\ncause the plants to flower while they are still quite small and you won\u2019t get\nmuch of a harvest (of grain or leaves). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Succession sowing<\/strong>: In the early part of the growing season you can make plantings\nof leaf amaranth, every 3 – 4 weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using transplants<\/strong>: In warm weather amaranth germinates and grows so vigorously that\nthere is little to be gained from starting it inside. However if the growing\nseason is very short, you might start a grain crop indoors. It does best when\nplanted in cell packs, soil blocks or plug trays. Plant it out when the\ntransplants are about 3\u02dd high and the soil has warmed up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: Amaranth is normally direct sown, by broadcasting or planting in\nrows. The seed is small and it is easy to sow a lot of plants at one time, but\nyou usually don\u2019t need many. If you are sowing a large area you might want to\nmix the small seed with sand to make sowing easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seed is ideally planted \u00bc – \u00bd\u02dd deep, which means either\ncovering the broadcast seed with a thin layer of cover soil, planting in\nshallow furrows or raking the soil after planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seeds are small and the newly emerged seedlings are quite\ndelicate initially. Crusting or capping of the soil can make it difficult for\nthe seedlings to emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grain<\/strong>: If you are growing amaranth for grain you will probably want to\nplant a fairly large area and will usually plant in rows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spacing will vary depending upon what you want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically you want the plants to be spaced 12\u02dd – 18\u02dd apart in\noffset rows. If you want to minimize the amount of seed you plant, you can\nplant them 12\u02dd apart, in rows 30\u02dd apart. This will result in fewer, but larger\nand more productive plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In large mechanized operations, plants may be grown in densely\npacked beds as close as 4\u02dd apart. Apparently this makes for more uniform head\nsize and ripening, which is good for machine harvesting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaf<\/strong>: If you are growing in a bed you can broadcast the seeds and then\nharvest thin (eat the thinnings) until the plants stand 6\u02dd – 8\u02dd apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also plant in rows, spacing the plants \u00bd\u02dd apart in the\nrow, with 18\u02dd between the rows. The plant rows are then gradually harvest\nthinned to a final spacing of about 6\u02dd apart (eat the plants as you remove\nthem). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amaranths are very independent plants with a\nlot of wild vigor and they don\u2019t usually require much care. Just put the seed\nin the soil and stand back; they will do the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weed<\/strong>: Amaranth is essentially a weed itself, so doesn\u2019t generally have\nmuch of a problem with weeds. You should keep the bed free of weeds until the\nplants have all emerged and keep weeded until they get to 8 – 10 inches in\nheight. After this they can compete against almost anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeding a direct sown crop can present a problem because crop\namaranth looks the same as weed amaranth. The best solution to this is to plant\nin rows, so you can safely remove any plant that isn\u2019t in a clearly defined\nrow. The purple tinted varieties aren\u2019t too difficult to identify, as even the\nseedlings have purple tinted leaves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilizing<\/strong>: If leaf amaranth plants are being harvested repeatedly they will\nbenefit from an occasional dose of compost tea. Not too much nitrogen though,\nas you don\u2019t want them to accumulate toxic nitrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water<\/strong>: Grain amaranth is relatively drought tolerant (it wilts readily\nto save water, but also recovers rapidly). However don\u2019t let it get too dry as\nthis may reduce the final harvest. Too much water can also be a problem, as it\ncan cause the roots to rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaf amaranth should always have moist soil to maximize\nproductivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: If water is limited you should mulch the\nplants to conserve moisture and deter moisture robbing weeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/strong>: The succulent leaf amaranths are a favorite of slugs and\nsnails and young seedlings may be destroyed if not protected. Flea beetles will\noften chew tiny holes in the leaves of young plants. Generally they are pretty\nresilient though and can tolerate quite a lot of leaf damage with minimal\neffect on yields. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have encountered leaf miners on grain\namaranth, while commercial farmers sometimes have to deal with army worms,\nblister beetles and tarnished plant bugs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diseases<\/strong>: Amaranth is not very susceptible to disease\nproblems and the worst I have seen has been damping off (which hardly counts).\nApparently curly top virus can also be a problem in commercial plantings (it is\ncommonly transmitted by leafhoppers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lodging<\/strong>: Plants loaded down with a heavy seed head\nwill sometimes fall over (especially after heavy rain or wind), in which case\nyou may need to support them. If you plant them fairly plant close together,\nthey will keep each other fairly uniform in size and will mutually support each\nother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pollination<\/strong>: Amaranth is monoecious, with separate\nmale and female flowers on the same plant. It is self-fertile and wind\npollinated, so you don\u2019t have to even think about this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvest<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grain<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: It takes from 3 – 5 months from planting the seed to fully ripe\nseed heads. As harvest time approaches, examine the flower heads regularly for\nripe seed, by rubbing the flowers between your fingers or palms to loosen any\nripe seed. You can tell if seed is ripe by biting it; a fully ripe seed will be\nfirm rather than chewy. This is important because it will start to drop soon\nafterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often the plants will keep on ripening more seed until they are\nkilled by frost (if you leave them alone to do it). If the plants begin to\nwither or frost threatens, gather the whole heads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: If you only have a few plants you can bend the heads over a\nbucket and rub them to loosen the seed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a lot of plants, cut the whole heads and lay them on a\ntarp in the shade to dry. Then lay another sheet on top of the dry heads and\nbeat, crush or walk on them to loosen the seeds. The bristly flower\/seed heads\ncan be hard on the hands so it\u2019s a good idea to wear gloves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than winnowing to remove debris, the seed needs no other\npreparation for eating. It is very important that it be dried thoroughly for\nstorage, otherwise it may mold. Small quantities of seed can be dried in a\npaper grocery bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vegetable<\/strong>: You can harvest the leaves any time they are big enough to be\nworthwhile (anywhere from 3 – 6 weeks after sowing). Start by harvest thinning\nextra plants when they are about 8\u02dd tall, to get them out of the bed and leave\nthe remaining plants at the desired spacing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the plants are growing strongly, you can harvest individual\nleaves or whole growing tips. The plants have strong apical dominance, so\npinching out the top makes the plant branch out and get bushier with new\ngrowth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some tropical home gardens, harvesting of leaves doesn\u2019t start\nuntil the plants are 4 – 5 feet high. Then the tops are pinched out and eaten.\nAfter this the side shoots are harvested, as they reach useful size (you can\nharvest every week or two). Any flower buds are removed promptly and eaten with\ntheir surrounding leaves. By harvesting frequently and preventing them\nflowering, the plants can be made to produce edible shoots for months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the plants eventually bolt, you can save\nthe seed for planting next year. You might also scatter some around the garden\nto encourage volunteers (don\u2019t overdo it though, or it may become a real weed).\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>: The leaves wilt quickly once\ncut, so it is best to harvest them fresh and use promptly. They can be\nkept in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days. If you have a large harvest you can cook the leaves like spinach and\nfreeze them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grain should be dried to 11% moisture before storing in a\nrodent proof container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After harvest<\/strong>: Heavily cropped leaf plants will benefit from a liquid feed of\nseaweed, applied to their roots. Don\u2019t use compost or manure tea, as you will\nbe harvesting again fairly soon and don\u2019t want pathogenic bacteria on the\nleaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving: <\/strong>This is pretty simple, just treat it like a grain crop and take\nseed from the best plants. Amaranth is monoecious, with separate male and\nfemale flowers on the same plant. They cross-pollinate easily, so it\u2019s best to\nhave only one variety flowering at a time (in theory they should be separated\nby 1000 feet). Take seed from at least 5 plants to maintain some genetic\nvariability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grain types produce a ton of seed, but the\nleaf varieties can be very variable. I have grown types that produced a lot and\nothers that produced a mere sprinkle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteers<\/strong>: Amaranth commonly self-sows and can become a weed (or useful\nbonus crop, depending upon your perspective). One year I let an entire bed get\ntaken over by volunteer grain amaranth. The only thing I did was to thin out\nthe stand, by harvesting many of the plants for greens. Some plants reached 8\nfeet in height and gave <\/strong>me as good a grain crop as\nif I had sown it deliberately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually I use my amaranth volunteers as a mixed green leaf crop,\nas there isn\u2019t enough seed to make a worthwhile grain crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild garden<\/strong>: You can take the\nvolunteer idea one step further and deliberately sow the seed in patches of\ndisturbed soil. These should be in full sun for maximum growth. I do this quite\na lot and it really can be productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the weeds<\/strong>: If you\ndon\u2019t want to grow the cultivated amaranth you might think about using the\nweedy amaranth that is probably growing in your garden. See Pigweed<\/strong> in the section on edible weeds at the end of this book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animal feed<\/strong>: Amaranth is\nwidely grown as animal feed in China and it\u2019s said that over 100,000 acres are\ndevoted to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornamentals<\/strong>: Some amaranth varieties (Love\u2013Lies-Bleeding\nand Josephs Coat) are usually grown as ornamentals, but are also perfectly\nedible. Some of the grain varieties are positively spectacular when flowering,\nespecially the gold and purplish red types and make lovely (but tall) specimen\nplants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The leaf varieties tend to have less attractive\nflowers, though they often make up for this by having interesting variegated\nleaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could use amaranth as an ornamental grain\nproducer. Just plant it en masse for visual effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Varieties<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are about 60 species of Amaranthus<\/em>, but only a handful have been cultivated to any extent. There are\nquite a few grain varieties available, but less leaf types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some botanists consider all of the species\nbelow to be variations of A. hybridus<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grain Amaranths<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These\nhave mostly been bred to be determinate, with one large seedhead and few side branches.  I have found all of the grain varieties to be\nvery productive. The pale colored seed types tend to have a better flavor than\nthe black seeded ones. Their leaves are often just as good as those of the leaf\nvarieties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elephant Head –\nBig Purple seed heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese Giant Orange – Tall (8\nft) with bright orange flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hatmans Giant –\nTall plants with black seed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hopi Red – Used as a source of red\ndye as well as grain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaf Amaranths<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flowers of these varieties are smaller\nand less conspicuous than those of grain types and don\u2019t produce as much seed.\nSome are occasionally grown as an ornamental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinn Choy – Old Chinese variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red Leaf Amaranth – Red and green\nleaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger Leaf – Red and green leaves (all\nof the above three may be the same thing!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amaranth differs from most cereal grains in that the seed needs no\npreparation (hulling, husking, threshing, etc). All you have to do is separate\nit from the seed head and clean it to remove debris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flavor of the seed can be improved by toasting, which causes\nit to pop like popcorn. This can be done in a hot pan in the same way as for\npopcorn (if it won\u2019t pop try sprinkling a little water onto the seed). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a large quantity of seed, you could try popping it in\nthe oven. Spread it a half inch deep in a covered pan and roast it at 350\u00b0F for\na half-hour. Stir occasionally to prevent it burning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The toasted seed can be added whole to baked goods, ground to\nflour for baking (it\u2019s usually mixed with wheat flour), or boiled as a kind of\nporridge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole raw seed can be sprouted like alfalfa until about \u00bc\u02dd long and used in salads and sandwiches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seed can also be boiled like millet in salt water. Some people\nsoak it in water overnight before cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mexico the popped grain is mixed with honey or molasses to make\nvarious sweet treats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaf<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amaranth leaves are tender and mildly\nflavored and can be very good. They can be steamed, or boiled in a small amount\nof water (the latter may be better as it can reduce the amount of oxalic acid\nthey contain). Don\u2019t cook them for more than a few minutes or they will get\nmushy. In Asia they are often stir-fried or used in soups. The very young leaves can be added to salads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good way to cook the leaves is to saut\u00e9 some\nonion and garlic in a pan and then add the washed greens. The water sticking to\nthe leaves is enough to cook them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try using the recipes described under chard and spinach. They are\njust as good when made with amaranth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Horta<\/strong>\n Horta\n translates as weeds or wild greens and is a traditional spring peasant food\n in Greece. It is traditionally made from a mix of wild greens, but you can\n use a wide variety of greens and weeds from the garden. \n  \n 2 lb\n greens (these might be amaranth, chard, chicory, dandelion, kale, komatsuna,\n spinach, stinging nettle or any other edible greens). \n 1 lemon\n 1 cup\n water\n 2 tbsp\n olive oil\n Salt\n Pepper\n  \n Wash the\n greens to remove any soil or debris, then chop into pieces (discard any tough\n bits) and cook with a cup of water to your taste (don\u2019t over-cook). Drain off\n the water and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of the lemon and salt\n and pepper. It is good eaten warm immediately, or cold the next day.\n  \n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amaranthus species Introduction: In North America the amaranths are most familiar as weeds of disturbed places and are particularly common in the rich soil of vegetable gardens (is there an … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241,240],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leaf-veg","category-seed-veg","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Amaranth-2-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=821"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1687,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821\/revisions\/1687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}