Gardening Amaranth For Grain And Greens

Growing Amaranth For Greens

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What Is Amaranth?

Have you seen articles and posts about Amaranth and been a little confused about what it is and how to use it? Don’t feel silly because there seems to be a lot of misinformation. For one thing, Amaranth is touted to be one of the South American grains that only the Incas knew about.

The fact is that Amaranth is used all over the world and has been for eons of time. Amaranth is also known as rajgira, and means “immortal” or “everlasting” in Greek. In other countries it's known as Ramdana. You may recognize the same plant family right here in the USA as pigweed.

There is also some confusion about whether is produces a seed or a grain. Fact is, all grains are also a seed, it’s just that Amaranth seeds are so small that it causes this kind of misunderstanding. The seeds (grains) of Amaranth can be eaten raw, cooked into a cereal, popped or ground into flour.

Amaranth is considered very healthy when eaten both as greens or as a grain. Greens can be harvested and used just like kale or spinach in green salads or cooked. Grains have some really unique properties:

Considered a complete proteinIncludes all of the nine essential amino acids
A rich source of dietary fiber
A naturally a gluten-free alternative
Good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids
Rich source of calcium and magnesium
Also high in iron, zinc and manganese
Amaranth oil has the highest plant-based source of squalene

1 cup of amaranth has and impressive 14.7mg iron (82% DV), 6.4mg manganese (322% DV), 307mg calcium (31% DV), 479mg magnesium (120% DV), and 5.5mg zinc (37% DV).

Amaranth is a naturally gluten-free grain, making it an excellent choice for those following a gluten-free diet.

amaranth green leaf — Amaranth greens are delicious with cumin, chile peppers or onions and are most commonly cooked with garlic. Saute, mix into stew or add to sauces for extra nutrition and texture. Eat fresh young leaves in salads.

Amaranth Grain — Grain Amaranth is considered a complete protein because it supplies all 9 essential amino acids. Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body. As a result, they must come from food. The 9 essential amino acids are: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

How To Grow Amaranth

Warm weather is the best for this crop, which is unlike some of the other Super Grains, such as Quinoa. There's no need to plant before Memorial Day in the Ozarks, but you can make changes according to the climate you are in. Plant when the soil is above 70 degrees regularly and allow 100 days for grain to mature.

Greens can be harvested starting just a couple of weeks after the plants sprout. You can then harvest green leaves and stems throughout the growing season. Young leaves are great as a salad, but as they mature the leaves and small stems are best cooked – maybe in a stir fry.

amaranth greens — Amaranth grows about anywhere that gets warm for at least 100 days, giving it time to mature into grain. One large plant will have multiple flower heads and can yield a pound of grain.

Ramdana_red amaranth — As yet Amaranth has not been grown commercially in the US. Field tests have been conducted, however and have shown harvests of around 1000 lbs. per acre. Grown intensively by home gardeners could produce far better results.

Amaranth is fairly drought tolerant, but in the garden setting will appreciate a watering every so often if it's extremely dry. When the grain heads begin to mature, it's a good time to hold back on watering. Harvesting the flower heads for separating grain is best done when the air moisture is low.

Preparing Amaranth For Food

This is where Amaranth really shines as a food source -the leaves and stems can be eaten all through the growing season when other greens have become extinct from the hot weather. It will carry you through from the time lettuce bolts in May until you can begin harvesting fall cole crops in November.

The grain can be harvested in late summer or early fall and eaten immediately or stored through the winter. It's good made into a cooked cereal, popped like popcorn, or ground into flour to make pastries. Amaranth grain is gluten free so if you want to make bread that rises you'll have to just add a small amount of flour to other grain flours that contain gluten, like red wheat.

red amaranth — Amaranth leaves and stems can be eaten as greens all through the summer. When mature use small stem pieces and leaves in stir fry.

amaranth-clean grain — Once you have harvested and cleaned your grain it can be used in a variety of ways. The small seeds are great to top bread loaves with as is. You can use it up as a dry grain or store it through the winter. Save some seed for next year.

Is Amaranth Like Quinoa?

Amaranth and Quinoa are thought of as being alike because they are both Super Grains that provide outstanding nutrition. It's true they share some great qualities as food, but there are some important differences to those who want to cultivate grain for the table.

Amaranth does not have the naturally bitter taste of Quinoa and can be eaten without being several rinses during cooking
Quinoa grains are bigger than Amaranth, so the two may be used differently in food preparation. Quinoa grains are more used in salads and fry dishes, while amaranth is more used in curries, soups and casseroles.
Amaranth is a warm season, drought tolerant crop while Quinoa is a cool season crop growing best in Peruvian mountains and Canadian fields.

Quinoa and Amaranth are both considered Super Grains because they supply such a compete array of nutrition, including the protein profile.

Amaranth vs Quinoa — Quinoa and Amaranth are both Super Grains, having great nutritional value. But they are different in some other important ways – like where it will be grown. Amaranth is a warm season crop while Quinoa is a cool season crop.

Kinds Of Amaranth

A popular plant all around the world, Amaranth is growing in many different ways, not just for food. It produces beautiful flowers and even low growing foliage for understory plantings. The edible leaves can be both green and/or red. The grains can be:

Greenish
Golden or Yellow
Red
Black

But all share the same exceptional nutritional qualities. Isn't is nice you can enjoy such variety in beauty and still get great food value?

golden amaranth — There are over 60 varieties of Amaranth worldwide. It's grown for greens, grain and beautiful flowers and foliage. Also known as “Ramdana” and “Rajgira” this plant is enjoyed by many cultures.

Amaranth Seed Oil

The oil derived from Amaranth seeds has some qualities for health and skin care, just as many other seed oils have been proven to contain. Amaranth oil has the highest plant-based source of squalene which is one of the most common lipids produced by human skin cells. According to Wikipedia, Squalane, a saturated form of squalene, is commonly used in personal care products such as moisturizers.

Health Benefits Of Amaranth

There is a reason for the increased interest in Super Grains, like amaranth. With the lower quality of commercial grains and foods, people are looking for healthy alternatives. Here's some reasons to grow and use Amaranth:

Gluten free
High in protein
Provides Essential Lysine
Lowers cholesterol
High in calcuim
Full of antioxidants and minerals
A good appetite suppressant
Can help with hair loss and greying
Easy to digest
May improve eyesight
May lower risk of cardiovascular disease

If you are looking for a great choice for providing balanced nutrition, Amaranth gives several ways to enjoy healthy eating.

Amaranth Seeds For Sale

If you have been wondering about where to buy amaranth seeds for planting, we have you covered. Not only do we supply seeds to get your own garden started, but it comes with a complete guide to take you from cultivation and planting, right through harvest.

Get started growing Amaranth for greens, grain and beautiful flowers by ordering this pack – includes Amaranth seed and growing guide. What a wonderful way to take control of your diet!