Amaranth
Finding edible plants to grow in the summer garden can be a real challenge. Amaranth is a leafy green that can hold up in the heat of Florida’s summers.
There are several cultivated species in the Amaranthus genus which are all collectively called amaranths. Common names vary: Chinese spinach, hon-toi-moi, bush greens and pigweed are some of the names for the individual types of amaranths. In Florida, you will also hear it referred to as callaloo, as it’s closely associated with the Caribbean dish callaloo.
Leaf shapes and color vary considerably; some are red, others green and some are variegated (usually with purplish patterns on green leaves).
Many amaranth species grow vigorously in Florida gardens. The most common is Amaranthus tricolor. In edible gardening it’s often referred to as vegetable amaranth, but it’s also cultivated as an ornamental and comes in a rainbow of colors. When planting, directly broadcast seeds and then thin the seedlings to 3 inches apart. You can eat the young seedlings you have thinned out as microgreens. Harvest young leaves and shoot tips between 3 to 6 weeks after planting. Amaranth is killed off by cold weather, so plant during the warm months.
Some amaranth species produce an edible seed head that forms a fuzzy spikelet. When heated, the seeds can burst like popcorn. Amaranthus caudatus is a grain amaranth that is exceptionally high in lysine, a critical amino acid that is often not found in plants. For this reason, some people—particularly vegetarians—incorporate it into their diets. Grain amaranth is usually ground into flour to make breads, noodles and more.
Wild amaranth is edible but not as reliably tasty as cultivated varieties. There are three species native to Florida. Of these, only Amaranthus australis, called Southern amaranth, is common. The other two, Florida amaranth (A. floridanus) and seabeach amaranth (A. pumilus) are rarely sighted and considered threatened.
