[Download The Wilting Amaranth
Addison Mauldin
This more of a public service announcement, than a recipe. If you encounter this lovely leafy green with streaks of purplish pink under its leaves, it is Amaranth. Yes, in addition to providing a healthful, gluten-free, grain-like seed which can be used to make fabulous pancakes and a super nourishing version of sushi, the Amaranth plant also produces greens that are both beautiful and delicious. You can find Amaranth greens at Indian markets and they sometimes make an appearance at local green markets in the spring time.
Heat some oil or butter in a heavy bottomed pan with a lid. Add a crushed garlic clove and/ or a few slices of ginger and let them sizzle for a minute. Add some washed and trimmed amaranth greens with a bit of salt. Cover and cook for another minute or two, or until the greens are wilted. If you have gone the ginger route you might add a splash of sesame oil at the end. I like to eat amaranth greens with scrambled eggs for breakfast. If they were as readily available as swiss chard I might eat amaranth greens every day. If I had a garden I would grow amaranth greens. This concludes my public service announcement.
Roots gasping for air in a soggy soil bath is a classic sign of overwatering. If your Largefruit Amaranth's pot feels like a waterlogged sponge, it's time for a drainage intervention. Mix in perlite or sand to facilitate drainage, and ensure your pots have holes. Remember, roots need to breathe, not swim.
When your Amaranth's leaves droop like they've been on a desert trek, it's a cry for water. Check the soil: if the top 2 inches are dry, it's time to hydrate. Water slowly and thoroughly, allowing the soil to absorb moisture without overwhelming the roots. Consistency in watering will prevent your plant from becoming parched.
Leaves wilting as if they're too tired to stand up might be a sign of temperature stress. Your plant's comfort zone is crucial. If the thermostat's cranked up too high, or if the air is Sahara-dry, you'll see droopiness. Adjust the temperature and humidity to mimic the Largefruit Amaranth's natural habitat for perkier leaves.
Yellowing leaves whispering of neglect could signal a nutrient deficiency. Your Amaranth might be hungry for more than just light and water. A balanced fertilizer can replenish missing nutrients, giving your plant the strength to hold its leaves high. Feed it right, and watch those leaves stand at attention.
Help - please, my amaranth is wilting, see pictures below. I apologize for out of focus - my camera battery was on its last legs and is charging now. First it wilts slightly and then it dies completely. I also had two Rudbeckia in the same bed wilt and die. Perhaps I mulched too heavily and watered too much - it has been 110 for three days and I was trying to keep them from suffering from the heat.
(Gomphrena globosa) Native to Brazil but thrives almost anywhere. Balanced mixture of 5-7 colors attracts a multitude of butterflies. Very easy to grow from seed, exceptionally productive. Excellent cut flower, both fresh and dried. Half-hardy annual, 24-30" tall.
Bacterial Wilt is primarily a disease of the Cucurbits, particularly cucumbers and melons, though it can also attack the Solanum crops (tomato, pepper, potato, eggplant) and corn. It is commonly transmitted by Cucumber Beetles (they transport the bacteria and create wounds for it to enter the plant). Once inside the plant the bacteria multiply and inhibit the transportation of water and nutrients. The first sign of this disease is when one or two leaves wilt in the afternoon, but then recover in the evening. This wilting eventually spreads to the whole plant and the leaves start to die off, usually without turning yellow first.
Keeping Cucumber Beetles under control can help reduce problems with this disease. You might also grow your plants under row covers. Some squash varieties are less vulnerable than others (Table Queen Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup). Removing potentially infected crop debris and rotating crops will help to reduce the source of infection. Of course you should remove infected plants immediately (and wash your hands with soap and water afterwards). If you suspect Bacterial Wilt, cut a stem near the crown and pull it apart. If the sap is stringy and viscous it is probably wilt.
To test for Bacterial Wilt in cucumber cut a stem near the ground and squeeze until the sticky sap oozes out. Leave this to dry for a few minutes, then put your finger on it and slowly remove. If bacteria are present strands will adhere to the skin and may stretch up to 1/4 inch long. This is the bacterial ooze that clogs the plant.
Add a small glug of olive oil in a pan and saut the shallots and garlic until lightly browned. Tip in the amaranth and toss for a minute until they just about start to wilt. Season with salt and pepper and set aside until they get cool enough to handle. Once there, gently squeeze handfuls and remove as much liquid from them as possible.
Debra LaGattuta is a Master Gardener with 30+ years of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening. She is a lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Debra is a member of The Spruce Garden Review Board.
Edible amaranth is often grown for the plentiful tiny seeds that hang in tassels from the top of the plant after the attractive red flowers fade. The bulk seed is used as a grain in porridges or as a thickener in soups and stews. You can also use the leaves of amaranth as a leafy vegetable; the taste is similar to spinach, and it can be used the same way as many other leafy vegetables, especially in mixed-green salads.
To harvest amaranth grains, let the plant flower. Keep an eye on the flowers as they bloom and die back. Before they turn brown, cut the flowers off and place them in bags where they will dry. Shake the bag once dry or knock the seeds loose over a cloth. Rinse away the dried seed chaff and enjoy your grain harvest. Amaranth is especially good in a porridge containing other grains like millet and quinoa.
Amaranth seeds are considered an ancient grain that has historically been used for its nutritious properties, combining the characteristics of a health-promoting food and a raw material with potential therapeutic activity.
If consumption is the goal, choose annual amaranth varieties marketed as edibles. Nearly all amaranths are edible, including 'love-lies-bleeding' and even the common roadside weedy forms (avoid any that may have been treated with pesticides). But those sold as edible varieties are selected for their good seed production and especially tasty leaves.
Amaranth was once outlawed by Spanish colonists. Now, it represents the resilience of Indigenous food systems and the courage of seed savers that preserved the plant for today. University of California Berkley Food Institute
Pigweed is a sprawling invader of cultivated lands and gardens and has probably made a lot of money for the agricultural chemical industry. In fact, it has grown resistent to herbicides. Common names get you into botanical trouble, so to be clear, the pigweed to which I refer is Amaranthus retroflexus, known commonly as rough pigweed, or redroot pigweed. There are many, many others, all more or less hated by farmers and gardeners, all eclipsed by the tall red amaranth we know and love so much better, whose seeds fed the Aztecs.
And instead of cursing it, I now use it to make morog which must be indistinguishable from a country or peasant soup in Turkey, Slovenia, Italy. Its leaves have an excellent, substantial mouthfeel and a flavor somewhere between mild spinach and beet greens. In fact, if I can choose, I prefer it over spinach, which I find a little slippery. So I substitute pigweed for spinach as a side dish, blanching it, refreshing it and then tossing it with olive oil and garlic in a hot pan. I top crostini with the wilted leaves. I make a South African stew called a bredie (BREE-year-deeh), which is characterized by a slow-cooked meat base of either lamb or chicken to which onion and one type of seasonal vegetable are added. Cloves, ginger, cinnamon, chile, vinegar or lemon juice are also typical additions. Pigweed is good with steak. And I make the simplest soup: Pigweed cooked quickly with scallions and some chicken broth, cooled, then whizzed up with yogurt, chilled, and dusted with ground sumac before serving.
I have found references warning that pigweed can contain toxic amounts of nitrates, absorbed from the nitrogen in fertilizers. So avoid plants nestling in the furrows of agribusiness operations. The leaves also contain oxalic acid (just like sorrel and spinach, and we have survived eating them). But these warnings are more pertinent for those who might consume a great deal of it, raw, on a daily basis. If in doubt, blanch and pour off the water before using the vegetable. India considers this pigweed a good food, West Indian callaloo can also contain pigweed, and it was eaten here in North America long before most of us arrived.
This document is intended to provide Florida growers with a production guide for vegetable amaranth to enhance its competitiveness and boost the economy by introducing this potential cash crop to growers.
Amaranth has numerous common names, including Joseph's coat, garden amaranth, red amaranth, Chinese amaranth, Chinese spinach, xian cai, and fountain plant (Srivastava 2017). This vegetable has been cultivated in China for more than 400 years and has been introduced to several US states such as Mississippi and Missouri (CABI 2020; USDA-NRCS 2020). One cultivar, called 'Tampala', is found to be suitable for cultivation in the southern United States (Ebert et al. 2011). Florida's mild climate combined with amaranth's exceptional taste, nutrients, and colorful foliage suggest amaranth is a potential crop for commercial production for Florida. It is also heat tolerant and a cash crop candidate for those seeking new vegetable crops grown after potato harvesting in Florida.
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