Gardening Activity

Winter break in the Caribbean last year introduced me to leafy amaranth, a totally delicious cooked green. 

Red amaranth (from Evergreen Seeds)

The woman I bought it from (she had a small garden near our cottage in Dominica) called it spinach, but its actually Amaranthus viridis, a leafy vegetable thats grown throughout the Caribbean and called callalo. Its a popular Asian vegetable, too.

I posted about it after returning -- it was such a remarkably tasty warm season spinach-like vegetable, I couldnt believe it wasnt more popular here in the Southeastern U.S.  I tried to grow it this summer, but was thwarted by hungry critters, who yummed up the young seedlings. Presumably woodchucks or squirrels.

Celosia argentea

But I was noticing the volunteer plants in the Childrens Garden that looked remarkably similar.  Theyre Celosia, a large-plumed variety thats self-seeded abundantly for the last couple of years.

And sure enough, theyre a relative of amaranth (in the same family), and have been used in a similar way in parts of Africa, and elsewhere, too. 

Interesting!  Ill have to harvest some young plants tomorrow for a second trial. 

The older larger leaves that I cooked as a trial for lunch today were good, but it was hard to evaluate their taste, as Id stir-fried them in sesame oil!  They were quite tender, though, so promising.