Plant · P-286

Amaranth Greens

Amaranthus tricolor

Amaranth greens are one of the few leafy vegetables actually built for peak summer heat rather than one that just tolerates it - sown once the soil warms, then cut continuously until frost. The plant yields three ways off one planting: mild-flavoured leaf, stems cooked like asparagus if left to grow taller, and a tiny, nutrient-dense seed that needs soaking or long cooking to break down its saponins. It grows fast and tall in a single season, leaving a substantial amount of biomass behind when cut at flowering. It also concentrates nitrate in its leaf on nitrogen-rich ground, especially after drought or frost, so it should never be cut for forage right after either.