(120 days) Open-pollinated. A Jamaican classmate inspired the young gardeners at Troy Howard Middle School to grow this callaloo, and it instantly won their hearts. At first, it looked like the other weedy amaranths (also tasty), but it quickly shot up above the others, sporting thick, smooth, tender stems and deep green leaves that cook up into a rich, nutty and nourishing mess o’ greens. They soon learned that callaloo is a trickster and a shapeshifter, occupying that edge of the garden between weed and vegetable, wild and tamed. In Jamaica, callaloo is traditionally sautéed with onions, chiles and sometimes salt-fish, a dish with deep roots in West Africa, but amaranth greens are eaten in almost every part of the world. No wonder: they are a rugged heat-tolerant “superfood”— the kind of plant ally that will become increasingly needed in the era of climate adaptation. Students continue to select for vigor and bolt resistance. Sow closely in rows 12" apart all summer. Good moisture leads to super-fast growth and tender stems. Harvest at 6– 18" before flowers form. Students measure 1⁄16 teaspoon per packet: approximately 1000 seeds.
This seed was grown by the students of Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast, ME. Troy Howard is donating all profits to East New York Farms (the source of this variety). Check out their amazing work at ucceny.org/enyf.
