Green Callaloo Specialty Green

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Green Callaloo Specialty Green

Amaranthus
(30 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. 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. Students measure 116 teaspoon per packet: approximately 1000 seeds. NEW!

This seed was grown by the students of Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast, ME.



5976 Green Callaloo
Item Discounted
Price
A: 1/16t; approx 1000 seeds for $4.00  

Additional Information

Amaranth

Amaranth was one of the Aztecs’ five principal crops. They ground puffed seeds into flour and prepared sauces with the leaves. The leaves have three times more vitamin C, ten times more carotene, fifteen times more iron and forty times more calcium than tomatoes, and three times more vitamin C, calcium and niacin than spinach leaves.

See also Opopeo for grain, and ornamental amaranths.

Germination Testing

For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.