Organic Amaranthus "Tricolour" Seeds

Seeds per pack; approx. 200
 
 
 
Sow; April-May
 
Height: 90cm
 

Organic
 
 
 
Amaranthus Tricolor is a very beautiful ornamental plant with dark red stems and distinctive semi-pendulous feathery flowers in Summer. It is also known as Edible Amaranth, Callaloo, Tampala and Bireum. 
 
 
 
A native to Central/South America where it was cultivated for its grains for 8,000 years by the Aztecs. It was a staple food for them and an integral part of Aztec religious ceremonies. The cultivation of amaranth was banned by the conquistadores upon their conquest of the Aztec nation and was therefore largely unknown as a crop to the world.
 
It is commonly seen as an ornamental plant in garden borders nowadays.
 
 
 
The young leaves are eaten as salad leaves, or used as microgreens. In Africa, the leaves are usually cooked as a leafy vegetable like spinach. It is usually stir fried or steamed as a side dish in both China and Japan.
 
In the Carribean it is used in the dish Callaloo.
 
The seeds are also eaten as a grain, often sold in health food shops, it can also be popped like popcorn.
 
 
 
Please do your research before eating this plant as this is an ornamental species in the UK with little information about its edible uses. (All of this information has been gathered from various trustworthy websites on the internet.)
 
 
 
 It is also a C4 carbon fixation plant, which allows it to convert carbon dioxide into biomass at a more efficient rate than other plants.
 

 
 
Sow in pots/modules undercover from April-May and plant out after all danger of frosts has passed.
 
Plant out at 30cm apart.
 

 
 
OUR SEEDS ARE SPECIALLY SELECTED FOR UK CONDITIONS AND SOURCED FROM ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE, SOIL ASSOCIATED ORGANIC GROWERS.
 
ALL OUR PACKAGING IS 100% RECYCLABLE, BIODEGRADABLE AND COMPOSTABLE.