Amaranth has the history of being a staple food to the Aztec and other earlier civilizations predating 6000 B.C. In order to destroy the Aztec civilization, Cortez burned all Amaranth crops and made its cultivation punishable by death.
Amaranth is a tall herbaceous plant growing 3 to 4 feet tall. It has oval and lance shaped alternate toothless leaves and red roots. It has dense green flower/ black seed clusters in late summer and early fall. The young species leaves are tasty in a salad or any way that you would prepare spinach. The seeds can be harvested in the fall by putting the plant upside down in a paper bag, let it dry and shake the seeds free. The seeds can be cooked like rice, 2 parts water to one part seed.
Nutrition- Amaranth seeds and leaves are is high in protein. The seeds contain lysine, vitamin E and B-complex. The leaves are rich in vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, potassium, niacin, riboflavin and iron.
Thank you to Joanna CastroShaffer for gathering and sharing this information with us!