Red Amaranth

Latin name: Amaranthus cruentus

🌱 Days to Sprout: 7-10

😋 Plant Food: after true leaves

✂️ Thin to: 1 plant per yCube

🍅 Days to Maturity: 100-120

💡 Light Zone: Moderate

📏 Plant Size: < 2ft

💚 Care Level: Moderate

Though native to Central and South America, Red Amaranth is most often seen in Central Asian cuisine and is sometimes called “Chinese Spinach”. Its name comes from the Greek for “unfading flower”.

Red Amaranth leaves have been hailed as the more tender superfood successor to kale. They contain more protein, iron, and calcium than spinach. Red Amaranth is a powerhouse of antioxidants along with potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese, as well as vitamins K, A, B6, niacin (B3), riboflavin (B2), and folate (B9). The protein derived from both the leaves and the grain contain all of the essential amino acids and are especially rich in lysine compared to other greens or grains. The leaves have a rich, earthy, grassy taste while the grain from the flowers is more nutty.

Enjoy Red Amaranth leaves and stems raw or cooked, similarly to how you would eat spinach. The flowers add a lovely aesthetic to the Gardyn, and produce grain when allowed to dry on the plant.

✂️ Pruning: Check the roots monthly and trim any that are brown or extending past the yPod. Snip any yellow or brown leaves if they appear.

🔎 Plant Health: Thrips are a common pest, but you can use our prevention tricks to keep them at bay! Red Amaranth likes good air circulation, so make sure to give it breathing room by leaving the spots around it on your Gardyn capped off, and harvesting frequently. 

⭕ Support: We recommend using Plant Belts to help support the plant as it grows taller.

🌾 Harvest: Enjoy the younger leaves raw while more mature leaves are best cooked similarly to spinach. Leave 1/3 of the plant if you want it to continue growing. Wait for the flowers to turn brown on the plant to harvest the grain.

Garlic Red Amaranth Stir-Fry 

Recipe Source: Cooking with Wallflower

Ingredients

• 1 pound red amaranth, leaves removed from the stem

• 6 garlic cloves, minced or smashed

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Remove the amaranth leaves from the stem, then mince or smash the garlic cloves.

2. In a large skillet, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and allow it to heat for about a minute. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic and just starting to turn golden brown.

3. Add the amaranth leaves, and stir to make sure the leaves cook evenly. The amaranth leaves will begin to wilt and shrink.

4. Add in the crushed red pepper and salt to taste.

5. Once the amaranth leaves have become wilted and tender, place them on a plate and serve warm with rice.

Our Plant Health & Nutrition Team thoroughly tests each variety we offer to bring you the most flavorful and high-quality plants. We regularly rotate our plant portfolio, so please note, availability varies.