Edible Amaranth, Red Beauty, ,CHINESE SPINACH Yin Cho or Callaloo !
Soil Temperature: 60-90°FPlanting Depth: 3/8"
Germination: 3-10 Days
Height At Maturity: 3'-6'
Sun/Shade: Full Sun
Spacing After Thinning: 6"-18"
Approx Seeds per oz: 50,346 seeds
Red Beauty
Edible amaranth is also called Chinese Spinach or yin choi. The purple-red oval leaves of this beautiful variety have a bright green margin. The plant produces a high yield of tender leaves even in warmer weather. Perfect for microgreens, salad mixes, and as a garnish. Amaranth will tolerate hot, dry and moist conditions but will not thrive in cold temperatures.
Delicious lightly stir-fried or steamed, Amaranth leaves and stems are extremely nutritious delivering protein, iron and calcium, as well as vitamins A and C. Chinese cuisine typically prefers the red-leaf varieties and includes them in soups, sometimes serving the cooked leaves separately.
In India, Taiwan and Japan, the lighter varieties are more popular. In Western cuisine, Amaranth can be substituted in any recipe for spinach. Young leaves are tasty and beautiful in salads.
This vegetable is also known as...
Jamaica: Callaloo
China: een choy, hinn choy, yin choy, hin tsai, in tsai, xian cai, lao quiang gu
India: chaulai sag, chuamarsa, ganhar, kai sag, kalgaghasa, lal sag, marsa, poi, rajgira, ram dana
Indonesia: abang, bayam, bayem, selasih, senggang bener
Japan: chunrai, hiyuna, java horenso, santousai
Korea: chambirum
Malaysia: bayam
Philippines: kulitis
Sri Lanka: sudu tampala
Thailand: phak khom
Vietnam: rau den, rau den do
Soil and Water: Amaranth likes loam and silty loam soil. It is very drought tolerant so water only when dry.
Planting and Growing: Direct seed after soil has begun to warm in spring. The seed is very fine so you can mix it with a carrier like sand or coffee grounds. Scatter the seed and rake it in lightly.
Harvesting and Storage: For greens, harvest before flowers appear. You can harvest the entire plant. For seeds harvest after flowers have turned to seed, by cutting the stalk and letting it cure for a few days in a sunny location. Bring it in at night to avoid moisture. Once dried, shake into a paper bag and filter with a sieve.