Red Stripe Leaf Amaranth seeds; 紅莧菜; Rau Dền; Red Callaloo

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This heirloom Chinese/Taiwan Amaranth variety is a staple food in many Asian cultures. Super easy to grow. Fast-growing summer veggies that thrive in heat & humidity.


Some growing tips:

• Prepare the veggie bed with lots of organic matter such as compost, work the soil at least 4" deep, 6" would be even better.


• Do not sow too early in the spring! Direct sowing when overnight low is above 50F, or 2-4 weeks after the last frost. Amaranth loves heat, sun & humidity. Here in SW Chicago burb zone 5B, I would not sow the seeds until May 20th, and the first harvest can begin by late June.
 I would sow three crops (late May, mid-June, and early July) each year.

• Do not over-seed, as 7 grams of seeds (~7,000) can cover a 100-150 sqft area easily


• Used a phased approach, cultivating a subplot every two to three weeks, to continue the harvest throughout the summer
 months

• Cover the seeds with 1/4” fine soil; keep the soil moist for about a week to ensure a high germination rate (advance catalyst technique is to use poly cover as humidity/heat dome )

• Water in the morning rather than in the evening, as caterpillars and slugs love the moisture


• If too many seedlings, thin out the crowded area and eat them as stir-fried baby greens, make soup, or add them to ramen noodles.
 Overcrowding is the most common crop failure root cause.

• Amaranth is ready to harvest in just 35 to 45 days after sowing.
 Cut off the stem an inch above the first "branch". This will allow a second harvest in just two weeks. I have home gardener friends using this method for multiple harvests during the summer months.


The most common recipe is stir fry:

- cut the amaranth into 2" sections (longer segments for leaves are fine; shorter segments for stems)
- heat up the pan with a couple of spoons of cooking oil
- toss in a generous amount of minced/chopped garlic; let it sizzle for 20 seconds or so
- put in stems first, stir fry for 30 seconds or so
- put in leaves second, stir fry for another minute or two (do not under-cook)
- add sea salt and nothing else (no soy sauce, no black pepper)
- add a bit of water to make it a bit watery
- add corn starch (prefixed in water) to make the sauce gravy-like