June 18, 2015

So isn’t this amaranth gorgeous? Wandering through Specialty Produce this week I spotted it with the petite greens. Read more about it on the Carnival Amaranth page at Specialty Produce. Turns out they’re grown at Fresh Origins in San Diego’s North County.

Having just planted my summer arugula and baby leaf kale in containers I immediately thought of looking for seeds to grow it. But better make sure I like the flavor and not just the colors. So I bought a clam-shell package. Yikes–pricey! As a wholesale operation no prices are posted. (I’m embarrassed to report how much I paid for it). It was delicious in a salad with my red cabbage.

I used the Mother Earth News Seed and Plant Finder and located Amaranthus tricolor seeds at Select Seeds. Full size plants are pretty wild looking. 

From Specialty Produce:  Anthocyanins, a pigment that is released in the leaves to help protect the plant from the sun and to help pollinators find the flower, produce the lovely amaranth colors. Anthocyanins, identified as antioxidants, are also believed to help fight cancer.

What fun to discover a new green to grow.