Planted my callaloo today

[hoodat]

If you come from North of Louisina or Mississippi you probably never heard of it. It's an amaranth that is grown for it's leaves rather than the seeds and makes a great spinach sustitute so you can enjoy your favorite spinach recipes right through the hot weather. It can be eaten either raw in salads or cooked.
The first harvest can come only 30 days after planting and it is a "cut and come again" type green.

 

[digitS']

I've nearly finished my purple orache, Hoodat.

It isn't much different from lamb's quarters - a little more tender. In fact, it is as tender as spinach. I think it makes a good salad green. It is around with the earliest lettuce but shows up on its own, much earlier. I like cooked greens so usually go that route.

I have to decide on which plant to keep for seed. Sometime late in the season, I will just scatter seed all over in one corner of the garden. The orache can take it from there.

We should all make more use out of these sorts of things. And, there's nothing wrong with having unique favorites in the garden. It makes life more fun. It sounds like you enjoy your callaloo .

Steve

 

[so lucky]

Is callaloo seed something that can be purchased? Maybe on e-bay if not elsewhere?

 

[hoodat]

I got my first seeds from Bountiful Gardens. It's one of those veggies that you only have to buy the seeds once and then it plants itself. If you don't want it coming up wild just keep it cut back so it doesn't produce any seed. You can take the entire tip, stem and all. There is a great Jamaica pepper pot soup you can make with it. Recipes for it are online. I usually add okra to mine to thicken it up a bit.

 

[digitS']

He doesn't have anything to add but . . . if you click on him you will find Hoodat's seed source.

Pretty leaves!

Steve

 

[hoodat]

WOW. Someone should have turned me on to this stuff sooner. It grows so fst you can almost see it. Of course it should with all those bunny berries.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Wow, what a pretty leaf!!

 

[Collector]

thats a lotta bunny poop there, that stuff must like it!...

 

[hoodat]

That's what I like about bunny berries. They won't burn plants unless you let it get too wet and the ammonia builds up. If you smell ammonia you have to let it sit and dry a bit before you use it. Since I feed my rabbits a lot of wild gathered greens and grain it's also a way to bring in new nutrients to your garden.