Please note, some of the info below is specific to the genus, not to A. palmeri specifically, but I include it of the general similarities. Some of the info is A. Palmeri specific.
Nutrition-Leaves Amaranth species are cultivated and consumed as a leaf vegetable in many parts of the world. There are 4 species of Amaranthus documented as cultivated vegetables in eastern Asia: Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus blitum, Amaranthus dubius, and Am
aranthus tricolor.In Indonesia, Malasia, the Phillipines, parts of India, Vietnam, China, and many areas of Africa these greens are very popular in may cultural dishes. In parts of Africa, Amaranth leaf is sometimes recommended by some doctors for people having low red blood cell count. It is known to be a good crop for growing in droughty conditions. It is known in Yoruba as efo tete or arowo jeja ("we have money left over for fish"). In Greece, Green Amaranth (Amaranthus viridis) is a popular d
ish and is called vleeta. It's boiled, then served with olive oil and lemon like a salad, usually alongside fried fish. Greeks stop harvesting the (usually wild-grown) plant when it starts to bloom at the end of August.They are a very good source of vitamins including vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin B6, vitamin C, riboflavin, and folate, and dietary minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese. Because of its valuable nutrition, some farmers grow amaranth today.
Amaranthus palmeri, widely eaten by the Yaqui, Papago and Pima peoples of the Sonora desert in America, contains 3 times more calories, 18 times more vitamin A, 13 times more vitamin C, 20 times more calcium and 7 times more iron than lettuce. **However their moderately high content of oxalic acid inhibits the absorption of calcium and zinc, and also means that they should be avoided or eaten in moderation by people with kidney disorders, gout, or rheumatoid arthritis. Reheating cooked amara
nth greens is often discouraged, particularly for consumption by small children, as the nitrates in the leaves can be converted to nitrites, similarly to spinach. Nutrition-Seeds Like buckwheat, quinoa and chia seeds, Amaranth seeds is a source of complete protein that Most fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds and grains do not contain a complete set of amino acids, so generally, sources are combined to make a complete protein.
Seeds are ground and cooked in water, like grits. Several studies have shown that like oats, amaranth seed or oil may be of benefit for those with hypertension and cardiovascular disease; regular consumption reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while improving antioxidant status and some immune parameters. While the active ingredient in oats appears to be water-soluble fiber, amaranth appears to lower cholesterol via its content of plant stanols and squalene.
Sources for this info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth http://home.clara.net/heureka/books/kokopelli.htm Amaranthus, whether grain or leaf, constitutes a veritable solar factory. It is one of the privileged plants of the planet, which use a system of photosynthesis called C4. This means of photosynthesis is particularly efficient in conditions of drought, extreme heat and great solar intensity. It allows these plants to convert twice the amount of solar energy into
‘growth’ than plants, which use the system called C3, and with the same amount of water. The productivity of Amaranthus varies considerably according to the variety, climate, richness of the soil, etc. It can yield between 500kg and 5 tonnes a hectare. The varieties introduced into USA by the Rodale institute and other centres, such as Plainsman and K432, are said to produce on average 2 tonnes per hectare. Yields up to 6 tonnes a hectare have been achieved on certain experimental plots. -http://www.annadana.in/actu/new_news.cgi?id_news=6
It is also a traditional food of the Canadian Indigenous Peoples.
So this plant that Monsanto and the Southern cotton farmers think is a horrid plague is actually a nutritious plant! The fresh leaves have about 4% protein, and provide some niacin and vitamin C and a good percentage of vitamin A (given above in “Retinol Equivalents”). http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/other/ai215e/AI215E00.HTM
Sometimes you just have to holler when you see an opportunity that no one else seems to be seeing. After Georgia Organics posted this article http://www.france24.com/en/20090418-superweed-explosion-threatens-monsanto-heartlands-genetically-modified-US-crops from a French news site, I just have to shout!
First off. Let's see. Pig weed, aka Palmer's Pigweed, Palmer's amaranth, or Careless weed, latin name Amaranthus palmeri is Roundup resistant.
Horray for Pigweed! It shows that plants, like mushrooms, bacteria, fungus', etc. are resilient to trauma and human stupidity and can change to keep on growing. As me and my friend like to say "GO MOM!" (as in Mother Nature, doing her thing.)
Second, Roundup is toxic. Ask the president of the company if he would drink it. Or spray it on his lettuce. Or give it to his children. Watch this video.
Now. In Permaculture, we see this as an opportunity. The PROBLEM IS THE SOLUTION! Got it? In the problem, lies the solution.
The pigweed has changed genetically to get one up on those nasty chemicals. It wants to live. It's trying to provide something that the soil needs.
I went to www.pfaf.org Plants for a Future.
It has this to say about pigweed. "No members of this genus are known to be poisonous, but when grown on nitrogen-rich soils they are known to concentrate nitrates in the leaves. This is especially noticeable on land where chemical fertilizers are used. Nitrates are implicated in stomach cancers, blue babies and some other health problems. It is inadvisable, therefore, to eat this plant if it is grown inorganically."
Sooooo, the plant is soaking up all the excess fertilizer that has been put on these fields for a long time. Basically, the chemical companies have been selling nitrogen fertilizer in ever increasing quantities (for the sake of ever increasing profit of course) and the pigweed has seen all that excess fertilizer in the soil as a great opportunity to GROW!
My first thought it, cut the pigweed down before the seeds are mature, and GREEN MULCH it into the soil. This is a no-brainer in permaculture.
My second thought is that, given time to get the excess nitrogen out of plants, this could be a food source. Am I right? PFAF says: "Leaves - cooked as a spinach[46, 85, 95, 105, 161]. The leaves can also be dried for winter use[257]. Seed - cooked[46, 85, 95, 105, 161]. Very small but easy to harvest and very nutritious. It is usually ground into a powder and then used with cereal flours in making porridge, bread etc[257]. The seed can be cooked whole, and becomes very gelatinous like this, but it is rather difficult to crush all of the small seeds in the mouth and thus some of the seed will pass right through the digestive system without being assimilated[K]."
Other websites agree. (Try searching "amaranthus palmeri" edible.)
One note: Pigweed is currently a problem predominantly in cotton fields. DO NOT go out and harvest or eat from pigweed plants in cotton field, because, if you think Roundup is nasty, check what they spray on cotton! So there you have it. Green mulch it for a few years and let the fields rest (JUST QUIT BUYING ROUNDUP!) and then go into healthy, nutritious "wild greens" production, and nutritious pigweed seed flour! (Note, wild greens and seeds like amaranths, lambs quarters, chia, etc. are all more nutritious that the oft grown greens like spinach.)
So where's the problem? The farmers save money by getting off the Roundup merry-go-round and start a whole new edibles niche in the farmer's markets!
