Orders under $15 will be shipped by envelopes that don’t have a tracking number & takes 5-15 days. Orders over $15 will be shipped by USPS Frist have a tracking number & takes 3-5 days. 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, & the first harvest can begin by late June. I would sow three crops (late May, mid-June, & 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 & slugs love the moisture If too many seedlings, thin out the crowded area & 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 & 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 Red Stripe Leaf Amaranth Seeds; 紅莧菜; Rau Den; Callaloo/Chinese Summer Spinach
