Opopeo

Amaranth is, hands down, our favourite plant. It has it all: beauty, nutrition, and resilience. Plus, it’s easy to grow.

When we lived in Guatemala, we promoted the revival of amaranth through our work with the Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute. It’s a true superfood, gluten free and packed with protein. It’s also been part of the Mayan culture for a staggering 8,000 years.

Both leaves and seeds are edible. The tender leaves are delicious when sautéed with garlic or onions. Its seeds puff up with a delicious nutty flavour when popped in a hot pan – a great addition to smoothies, granola, and oatmeal.

Amaranth thrives practically anywhere, reaching up to 2m tall. Threshing requires a bit of elbow grease, and the flowers need to be paper-dry during harvest. It requires very little water and is naturally pest resistant. An extraordinary plant.

The opopeo amaranth produces incredibly flamboyant, fuchsia coloured flowers often used as an ornamentals.

Days to maturity: 120 days