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.

This variety is from Chocosol, a chocolate company we partnered with a few years ago, to grow amaranth for their chocolate. This variety is from the Zapotec communities of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Days to maturity: 120 days. Approx. 300 seeds per packet.

If you are curious about how we harvest and process amaranth, check out this video: