What To Do With Amaranth And Plants
Amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus and other species)
Also known as Pigweed and has many other names
Hard to mix this one up with anything. This plant features spines that are quite capable of piercing leather, be careful when harvesting. The second word of warning it can get huge, like completely out of control, so if you cultivate it, you need to keep that in mind. The little seeds will spread like wildfire and I speak from personal experance on this, one plant will grow a field full.
These thorny plants that most would pass by as a food item are one of the most beautiful weeds you could ever find. But before we get to that part, I would like to offer one more word of caution before we remark on the food values of this fantastic plant I would like first to warn you that this plant does contain oxalic acid. That means that it should be cooked in water and the water dumped off before you plan to eat it or use it in a recipe. It can also contain a more significant than average proportion of nitrates and can be used in compost to increase nitrates in the soil of areas that are lacking.
The seeds of the plant, which are also edible, can be dried and stored. The seeds are easy to harvest and can be roasted to improve their flavor before making it into flour. They can be used in equal parts to replace white flour.
The leaves can be dried to use later for tea or greens, though I recommend that you cook them and pour off the before drying them. Pigweed is a beautiful plant that is high in fiber and full of vitamins and the best part is that it is free for the taking.
Some other uses for the seeds are for sprouting, they offer a mild flavor as a spout. They can be mixed in smoothies and added to ice cream to improve the nutritional count.
Here is a recipe to help get you started:
No-Bake Amaranth & Raisin cookies
1/4 cup amaranth (Pigweed) (grain)
1/2 cup barley flour
1/2 cup flour (pigweed) (amaranth)
1/8 cup black walnuts
1/8 cup dried golden raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp earth or sea salt
1 tsp bourbon vanilla extract or double chocolate-flavored vodka
3 tbsps. coconut oil
1 ½ tbsps. raw honey
Toast the amaranth grain in cast iron pan over medium heat; keep it moving in the pan so it does not burn. Toast the seeds until light golden brown color. Remove from the heat and let cool, set aside.
In a large bowl, add the barley flour, amaranth flour, black walnuts, golden raisins, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl and stir together. Now add the vanilla or vodka, coconut oil, and honey, then mix until the dough forms together and leaves the side of the bow. Now for the part that I like to do, form the mixture into balls and smash the balls flat. Place on a lined cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours, then eat and enjoy, repeat.
Makes about a dozen
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