Lost Crops of Africa Volume II: Vegetables (2006) / Chapter Skim
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1 Amaranth
1 Amaranth
Pages 33-51
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From page 35... ...
At least fifty tropical countries grow vegetable amaranths, and in quantities that are far from small. Throughout the humid lowlands of Africa and Asia, for instance, these are arguably the most widely eaten boiled greens.
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From page 36... ...
Amaranth leaves and stems make boiled vegetables with soft texture, mild flavor, and no trace of bitterness. In taste tests at the U.S.
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From page 37... ...
Farmers in Hong Kong, for example, grow at least six types: pointed leaved, round leaved, red leaved, white leaved, green leaved, and horse's teeth. Those in Taiwan grow a type called tiger leaf, which has green leaves with a red stripe down the center.6 They're not only very pretty, they're very tasty.
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From page 38... ...
In favorable locations amaranths produce food almost without attention. Seen in overall perspective, these fighters offer frontline armaments in the battle to feed properly a malnourished world.
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From page 39... ...
The flowers, however, are inedible. Seeds Several species, including Amaranthus cruentus, A
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From page 40... ...
The attractive flowers make Amaranthus cruentus a suitable species for honey production. NUTRITION The nutritional quality of amaranth greens is not dissimilar from that of better-known leafy vegetables.
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From page 41... ...
Elevated levels of the nutritionally critical amino acid lysine have been found in the leaves of 13 amaranth species. This makes it leaf protein a very good supplement to cereal grain.
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From page 42... ...
Indeed, in several dozen nations this popular plant forms a crucial part of both rural economy and female existence. Here in Benin, a villager uses palm leaves and a bowl of water to sprinkle the amaranth bed in her home garden.
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From page 43... ...
Amaranths are also cultivated in home gardens for family use, with any small surplus being carried to the village market in the form of tiny bundles of plants tied in bush fiber. The plants are sown virtually yearround in the tropics, and multiple cropping is possible due to its short life cycle (about 8 weeks)
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From page 44... ...
On a per-hectare basis, vegetable amaranth yields are generally in the range of 4 to 14 tons green weight. However, harvests as high as 40 tons per hectare have been reported.11 It is traditional in West Africa to soak the plant in water before toting it to market.
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From page 45... ...
Although the fresh leaves of some vegetable cultivars can glow with something akin to red fire, when they are boiled the brilliant pigment dissolves in the hot water. The leaves come out emerald green, but the cooking water turns dark and far from pretty.
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From page 46... ...
Indeed, the vast wide geographical spread of the genus has produced many landraces, and in their present undeveloped state amaranths offer more genetic diversity than do many much better understood crops. The huge gene pool in widely separated areas can be tapped for the future development of the crop.
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From page 47... ...
Leaf-Protein Isolates A future promise of vegetable amaranths is the development of leaf-protein concentrates.13 Compared with most other species, amaranth leaf protein is highly extractable. In one trial, amaranth had the highest level of extractable leaf protein among 24 plant species studied.
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From page 48... ...
The protein quality of the amaranth leaf-nutrient concentrate (based amino acid composition, digestibility, and nutritional effectiveness) is excellent.
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From page 49... ...
A very deep red, dark-seeded form of the species, sometimes known as blood amaranth, is often sold as an ornamental in commercial seed 14The Asian species, Amaranthus tricolor (A. oleraceus, A
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From page 50... ...
Amaranthus hybridus L.15 One of the world's most common leafy vegetables, this weedy herb originated in tropical America, but is now spread throughout the tropics and is a frequent component of kitchen gardens. It also grows wild on moist ground, in waste places, or along roadsides.
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From page 51... ...
The plants establish best when soil temperatures exceed 15°C. Optimum germination temperature varies between 16°C and 35°C.
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