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Post by greenfinger on Sept 14, 2010 15:15:50 GMT -5
My 'golden giant amaranth' is turning slightly yellowish green. (the grain, not the stalk) I want to harvest before the birds find it! And uh... anyone know if the stalk/leaves are able to be pleasantly prepared to eat? Or maybe at least not repulsive?
The 'white popping sorghum' (the flower head) is sort of a dried mustard shade, which IS darker than it was last week...
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Post by Walk on Sept 16, 2010 10:12:52 GMT -5
We harvest our amaranth when the seeds release easily - rub a little between your fingers and if the seeds fall out, it can be harvested. We cut the heads and bring them into a warm, sunny, mouse-free porch to dry. Hang heads over old sheets to catch any seeds that fall.
I think you can eat the leaves of grain amaranth when the plants are young and tender. By the time you've got mature seed heads they are good for animal feed (our sheep like them), but not so great for humans. There are varieties that are selected for good greens that are smaller - the grain varieties are selected for increased grain yield.
Grain sorghum gets cut here as soon as the color starts to change, which is also when the birds start eating it. We cut at least 12" of stalk and bring it into the same porch as the amaranth to finish maturing/drying. If the birds didn't peck at it, it could be left to mature on the plant longer but in a small patch (about 200 plants) the birds can make quite a dent in the harvest.
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Post by greenfinger on Sept 17, 2010 8:48:34 GMT -5
Thankyou!
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