GREENS, "Folong" Amaranth

maranth Sp.

Seeds per packet ~ 100

Germination 74% Dec 2023 Packed for 2024

Archeological evidence suggests amaranths were first cultivated over 6,000 years ago in both South America and Mesoamerica before colonial invasion. It was a stable dish for the many civilizations and cultures that existed across North and South America, such as the Incas, Mayas and Aztecs. 

Amaranth eventually made its way to Africa and the Caribbean along the routes of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It quickly spread through Africa and gained strong popularity among many African cultures, where it is now a staple grain in many culinary cultures across the continent. Today amaranths are a popular leafy green in many islands of the Caribbean where the plant is commonly known as callaloo. 

Amaranth has become a traditional African vegetable with several local names such as Kumkum (Bafia), Ndjap mekat (Bagangté), Feufe (Dschang), Teue (Bamoun), Po’oga (Bassa), Folong (Bulu, Ewondo), Biwolè (Douala), Agnaka/Hakondjam (Fulfudé), Gagnorwa (Haoussa), and Kumkuma (Eton),  Our variety hails from the central African nation of Cameroon.  It was grown by Nate Kleinman in collaboration with our partners at The Seed Farm at Princeton University, from stock-seed collected in Cameroon by our friend and Cooperative Gardens Commission colleague Marissa Donohue in 2021.

In many African societies vegetable amaranths make up a major source of protein, in some places it makes of as much as a quarter of the daily protein intake. The leaves and stems of some varieties can be boiled into a green vegetable dish and are extremely rich in protein and otherwise nutritious. It is considered a pseudocereal grain (because of its similar nutritional and culinary use to cereals) and has regained popularity in the Western health food movement and in food security circles alike due to its high nutritional value and high yield. 

GROWING TIPS: Start in flats a few weeks before last frost or direct sow after frost danger has passed. Seedlings start out very tiny, and they are delicate for the first week or two, but soon after that they explode. Expect plants to grow from 4 to 6 feet tall.