Millet and Amaranth

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lilmissy

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Was just reading these two are great for storage and very healthy. What do they taste like? I can honestly say, I have never tasted them. Dont want to buy any if it would be something I dont care for. I read Millet has a corn taste. How about the texture? Like quinoa? Do you store it?
 
Was just reading these two are great for storage and very healthy. What do they taste like? I can honestly say, I have never tasted them. Dont want to buy any if it would be something I dont care for. I read Millet has a corn taste. How about the texture? Like quinoa? Do you store it?
I use millet since it's a seed not a grain (whatever the real difference is???) Anyways, I like millet. It has more of a grain flavor. I use it with other things like coconut flour and almond flour etc. Texture is like most grains. I've not had amaranth as a flour, but just as a seed which I would compare to poppy seeds - a little nuttier. As far as nutritional value, they might consider them healthier because they are gluten free and fewer chemicals. If you're interested, might also look at eikorn and spelt, both are ancient grains and have not been modified for bulk like common wheat.
 
I have bought a little millet, maybe a cup, but never tried it. I understand that millet is eaten quite a bit in China. I know that some granola type bars have some millet in them. If I were to make some homemade ones, millet along with several other things would go into them.
We could get it in the bulk goods in our local Sprouts store. I haven't been there for months and haven't looked at millet for a long time.

When it comes to millet and amaranth, I have wanted to try to grow them to see how easy or difficult it is and what the outcome is, especially related to harvesting them.
 
Thanks! Here is what was on the website about millet and amaranth.
Millet is extremely important as an emergency food due to its high nutrient density. Brimming with magnesium, calcium, manganese, phosphorus, B vitamins and antioxidants, millet provides essential nutrients for your bones, muscles and nervous system.
Amaranth is one of Mother Nature’s best sources of gluten-free protein. It is very filling and can provide you a lot of stamina and energy without adding empty calories to your diet. It is high in calcium, antioxidants, minerals and is very easy to digest.
This is why I was thinking hmmm. Maybe should get some but wasnt sure how it would taste. I am not picky on when it comes to beans and grains. But there is always a chance. Plus where I get my items in bulk, they are having a hard time keeping Beans in stock.
 
I have bought a little millet, maybe a cup, but never tried it. I understand that millet is eaten quite a bit in China. I know that some granola type bars have some millet in them. If I were to make some homemade ones, millet along with several other things would go into them.
We could get it in the bulk goods in our local Sprouts store. I haven't been there for months and haven't looked at millet for a long time.

When it comes to millet and amaranth, I have wanted to try to grow them to see how easy or difficult it is and what the outcome is, especially related to harvesting them.
Amaranth can become a weed!!!!! Just warning ya "Weedy" 😁 It is probably what I pull most of from my garden. To harvest, pull/break the heads off and put in a paper bag and shake - sorta like lettuce seed that way. My mom has kept seed. I don't have the patience and I don't like having to pull it constantly. (Mom gave me some plants she had planted in her compost and surprise!)
@lilmissy I wouldn't be afraid to try either one. I have pretty acute taste buds (good thing I like quite a bit :) ) and neither are pungent or bitter.
 
Amaranthus spinosus aka Spiny Amaranth and Amaranthus viridis aka Green Amaranth are both an annoying weed in the southeastern US. Both are called Pigweed.

My family have been trying to eradicate both from our gardens for 50 years that I know about. Green amaranth is just annoying, it sucks up water and nutrients from veggies that are far more nutritious. Both plants will reach 4ft in height.

Spiny amaranth does the same damage as green but has another far more hazardous trait. When I was a kid it was called “step light”. It has tiny thorns, those little nodule/bundles can be seen in the photo. As kids we’d go barefoot all summer even when working in the garden etc.

Those tiny thorns would easily embed themselves in our feet, extremely painful… causes us to “step light”. An adult would have to stop what they were doing, pull out a needle and magnifying glass to dig them out of our feet… The tiny thorns will also embed themselves in your hands if you accidentally grab the stalk.

You can see the seed heads of the plant in the foreground with the red stalks… Those seed heads are embedded with those tiny thorns…. Do you really want this in your garden?

I’d recommend being very careful about the species of amaranth seeds you buy.

Spiny amaranth (2) sm.jpg
Spiny amaranth (6) sm.jpg
 
Amaranth can become a weed!!!!! Just warning ya "Weedy" 😁 It is probably what I pull most of from my garden. To harvest, pull/break the heads off and put in a paper bag and shake - sorta like lettuce seed that way. My mom has kept seed. I don't have the patience and I don't like having to pull it constantly. (Mom gave me some plants she had planted in her compost and surprise!)
@lilmissy I wouldn't be afraid to try either one. I have pretty acute taste buds (good thing I like quite a bit :) ) and neither are pungent or bitter.

Amaranthus spinosus aka Spiny Amaranth and Amaranthus viridis aka Green Amaranth are both an annoying weed in the southeastern US. Both are called Pigweed.

My family have been trying to eradicate both from our gardens for 50 years that I know about. Green amaranth is just annoying, it sucks up water and nutrients from veggies that are far more nutritious. Both plants will reach 4ft in height.

Spiny amaranth does the same damage as green but has another far more hazardous trait. When I was a kid it was called “step light”. It has tiny thorns, those little nodule/bundles can be seen in the photo. As kids we’d go barefoot all summer even when working in the garden etc.

Those tiny thorns would easily embed themselves in our feet, extremely painful… causes us to “step light”. An adult would have to stop what they were doing, pull out a needle and magnifying glass to dig them out of our feet… The tiny thorns will also embed themselves in your hands if you accidentally grab the stalk.

You can see the seed heads of the plant in the foreground with the red stalks… Those seed heads are embedded with those tiny thorns…. Do you really want this in your garden?

I’d recommend being very careful about the species of amaranth seeds you buy.

View attachment 44261View attachment 44262
Thank you, both! I will not be planting amaranth in my garden or yard. I do know I have seen it in flower gardens.

I think that pigweed can sometimes have red roots and stalk? I have seen it be a problem in fields that have been planted with crops.

Is this wild amaranth, aka pigweed, edible? From what I just read, it is. If we are ever hungry and foraging for something to eat, this would be one thing we could harvest and eat.
 
Amaranthus spinosus aka Spiny Amaranth and Amaranthus viridis aka Green Amaranth are both an annoying weed in the southeastern US. Both are called Pigweed.

My family have been trying to eradicate both from our gardens for 50 years that I know about. Green amaranth is just annoying, it sucks up water and nutrients from veggies that are far more nutritious. Both plants will reach 4ft in height.

Spiny amaranth does the same damage as green but has another far more hazardous trait. When I was a kid it was called “step light”. It has tiny thorns, those little nodule/bundles can be seen in the photo. As kids we’d go barefoot all summer even when working in the garden etc.

Those tiny thorns would easily embed themselves in our feet, extremely painful… causes us to “step light”. An adult would have to stop what they were doing, pull out a needle and magnifying glass to dig them out of our feet… The tiny thorns will also embed themselves in your hands if you accidentally grab the stalk.

You can see the seed heads of the plant in the foreground with the red stalks… Those seed heads are embedded with those tiny thorns…. Do you really want this in your garden?

I’d recommend being very careful about the species of amaranth seeds you buy.

View attachment 44261View attachment 44262

I've grown some types of Aramanath before. It looked nothing like the pic you showed Peanut. Mine grew more like a Sunflower, Single stalk to a big head and was probably 6-8' tall. It did spread quite a bit since I didn't harvest in time. If you failed to harvest and just let it go to seed would be bad if you didn't just keep it mown. We ate a little of it and it was pretty tasty. Mostly I would cut a stalk and throw it in the chicken pen when we had birds. They loved it. And it did spread in the run. I'd just cut it and let them eat it young. It would make a great feed for the birds.

Millet is what we used to plant mixed with soybeans for this guy when I was growing up. The guy had a dove hunt every year for his clients when season came around. We sowed this mix and harvested for hay just before dove season. The cattle loved it. I never tried any myself.

Both sounds nutrious. Harvesting millet would be a big job, much like wheat.
 
When I was young we used to grow millet as a hay crop. It was highly nutritious as cattle feed. The left over seed in the fields were heaven for all the dove hunters in late summer.

I've never seen amaranth that looks like sunflowers. I've only seen the two species I know as pigweed. There are many different plants that have the common name "Pigweed". Seems every region of the US has it's own "pigweeds".
 
@Peanut and @Bacpacker might look up “love lies bleeding” My mom calls it by the old timey name and I can’t remember which it is. The ones from her grow tall and get large red/purple “flowers”. That’s what’s up the mountain. I think that’s what BP had. Here we have the kind Peanut showed- pigweed.
 
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Ok, so which amaranth is "pigweed" or "lamb's quarter" which is supposed to be very nutritious?

Amaranth IS NOT lamb's quarters... throw that name away... lambs quarters isn't part of this thread... It's a different plant entirely.

More than a dozen totally different and unrelated plants go by the common name "Pigweed"...

Stick with the name Amaranth... It's a genus comprised of more than 75 different species... Take your pick on the species of amaranth you wish to discuss. ;)
 
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Now I'm really confused...

Here you go! Educate yourself and be not confused! Kidding... These sites will get you started on amaranth...

https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/grow-amaranth-plants-for-grain-zmaz78mjzgoe
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/grains/amaranth/growing-amaranth-food.htm
http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/va/guidetogrowingamaranth.html
Some people say I use latin names to sound educated... nothing could be further from the truth. I do it for clarity...

Hopi Red Dye Amaranth is Amaranthus caudatus. There is only one species of plant on our planet with this name.... You could discuss this species with total strangers and everyone would know which plant you were talking about.

There are dozens of common names which could be any one of dozens of different species.... Common names only lead to confusion. Thats why I stick to the latin name...

Lambs quarters is Chenopodium album... not only is a different species, its in a totally different genus of plants.
 
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