Callaloo
Amaranthus viridis
Callaloo is a fast-growing tall leafy green from the amaranth family. You can harvest the young tender leaves or the mature leaves/stems for cooking. It's an incredibly nutritious green that can also be juiced and added to your favorite green juice recipe. The flower buds and seeds can also be eaten. This super-food is high in calcium, potassium, vitamin C, and also provides iron, protein, lysine, and fiber! Like many other fibrous veggies, cooked Callaloo actually has more nutrients than raw. Jamaicans make a very popular dish called Callaloo by stewing the greens with onions, garlic, tomatoes, thyme, and Scotch bonnet peppers.
Grown as a summer crop in Central FL., Harvest as early as 30 days.
Callaloo is actually the name of the vegetable dish popular around the entire Caribbean. There are many variants across the Caribbean, depending on the availability of local vegetables. The main ingredient is always an indigenous leafy vegetable, traditionally either an amaranth (known by many local names including callaloo), taro (known by many local names, including dasheeen bush, callaloo bush, callaloo, or bush), malanga (known by many names, including coco & tannia), and many others.
| Days to germination | 10-20 |
| Days to maturity | 30 days |
| Life cycle | Annual |
| Plant time | Spring |
| Spacing | 8-12 inches |
| Sun | Full sun to part shade |
| Soil temperature | 70-90 degrees F |
| Optimum soil P.H | 6.0-7.0 |
| Height | 4-8 inches |
| Harvest | Harvest amaranth leaves as needed. The younger leaves are better raw and the older leaves are better cooked. |