@wavesculptor @jblue @pvonhellermannn @DarkOptimism
Amaranth is nice, but I find it almost impossible to get the seeds out clean. Yes, we had massive heads, 30 to 40cm in length, sometimes over 1kg I guess, but the seeds are soo tiny and separate badly from dust or worse, sand.
Any tips, suggestions?
and how to use them? boiled they stay very gritty, I read you have to 'pop' them like pop-corn, but haven't tried that.
@Otis_Scops @jblue @pvonhellermannn @DarkOptimism
The Cornwall UK crop in the 1980's that I referred to, we winnowed with 4 people, each at the corner of a large bed-sheet, tossing the seed high, during a light breeze. Mentioned mainly as a "grain" that can be harvested and processed without specialised machinery. The decorative flowers were also an incentive to try it. The downside is mainly that it is hard on delicate digestions - see the WP article. Lots of soaking, changing the water was our work-around; when the water no longer froths, the saponins are mostly leached out.
See #Quinoa, which is closely related. Both of the "Dock" family. As Q. is locally available as food and actually a bit cheaper than millet and I'm not so far from a region where it's commercially cultivated, I'll probably try that before amaranth, tho I've never grown it before.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa#Saponins_and_oxalic_acid
@wavesculptor @Otis_Scops @pvonhellermannn @DarkOptimism this is a video of removing huazontle seeds from husks in water with an espresso frother. The husks will rise to the top and can be poured out (along with saponins). It takes around three changes of water to leave just the seeds at the bottom.
Quinoa is pretty heat sensitive and won’t form seeds above 90F. I’ve had a lot of luck with huazontle though.
