True Love Seeds - Callaloo (Amaranth)

Smooth, bright, tender leaves that can be steamed lightly or even eaten raw. Young stems are tender enough to steam, and mature stems have a light, fluffy pith that tastes and feels similar to summer squash. Callaloo, the dish, originates in West Africa. The plant, a type of amaranth grown for its greens, was domesticated in Africa and the Americas, and it is cherished in many parts of the Caribbean. Not only is it rich in flavor and nutrition, it is an extremely resilient, self-sufficient, and prolific crop, making it an ideal superfood. There are a number of different variations of callaloo: there are "wild" type low growing ones with dark green, hairy leaves, there are plants with flushes of pink in the leaves, and there are upright, smooth, bright plants, which are what we offer here. Some people use other plants for this dish, such as taro leaves or water spinach. Many people season the leaves with onion, garlic, and hot pepper and serve it with saltfish, breadfruit, or boiled green plantain. It is extremely popular in our largely Caribbean neighborhood of East New York.