MudDuck
Member
Amaranth is a plant in the same family as the health nut's wet dream, quinoa. Actually, according to this, it has a better nutrient profile than quinoa. Anywho, amaranth has a long history of being nearly made extinct in the US.... See, the Aztecs used to mix popped amaranth flour with human blood and honey and eat the little cakes for various cultural celebrations. This practice and other culinary practices utilizing amaranth (like kneeling on all fours to eat the leaves of the plant right off the stalk, a practice linking these people to their land) were banned upon colonization and conversion by the Spanish. Who were total fucking assholes.
I've taken a personal vendetta to reintroduce edible amaranth to my area. It grows like a weed to 5-8 feet tall and produces the edible seeds in a thresh cola in late harvest season.
What I'm getting at is that if there's a good way to break down amaranth (and boiling happens to be an easy way to begin that process), compost it and incorporate it into an AACT, one could be reaping the benefits of organic nutrients. Here are the numbers for those too lazy to read the whole nutrient profile:
-Values per 1 cup uncooked grain-
Calcium 307 mg
Iron 14.7mg
Magnesium 479mg
Phosphorus 1075mg
Potassium 980mg
Sodium7.7mg
Zinc 5.5mg
Copper 1.0mg
Manganese 6.4mg
Selenium 36.1mcg
I know those totals aren't through the roof. The point is, you could be growing this weed in the shitty parts of your yard that is not only a complete source of edible protein but that could be composted to offer a few crucial nutrients to your soil. Mykos love grains. (Even though this is a seed and not a true grain)
Given that this plant grows in the damn desert, you could be cheaply growing some potentially fantastic compost.
Does anyone have good experience composting grains or seeds? What are the drawbacks? Is the protein a detriment to the soil?
I've taken a personal vendetta to reintroduce edible amaranth to my area. It grows like a weed to 5-8 feet tall and produces the edible seeds in a thresh cola in late harvest season.
What I'm getting at is that if there's a good way to break down amaranth (and boiling happens to be an easy way to begin that process), compost it and incorporate it into an AACT, one could be reaping the benefits of organic nutrients. Here are the numbers for those too lazy to read the whole nutrient profile:
-Values per 1 cup uncooked grain-
Calcium 307 mg
Iron 14.7mg
Magnesium 479mg
Phosphorus 1075mg
Potassium 980mg
Sodium7.7mg
Zinc 5.5mg
Copper 1.0mg
Manganese 6.4mg
Selenium 36.1mcg
I know those totals aren't through the roof. The point is, you could be growing this weed in the shitty parts of your yard that is not only a complete source of edible protein but that could be composted to offer a few crucial nutrients to your soil. Mykos love grains. (Even though this is a seed and not a true grain)
Given that this plant grows in the damn desert, you could be cheaply growing some potentially fantastic compost.
Does anyone have good experience composting grains or seeds? What are the drawbacks? Is the protein a detriment to the soil?
