That amaranth is gorgeous!
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It’s funny, my daughter collected seeds from a neighbour one year but what’s growing in their yard is a very different looking plant. I’ll snap a photo later on.
It spreads & grows huge huge enormous! It’s really something.
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My friend eats lots of amaranth due to food allergies but I had no idea the plant was so pretty!
It’s certainly an eye catcher in that magenta hue. And the shape of the thing! Well, lol 
A whole row of them has me in fits of giggles.
The plants they came from look so different. Even taller but droopy seedy parts.
Hand for size reference.
Where ours are quite stiff & upright, these are more elephant trunk rather than nature giving a salute!
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@Magpie, I love that you have volunteer tomatoes! I’ve never seen amaranth stick straight up like that. I thought it always hung downwards.
And, after realizing it’s a pretty nutritious grain (I think it’s a grain, at least), I just bought a bag. I haven’t tried it yet, though. Maybe I’ll try to germinate some (I’m not sure if it’s been toasted or anything)!
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It’s more a seed than a grain, like quinoa is. Both are sold “puffed” for cereal, like rice & wheat which tastes… interesting? Cooking it can be tricky since it’s supposed to get rinsed but is fine enough to escape most sieves, lol. Our plant has black seeds, some are white. I think it might get hulled for commercial sale like sesame seeds.
Maybe ours is just giving the finger specially to us? Ha!
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LOL! Or maybe it’s just a show off 
I bet you’re right about how it’s prepared for sale. As for cooking it, if I hate it as a cereal, I can probably just use it when I make a batch of granola.
I’m trying to diversify my whole grains/seeds. I like quinoa, but I feel a bit guilty eating it because I read that the people who live where it grows can no longer afford to eat it because it’s now too expensive, and it’s been a dietary staple for them forever.
Any tips on preparing farro? I tried it once and wasn’t a fan. It was pretty chewy…
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I know my friend uses amaranth flour. I think it’s naturally glutenfree because it’s not actually a grain.
Farro (called emmer in Dutch) is used for sourdough bread and for beer here. It used to be a staple centuries again and some people are trying to introduce it again. Enmer bread is widely available in artisanal bakeries and health food stores these days but I’m not aware of any other way to prepare it. How did you eat it, did you boil it?
I haven’t tried farro but i think @MistressJennie has? It sounds like kamut which is hearty & chewy. Best eaten in smaller quantities in an otherwise tasty dish maybe. I’ve had it with curried squash, quite delicious.
Yes about the quinoa but it is being grown in Canada now so local is possible!
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It was boiled and then served in a salad. I think I have another small amount left (it came in a meal kit), so I wonder if I should try boiling it for a little bit longer…
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Maybe it’s just a texture I’ll need to get used to, and definitely in a smaller quantity.
And, that is good news to hear that quinoa is being grown in Canada. Do you know if there’s a specific brand that’s also available in the US?
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Just picked these! I had kind of given up on the yellow plants, this is the first zucchini from those. Not much but this has nearly doubled my harvest and a few more are upcoming. Good thing I didn’t give up on them yet.
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Am I a farmer now?
I also have a whack tonne of butternut squash all over the side lawn. I have no idea when to cut them off the vine.
We just planted them. 
We don’t actually know what to do with them. Much like the pot plant out back and the carrots out front.
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Check out this video-
She’s usually very informative!
And, those tomatoes look fantastic!
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Go Go brand maybe? Or check Bob’s Red Mill. It’s worth asking your local place for a brand you want, especially a smaller place. We’ve bought case lots at a bulk discount even for items not usually stocked.
Ooh @sloth003, I’ll take some squashes! They are great cooked & frozen or shredded & dehydrated or cubed & canned!
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I LOVE farro! The texture reminds me of pearled barley. I was introduced to it through a Blue Apron recipe. (Meal kit delivery service for those outside the US.) I now make it frequently as a base for grain bowls, and remake several of the Blue Apron recipes that featured it. I generally fill a small/medium saucepan with water, and boil it about 20 minutes, testing it after 15 mins. Once it’s cooked through, I strain it with a mesh strainer, then return it to the pot and add a drizzle of olive oil, some freshly cracked pepper, and usually some sort of sautéd veggies, like spinach or kale, or roasted carrots. If I’m doing grain bowls, I skip the veggies IN the farro, and instead top the farro with chicken or roasted chickpeas, and whatever veggies I have that I want to use up. Roasted broccoli, sweet potato, leftover avocado, pre cooked beets, etc. Then I usually add a sprinkle of something crunchy like slivered almonds or chopped peanuts, and drizzle the whole thing with some sort of dressing. My favorite being a lemon-tahini one.
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See? I thought I remembered seeing you post about farro.
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Butternut squash actually freezes really well. Cube and spread on in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Once it’s frozen, you can bag it up into your preferred portions.
The frozen squash can just be dumped from the bag onto a tray and straight into the oven, just like frozen potatoes, no thawing needed, it just needs an extra few minutes of cook time. I have a ‘pantry pasta’ dish and that uses butternut squash and this is how I keep the squash on hand.
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@Magpie- I found a Canadian brand called Quinto (I think that’s what it was), and I’m going to see if I can get it locally. I did order some online, but I’m going to see if I can find it in stores. And, I’ll be checking the labels of any brands I come across 
@MistressJennie, that sounds like a much more delicious way to prepare it. I’ll have to give it another chance
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I’ve been subscribing to the NYTimes Cooking vegetarian newsletter lately, and they just posted this recipe, with both cooked and raw zucchini, paired with farro and chickpeas. Thought you might like it!
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