[Floody]

I'm thinking of having a go to grow Callaloo next year - do I plant it all out at the same time or should I be planting it successionally, like lettuce for example?  And when I harvest it, do I just take the leaves or do I cook the stem as well?   And any tips from the experienced Callaloo growers out there? 

[Auntiemogs]

Sorry I can't help, but I'll be watching with interest.  What a wonderful name! 

[Comfreypatch]

A sort of West Indian spinach. I tried growing it one year after someone brought me back some seeds. I think I was a little late sowing as it didn't do much, but I would sow every few weeks. I did read that it is a prolific seeder so don't let it run to seed. Others may know more about it than me.

[New shoot]

I was given some seeds this year, but it was a very dwarf form that didn't do much. 

I'm going to try the RealSeeds one next year as I've been given homegrown callaloo to try and its a useful green to have on hand and much easier to grow than a lot of our traditional ones - or at least so I have been told, if you get hold of the right strain    You pick leaves as you want them and I like these cut and come again, low maintenance crops.

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/cookinggreens.html

Another prolific greens provider RealSeeds do is Huauzontle, which I missed out on this year (my own fault - old seeds that just didn't germinate  ), but the tree cabbage I tried this year is a winner.  Lovely loose heads of huge leaves.  You only need pick a few to get enough greens for tea 

Huauzontle and Callaloo down at the botoom of the page I have given the link to.  Tree cabbage is on the cabbage page 

[surbie100]

I had a similar experience to others - small plants that didn't do much, but I think I was late sowing too. Am going to try again next year with the seed circle seeds.

(Am resolutely not clicking on the Realseeds link! )

[pigguns]

Grew an awesome strain this year from seeds given to me from the Jamaican grower plot holder opposite me.  Grows like weeds, self seeds.  If you protect it from slugs early on, it's trouble free.  Mine grew to 2 foot, is seeding now and am drying loads for the seed circle. 

How the Jamaicans do it around here (and they all grow it) is to cut the whole growing tips off or pick larger leaves (think like basil) and to cook/steam them like spinach.  I liked it, it's pretty this time of year, didn't bolt, didn't get slugged.  Taste was ok, but I couldn't really tell the difference between that & (true) spinach.  Advantage is that now the calaloo is over my spinach is doing really well, and last year that went on throughout the (mild) winter.  Would have bolted through the hot summer if I'd sown it earlier.  So my recommendation is to grow both.

[Swing Swang]

>I'm thinking of having a go to grow Callaloo next year - do I plant it all out at the same time or should I be planting it successionally, like lettuce for example?

I presume that you are talking about amaranth rather than taro/xanthosoma as these two different leaves are called callaloo by different communities.

Personally I plant it all out at the same time - keep picking it hard and keep cropping until the first frosts.

>And when I harvest it, do I just take the leaves or do I cook the stem as well?   
Leave the tough bits on the plants to re-sprout, but the soft stem attached to the leaves gets left on. If the 'stem' is a little on the thick side then you can split it lengthways with a knife as this will speed up cooking.

I sweat mine with a little oil and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.
It 'holds' better when cooked than spinach so works well in pies/pastries where otherwise  you'd have used spinach/chard.

In Greece amaranth is called vlito/vlita and you can buy about 10gm of loose seed (lots and lots) for 1 euro from garden centres so worth checking out it you're there on holiday.

Philip

[Swing Swang]

And as Pigguns says - it self seeds all over the place!