R is the first letter in my pal Roy G. Biv’s name, so I’m going to start at the beginning and reveal which pretty and edible plants I’ll grow to highlight one of my favorite colors, red.
Amaranth is an ancient grain crop from the New World that can be red, orange or green. A nearly complete protein (containing lysine), the seeds can be ground, cooked or even popped like popcorn. I also want to mention that this grain is gluten free! (Some people call amaranth a pseudo grain, but I’m going to give it full credit here anyway.)
Fun Fact: Mexican amaranth flew into space on NASA’s flight number STS 61-B. The amaranth cookies were launched at the same time tortillas flew for the first time. (1981-1986)
I’ll grow ‘Red Spike’ as an ornamental plant, rather than an edible, which has some of the darkest red, feathery flowers and leaves when compared to other amaranths. If I am successful, then the plants should grow four to six feet tall. The tallest on record in the Guinness Book of World Records was 27 feet 10 inches! No promises though.
For a red vegetable, I selected ‘Mad Hatter’ pepper, a bishop’s crown-type with a sweet flavor (hot, dry climates may produce some fruits with a bit of spicy heat in the center). This pepper was trialed all over the United States and Canada in test gardens and was selected as an All-America Selections winner in 2017. I hope to produce what the expert judges across North America experienced – tasty peppers and lots of ‘em!
Have you ever grown amaranth or ‘Mad Hatter’ peppers? Weigh in on your favorite red flowers and edible plants in the comments!
Next up, I’ll represent orange, yellow, green, blue and indigo/violet in my rainbow garden!
Jane & I have grown the Amaranth known as “Love Lies Bleeding” several times. It does get tall and sadly looks like the weeping plants on old headstones. I wish I’d tried to make flour from its seeds.
Hopefully the fact that you and Jane grew love lies bleeding several times means I’ll have luck. Love lies bleeding is one of the three species of “grain” amaranth. The one I selected, ‘Red Spike’, is another of the three “grain” amaranth species. Based on the pictures, I expect the flower tassels won’t weep like love lies bleeding’s flowers. Time will tell!