This is amaranth - red Hopi. It is being used by many Canadian gardeners as a decorative annual in flower beds these days. You might not realize that the leaves are also edible and can be steamed or used as a salad green. Amaranth is from South America and the plant matures with a gorgeous red plume which contains very small edible seeds. The seeds provide complete protein which is rare in the plant world - like soy and quinoa. Learn more about this amazing plant at a previous post of mine.
The amaranth is related to the Jamaican callaloo show below. My friends bought these seeds for me from a feed and farm store last spring when we were travelling in Jamaica. You eat calloloo like spinach. Great in omelettes too. Little Jamaican carrots growing around it... might not get too big before harvest but will be delicious none the less.
A bountiful harvest or organic red potatoes starting late June this year. They were planted early in April. Envy of the Irish! When I travelled in Jamaica this spring I noticed they called white potatoes "Irish."
Smaller tomatoes are ripe and have been a great addition to salads and sandwiches. Bigger than cherry tomatoes about the size of tennis balls. My friend Rachel thought may have cross-pollinated.
More tomatoes with scarlet runner beans and the smallest potatoes imaginable! Little spuds dug up with bigger ones.
A bowl of gorgeous shallots harvested by my mom from her garden. I grew some too from little bulbs but I have mostly eaten them. Each clove or bulb will grow and separate into 5 or 6. If you want some for next spring just leave one behind. In fact some of the ones below can be planted for early spring shallots. I might get greedy and cook with them all.
I think these are Japanese winter squash from seeds I had mailed to me by Daisy DeBolt. Going to be a huge crop of pumpkins and squash this fall.
Below is a pretty kaboche squash I have been keeping my eye on. I have seen other spellings and not sure..... Dense orange flesh which is very sweet and delicious. I have also seen them called pumpkin in Jamaica. These seeds were from an organic squash I bought from Gypsy Whole Foods Warehouse. I dried and saved them for planting this year. It is easy to dry and save pumpkin and squash seeds from organic fruits and this can be a simple introduction to seed saving. Free seeds for next year's garden! A word of caution though... make sure they are totally dry before storing in glass jar or they may develop mold (been there).
Below is the kaboche squash just a few weeks before when still yellow.
A white or yellow pumpkin is below. I bought the host at the Powassan's Farmer's Market last fall and saved seeds to plant this spring. A local variety which has been very prolific this year. I eat them like squash in stews and soups. They over-winter very well in a cool room as do all the other squash and pumpkins we have been growing.
Hard to not mention Black Beauty eggplants. The seedlings were started by Rachel. We are waiting with bated breathe to see if we actually get eggplant! It is usually too cold up here to grow eggplant without a greenhouse or covered beds. These plants flowered a few weeks ago and fruit is setting in past few days.
Gorgeous plant with mauve flowers. A bit out of focus but I only have a point and shoot camera and was at an odd angle getting the flower pic.
Tender young red cabbage. Planted late but moving along now. These can stay in the garden until November or longer if it isn't too cold. Nice to have food that stays that long.
This ends my garden tour! Lots growing at Chapman's Landing!!
