A beautiful and colorful addition to any urban garden, Amaranth is an amazing food source rich in both antioxidants and the amino acid lysine. Amaranth also contains more calcium than milk, more protein than soy, and its leaves have more iron than spinach. 

It is this incredible vitality that gives the plant the tenacity to survive in high altitudes where it is often grown to hold back soil against erosion.

During the conquest of Mexico, the Spanish banned the growth of Amaranth, claiming that its slightly crimson hue was somehow associated with “Aztec blood rituals”. Despite this early attempt at bio-colonialization, the indigenous people of the Americas kept the spirit of Amaranth alive in their cultural traditions. To this day the plant remains important to rural Mexicans who at seasonal festivals serve special Amaranth sweets called alegrias, which are said to bring health and happiness.