In my opinion, a delicious crop of red amaranth volunteered in “children’s garden”.
During the dry heat last week, I harvested it & set to dry. A few days later I cut off
some of the dry seed heads & spread them on clean paper to began the great “shakedown”. 
Beating with a stick loosened some seeds, (black), and a lot of other dry plant parts.
Eventually I had to strip the stalks by hand to release the seeds, dehydrate my skin
and expose my hands to the plants’ prickly hairs.
In an hour I got bored and poured the mess onto a winnowing frame, allowing seeds
to drop onto the paper while the breeze carried off some – but not near enough – of the
lighter ”chaff”. (Sounds biblical).
So I shook the frame over another clean paper. Most of the seeds & some chaff fell through.
A grand 1/8 cup of amaranth. We need to create an efficient – or at least a group -
winnowing process.
I soaked the amaranth seeds and cooked it with some quinoa. It tasted OK. There are
still many heads left, so help yourself to a grainy treat. Watch for the next crop of
amaranth volunteers. The leaves are tasty and nutritious, as the plant’s deep
roots reportedly pull up nutrients not available to more shallow rooted greens.
