callaloo (Sankofa grown)

callaloo, amaranth

Smooth, bright, tender leaves that can be steamed lightly or even eaten raw. Young stems are tender enough to steam, and mature stems have a light, fluffy pith that tastes and feels similar to summer squash. Callaloo, the dish, originates in West Africa. The plant, a type of amaranth grown for its greens, was domesticated in Africa and the Americas, and it is cherished in many parts of the world, especially in the Caribbean. Not only is it rich in flavor and nutrition, it is an extremely resilient, self-sufficient, and prolific crop that readily self sows.

There are a number of different variations of callaloo: there are “wild” type low growing ones with dark green, hairy leaves, there are plants with flushes of pink in the leaves, and there are upright, smooth, bright plants, which are what we offer here. Many people season the leaves with onion, garlic, and hot pepper and serve it with saltfish, breadfruit, okra, or boiled green plantain. This is a significant crop for many people of African descent.

Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram's Garden is a 3.5 acre production and teaching farm rooted in the experience of the African diaspora in Southwest Philly. For over a decade Sankofa has worked in a unique partnership with the historic Bartram's Garden and our community youth and elders to connect around foodways, culture and healing of body, mind and soul. We are a spiritually-rooted farm, honoring the varied wisdom and spiritual practices of our ancestors.

Sankofa Community Farm prioritizes natural agriculture techniques in our farming and we specialize in the raising of crops of the African and African-American Diaspora. As a practice of community healing we provide and teach about the crops that have identified and sustained our community over centuries.