"Giant Green Callallo" is what I am calling the edible leafed Amaranth that I was given immature seed heads of by Vicki Conrad at one of Andy Firk's permaculture gatherings in Arcadia. I am excited for several reasons...about 2 years ago a woman who works at my gym asked me if I grew Callalloo, I told her that several plants get called that, what was she referring to....she had bought hers at Oceanic Market, green leaves with red markings, not great raw, nice cooked....I told her that sounded like an amaranth to me. Googling I saw that even a taro gets called that, that the name can also refer to just an entree' cooked a certain way, Jamaican style. Then last year on FaceBook a few women mentioned a Callalloo that was a green amaranth 8-12 feet tall, THICK stalk, BIG tender leaves raw or cooked...did I want some seeds? YES!!! I saw one at the Seminole Heights Community Garden that just as they had mentioned had been cut back HARD to about my height and was regrowing FURIOUSLY....the stalk was EASILY the thickness of my wrist if not my mid forearm! I nibbled a few leaves raw...tender and mild and I could just picture them in a stir fry or salad or smoothie. When I let dry the immature little piece of flower head that Vicki gave me I got a fair amount of seeds, have shared with just one person so far. But I tossed the threshings behind my east bed fence, and in my kitchen garden....seedlings have begun popping up!! (See attached pic). I am taking 3 seedlings to Tricia's "Spring in Sustainability" gathering this Saturday in Brooksville, one for her, one for Andy, one for Ryan Iacovacci so they can distribute seeds this fall. I am giving one each to a few Tampa friends. After I spread Pam Lunn's goat poop, some white clay cat litter, and a deep layer of shredded palm mulch today in the bed hugging the west side of my home, I am deep watering there then planting half a dozen seedlings of this "Giant Green Callalloo" there to enjoy that hot wall and maybe cool it off a bit each afternoon while giving me ample greens that I suspect might also be useful as a summer forage for my chickens and ducks. In the late 80s in Denver I joined Rodale's Amaranth test program for a few years, but those were the grain type cultivars, all Amaranthus hypochondriacus cultivars as I recall....I was not fond of the leaves at all, and I'm not fond of the various Asian leafy amaranths I've grown here....too tough and bitter for my taste. So I am very grateful to Vicki for getting this VERY desirable amaranth out there!! For some reason, in the back of my mind I think the species name might start with a "g"....gangevitus? Will Google and see if that leads anywhere. Vicki and another woman at a second event at Andy's confirmed it reseeds well, which I felt I saw evidence of at the Seminole Heights Community Garden late last summer. To help get the word out about this, I will cut and paste this posting at Barefoot Gardeners Forum on my urban farming blog and on FaceBook. I have a small amount of seeds but can mail TEENSY pinches of the TEENSY seeds to maybe six people.