In your climate, I'd go with the amaranth. Quinoa doesn't like it hot and humid from what I've read. Last time I grew it here was 2009, which was an exceptionally cool and dry summer and it thrived. Amaranth, OTOH, doesn't really seem to care, it always thrives. If you're feeding the foliage to rabbits, I'd also say go with the amaranth. It just produces a lot more foliage than does quinoa, which has a typical goosefoot family type leaf maybe 2 inches long, and the leaves get progressively smaller as the plant bolts to seed, so that the ones up on the seed stalks are tiny.

Quinoa and amaranth are two different plants and amaranth seeds are not the same as quinoa, though they are used similarily. I hope to grow amaranth this year for the first time. You'll find that one type is specialized for large seed, another for more tender leaves. Though the ornamental types are edible too, I'd imagine it would be like eating ornamental cabbages. Yes, you can eat it, but do you want to? I plan to buy from Bountiful Gardens. Here is a link that might be useful: Bountiful Gardens

I have a small farm with a gluten free bakery and sell at the local farmers market. Nothing I make has corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors, or weird chemicals. I estimate that of all the visitors we get at the market, 20% buy from me and they are not all celiacs or have a true wheat allergy. Some of my customers have jumped on the bandwagon, so to speak, of the GF fad. They include those with autistic children, or arthritis, cirrhosis, IBS, lupus, or chemotherapy reactions. Many have other allergies that I also create tasty treats without - dairy, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts. Others just say they feel better and I do agree that they are probably looking at what junk they have been eating and are making changes overall to their diet. That is a good thing and we little local farmers are benefiting from that - not the conglomerates. Some people just buy from me because it all tastes good, and don't care if it is GF or not. As for the GF stuff on the shelves that the major food mfg are producing they are using just different chemicals than their regular chemically enhanced wheat based stuff. Truly most are awful. But, having been working on baking GF for 5 years, I have developed quite a few treats that taste good and are equivalent to their wheat counterparts. Because I can eat wheat, what I make has to taste like it does and believe me I have thrown out lots of inedible GF baked goods. However, white GF bread will never, ever taste like Wonder Bread, but there are good tasting white breads while the sourdough and quasi-rye GF breads do taste quite similar to wheat/rye breads and waffles and pancakes are very close, especially when you add pecans. There are also many treats that have been out there for many years that never had wheat in them anyway and are just now being labeled as GF - Pavlova and meringues, Brazilian butter cookies (Maizena), and all candy and fudge. etc. I have a theory that the wheat I ate as a kid in the 40's and 50's was not what is growing in the fields today. Hybridization, chemical fertilization, tinkering with GMO's, and a raft of questionable long term effects of pesticides and herbicides have produced a wheat that is not at all what it once was and genetically has been proven to be just that - not "wheat". Something I tell people who ask what gluten free means is, "All those lovely vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, and cheese you are buying at the farmers market do not contain gluten so you are already buying gluten free without knowing it. But, when you add bread, cupcakes, muffins, pizza, pasta, sub rolls, beer, and the famous Southern biscuits with breaded fried chicken, you are consuming wheat and that contains the gluten that some people are avoiding by eating gluten-free." I do hope people are becoming more conscious of gluten free eating, if nothing more than to be aware of how much junk is on the grocery shelves and in the restaurant's and fast foods' meals. Gluten free eating out is impossible as there is a lot of cross contamination with wheat in restaurant kitchens - residual on pans and in bowls, and even floating in the air, so it is just not safe for those with celiac disease. Nancy Annie - you will never have a good brownie that is made from black beans. It is just not a good substitute and beans belong in soup and tacos, not treats. My recipe uses cornstarch instead of wheat or beans so try this - GF Fudgey Brownie Recipe Altered from the recipe in the book Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz Line 8"sq pan with sprayed foil or parchment with overhang on both sides to lift out. Micro 6Tblsp butter with 12oz chocolate chips for 2 min, stir with wooden spoon and micro another 1 or 2 min until partially melted. Stir with spoon to complete the melting - do not over micro or it will be stiff and off tasting. Stir in 3/4 C sugar, 1tsp vanilla extract. Then, beat in 3 eggs just to incorporated. In a bowl mix together 1/3C cornstarch, 1/4C unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2tsp cinnamon, 1/2tsp salt. (I also add a couple shakes of fine black pepper because I like that tang with all my chocolate treats.) Stir dry ingredients into wet, about 2 minutes, using a wooden spoon not a hand mixer. Option: Add 1C coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts. Bake 350F 20 minutes and check with toothpick - if it looks wet continue baking checking at 5 min intervals until toothpick is mostly dry but don't over bake or they will be hard. Touching the top with fingertips to test does not work with this recipe as it is not springy like cake. Let cool in pan on a rack, then lift out to cool completely before cutting (using a pizza cutter makes nicer edges than a knife). Nancy

Jasdip I had my first "Red River" on a high school canoe trip to the Boundary Waters. I can still find it every so often here in the Twin Cities of MN. Love it! Just want to add that I've made my own milk kefir for 4 years now. I bought the grains locally off Craigslist and they've been superior all these years. It is kind of like a sourdough starter--just keep reusing the living organism. Plunk the little ball of it in fresh milk; let it sit at room temp for a couple days (I like mine thick and frothy, so it sometimes sits 3-4 days), refrigerate until cold. I often pour a glass, mix in ground flaxseed, plain yogurt, and berries and eat it with a spoon. It makes a satisfying breakfast. It is as essential to me as coffee in the morning! In case you've tried the bottled kefir in the store, the homemade really doesn't taste anything like it.