Hello callaloo! Find it at city farmers markets

Farmers markets in late August are usually all about corn and heirloom tomatoes.

There were plenty of both at Bloomfield Saturday Market, along with plums, zucchini and the first apples. But what caught my eye was the pile of colorful amaranth at the Who Cooks For You Farm stand. The New Bethlehem farm sells it for $3 a bunch

A heat- and drought-tolerant leafy green with gorgeous red-on-green variegated patterning, amaranth originated in West Africa and is a staple in many parts of the Caribbean, where it’s known as callaloo.

It grows in a bunch like spinach, but has broader leaves and thicker stems. It’s not as mild-tasting as spinach but also not as bitter as kale. Callaloo is lowcalorie, high in vitamins A and C and has lots of protein, calcium and iron.

It’s so striking, you might be tempted to display it in a vase on your dining room table. Better to use it in salads as a substitute for spinach, Swiss chard, kale or other leafy greens. It also can be steamed or sauteed, and makes a great addition to stir-fry. In Jamaica, it is cooked with onion, tomato and hot pepper into a souplike stew also known as callaloo.

I made a variation on Italian beans and greens with my bunch, adding it to a pan of sauteed onion and garlic along with a can of white beans, chicken stock and a pinch of red pepper flakes. It was terrific.

Who Cooks for You farm manager and co- owner, Chris Brittenburg, said the vegetable should be available at both the Bloomfield Saturday Market and Squirrel Hill Farmers Market on Sundays through the end of September.

Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette Callaloo is a colorful, leafy green also known as amaranth. Often used in Jamaican cooking, it can be found at the Bloomfield Saturday Market through September.