Cañihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule)

Family: Chenopodiaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Chenopodium pallidicaule is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

nutty tasting powder that can be used as a breakfast cereal. — Leaves - cooked and used like spinach.; The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity.; Young leaves contain up to 30% protein (dry weight).; It can be toasted and ground into a nutty tasting powder that can be used as a breakfast cereal.

Habitat & North American Range

A common weed of cultivated ground, especially on rich soils, it grows in areas where frosts can occur in 9 months of the year, including during the growing season. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)