Amaranthine Memory

I never knew the name of the “red-leaf spinach” that my mother used to grow and cook in her soup until I read Sylvia Thompson’s Garden Fresh column, “Chamomile, Komatsuna and Co.,” March 2.

When I was living and growing up in Phoenix in the ‘50s and ‘60s, it was difficult getting real Chinese vegetables unless you grew your own. I remember begging my mother to cook the “red leaves” soup. I didn’t know it then, but supply was always uncertain.

Thanks for the memory. And thanks for the information on how to get “red stripe amaranth” seeds.

--SOPHIE ONG LAFFERTY

Los Angeles