An Introduction to the Types of Wild Vegetables Suitable for Planting in the South
Rural areas have abundant natural resources, and all kinds of strange wild plants also grow there. As people's living standards have improved, many formerly unremarkable wild vegetables have become highly sought after on everyday dinner tables. Many young people today have surely eaten wild vegetables, yet know very little about them, and wild vegetables also differ by region. So which wild vegetables are suitable for planting in the south? Let's find out together.
1. Purslane
Purslane mostly grows in the south, and fresh purslane can be bought fairly easily in Guangdong Province. In the north, however, fresh purslane is rarely seen because of the climate. It is generally grown in indoor greenhouses, making it less convenient to buy. Purslane is an annual herbaceous plant of the Portulacaceae family and is a plant used both as medicine and as food. The whole plant is used medicinally and has effects such as clearing heat and draining dampness, and removing toxins and reducing swelling.
2. Bamboo shoots
Bamboo shoots can also count as a kind of wild vegetable. In spring, delicious fresh bamboo shoots can be eaten all over China. These bamboo shoots taste sweet and are rich in nutrients, and eating them often can also improve the stomach and intestines. There are many types of bamboo shoots, including spring bamboo shoots, moso bamboo shoots and others, usually also distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, such as Sichuan, Guangxi and Fujian.
3. Plantain
Plantain is a very common wild vegetable in southern China, usually distributed in the ethnic minority areas of Yunnan. People there like to serve it as a cold dressed dish, and dried plantain can also be brewed as a cooling herbal tea, with a good effect of reducing internal heat.
4. Bracken
Bracken has a very wide distribution and is found in both the south and the north. Bracken is also a wild vegetable with a very distinctive look, and it has another name, dragon-claw vegetable. Made into pickles, or dried into vegetable strips, it tastes excellent either way.
5. Water shield
Water shield was originally a wild vegetable that grew in ponds and is very common in the rural south, with the water shield of the Jiangnan region being especially famous. Water shield is a perennial aquatic plant whose leaves are oval in shape and, seen from a distance, look somewhat like water lilies floating on the water's surface. Unattractive as its appearance may sound, it is in fact a vegetable with very rich nutritional value. The tender leaves of water shield are edible, and compared with other vegetables, water shield is especially rich in zinc, which is why it is also called the "king of zinc" among plants.
The above are several common types of southern wild vegetables. Today the variety of wild vegetables is becoming richer and richer. I wonder whether you have eaten any special wild vegetables too? You are welcome to leave a comment and discuss.
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