An invasive alien weed that was once a life-saving vegetable during the revolutionary era is now a money-making crop

After spring arrives, all kinds of wild grasses begin to grow in the rural countryside. For farmer friends, wild grasses are a part of life; some wild grasses they love, and some they hate. Below, the author will introduce one such wild grass, one that both makes farmer friends love it and makes them hate it.

When the author went to the village in the morning to pick wild vegetables, I saw this wild grass at the edge of the field. Probably quite a few older friends should recognize it. It is "revolutionary vegetable." The reason this wild grass is called revolutionary vegetable is that during the revolutionary war period, many revolutionary veterans and poor common people once used it to stave off hunger. Relying on this wild vegetable to stave off hunger, they won victory. Therefore it is not only a revolutionary vegetable but also a life-saving vegetable. Thus, for the older generation of farmer friends and revolutionary veterans, revolutionary vegetable is a treasure.

However, although revolutionary vegetable was once a life-saving vegetable, many farmer friends now dislike and hate it, because revolutionary vegetable is also called wild crown daisy and Annam weed. It is a wild grass native to tropical Africa and invaded our country from India in 1930. It is an invasive alien weed.

Wild crown daisy often grows in wasteland, at the edges of farmland, in orchards, and other places. The plant is tall, reproduces quickly, grows relatively fast, has strong adaptability, and suffers few pests and diseases. As long as there is new open ground, such as wasteland, burnt land, or dry riverbeds, it is always the first to arrive, and it can quickly turn the ground into a stretch of emerald green. Moreover, revolutionary vegetable often damages crops in farmland and orchards, and it is difficult to remove, so it has also become a "malignant weed" in the eyes of many farmer friends.

It can be said that revolutionary vegetable is both loved and hated, but even so, its value cannot be denied, namely that it can be eaten as a wild vegetable and also used as medicine.

The tender stems and leaves of revolutionary vegetable can be used as a wild vegetable. Its taste is close to crown daisy, and its texture is delicate, sweet, smooth, and delicious, with a very rich nutritional value. Every 100 grams of the edible portion contains 3.6 mg of carotene, 0.27 mg of vitamin B2, 56 mg of vitamin C, 51 mg of calcium, 6.2 mg of iron, and many other nutrients.

Moreover, revolutionary vegetable can also be used as medicine. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and reducing swelling, and clearing heat and detoxifying. It can be used to treat conditions such as cold and fever, dysentery, enteritis, urinary tract infection, nutritional edema, and mastitis.

Revolutionary vegetable grows in wild suburban areas. It is neither convenient to collect nor convenient to supply to the market in a timely manner, and it also damages crops and orchards. If harvested indiscriminately or over-harvested, it will also damage wild plant resources and the ecological environment. If revolutionary vegetable is cultivated artificially, it can not only increase farmers' economic income but also enrich people's vegetable baskets, while at the same time protecting plant resources.

Therefore, some farmer friends take advantage of its characteristics of rapid reproduction, relatively fast growth, strong adaptability, and few pests and diseases to carry out extensive management. Generally, it can be harvested once every 8 to 15 days, and this can continue until late August, making revolutionary vegetable also become a "money-making crop" for many farmer friends.

Dear friends, have you ever eaten revolutionary vegetable? You are welcome to leave a message and share!