Broom grass can be made into brooms, and its tender leaves can also be picked to cook as a nutritious and delicious dish. Have you ever eaten it?

Mention broom grass and it brings back my memories. Xiao Nong's hometown is in the northern countryside, and when I was little, broom grass grew all around the house, front and back. Some was planted by my mother, and some grew on its own from scattered seeds. Broom grass can be used to make brooms, but what I loved most as a child was the broom grass buns my mother made.

What is broom grass?

Broom grass is also called Kochia scoparia, and as the name suggests, it has a connection to brooms. Broom grass can be made into brooms. In autumn, when broom grass grows old and turns dry and yellow, that is the time to make brooms. When I was little, my grandfather often made brooms from broom grass, tying the broom grass tightly with hemp rope and adding a slender wooden handle, and it was done. Sometimes, without a wooden handle, you could just tie the dried broom grass together and it was ready to use.

Thinking back on the past, there really was so much joy in life. Many things at home were made by my grandfather's own hands: brooms from broom grass, winnowing baskets from twigs, sorghum bound together after ripening to sweep beds or cutting boards, and old loofahs used to scrub dishes, and so on. Life felt full of joy, but nowadays few people know these crafts that every household once had to have.

Another thing to mention is that broom grass can be eaten, though it is usually eaten in spring, because that is when broom grass is most tender. It can be served as a cold salad, steamed, stir-fried, or dried and then used to make filled buns, all of which work. What I loved most as a child was steamed broom grass, because there were fewer amusements back then, and picking the tender leaves of broom grass behind the house felt like a very fun thing to do.

Wash the tender broom grass leaves you have picked, then blanch them in boiling water. Squeeze out the water using gauze, mix with flour, and add salt. Then it can go into the steamer. Once steamed, add seasonings and mix in mashed garlic, and it is ready to eat. The taste is very good. You can also stir-fry the steamed broom grass, and it is very tasty too. Do you want to give it a try? It is very easy to make.

In addition, broom grass is also a Chinese medicinal herb, with the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and dispelling wind and relieving itching. It has a certain effect on itchy skin and diseases of the bladder area.