Sweet potato leaves went from pig feed to a money-making business

In the past, people in rural areas rarely ate sweet potato leaves, considering them pig feed. With more vegetables in the garden than they could eat, who would want to compete with pigs for food? That would be looked down upon. The old people in the village were right: people and pigs have similar eating habits, and anything pigs can eat, most people can eat too. The sweet potato leaves originally used as pig feed became a sought-after delicacy. Now that living standards have improved, everyone always wants to eat something different.

In rural areas, every household more or less grows some sweet potatoes. This crop has high yields, and it is good roasted, steamed, or used to make porridge. As a child, I often went to play in the sweet potato fields, where a stretch of green leaves could grow past your calves and hide many grasshoppers. Children all liked to catch grasshoppers in the sweet potato fields, and the vain ones even made necklaces and earrings out of sweet potato leaves to wear.

In the village, the adults had work to do when they went to the sweet potato fields, turning over the sweet potato vines so the sweet potatoes in the soil could grow large. Sweet potato leaves grow fast, and in just a few days they can sprout a lot. They were most suitable for feeding pigs and saved the trip outside the village to cut grass. The fresh, tender sweet potato leaves looked appetizing, much like the vegetables in the garden. As a child, I also picked sweet potato leaves to satisfy my craving, and they were very good as a dish.

Sweet potato leaves, which are not rare in rural areas, are sold as vegetables in the city. Their lush green appearance is quite nice, and at first many people bought them to take home and try. Sweet potato leaves have turned into a delicacy, and it is said their nutritional value is even higher than that of vegetables grown in the garden, and sweet potato leaves are also relatively green and environmentally friendly. Now sweet potato leaves are gradually recognized by more people and have become a popular vegetable.

Many people run to rural areas looking for wild foods to eat, and farmers growing sweet potatoes suffer for it. In the village, people wait until the sweet potatoes are ripe before picking the leaves. Outsiders do not know the tricks of the trade and pick casually, causing harvests to decline, so farmers can only spread lime on the sweet potato leaves as a defense. These sweet potato leaves are worthless in rural areas, so picking a little to try is no big deal, but it still cannot withstand too many people picking them.

That sweet potato leaves can be used as a vegetable is also good news for rural areas. Not only can the sweet potatoes be sold for money, but these leaves are also a path to wealth.