When scientists turned their research to growing wild vegetables

Purslane, stinging nettle, jasmine, wild pennywort, pennywort, bep leaves. are being researched, bred and sought to be grown commercially by scientists. It's still a popular bowl of vegetable soup from a distant time, but instead of only appearing on the dinner table of poor families, it has now become a specialty. The story of preserving the vegetables that have raised many generations of Vietnamese people began decades ago.

Keep your grandmother's and mother's pot of soup

The trend of finding, preserving and making efforts to revive wild plants has been quietly carried out by many countries around the world. In Vietnam, more than 10 years ago, scientists have raised the awareness of 'keeping grandmother's and mother's pot of soup' through researching and breeding many types of vegetables that were only popular in 'difficult times'. '.

For example, the model of conservation and development of cassava vegetables in Xuan Son National Park (Phu Tho), the model of planting bitter melon trees of the Center for Information and Application of Science and Technology of Hau Giang province, the model of introducing betel leaf trees , gourds (greens), potted plants, bitter eggplants. mass grown by the Lam Dong Department of Science and Technology.

Malabar spinach has now become a new specialty of Nghe An.

The interesting thing is that in the process of searching for plant varieties, researching and preserving them, scientists simultaneously discovered many cultural and intellectual values. accompanying those ornamental country vegetables. For example, in the case of researchers at the Department of Biology, Da Lat University: while investigating the betel leaf plant with the desire to use it as a commercial vegetable, the group discovered a treasure trove of wild vegetables and knowledge. about wild vegetables in the indigenous ethnic community of Lam Dong has never been widely disseminated.

Or in the process of researching the fermentation effects of plants and grasses, a group of researchers from the University of Agriculture and Forestry and Thai Nguyen University discovered that many ethnic minority communities have traditional knowledge about using plants. The grass used to make wine yeast is extremely diverse, has great scientific and practical value, but has never been recorded for long-term preservation.

Water hyacinth sells for 80 yen per plant in Japan.

The good news is that in addition to the research of scientists, many farmers have also seen the practical benefits of wild vegetables and directly propagated and expanded cultivation. Typically, some households in Tra Long ward, Long My, Hau Giang started from the habit of 'gleaning' wild vegetables to sell. Realizing that customers' need to 'miss old vegetables' was very strong, they searched for seeds. vegetables to plant in the garden. The varieties of cow's blood, mustard greens, string of pearls, earth bitters. that have been domesticated by the people have created a place to supply vegetables (from many wild vegetables that live in the fields) for people around the area. This group of farmers is currently being mobilized by the Center for Information and Application of Science and Technology of Hau Giang province to participate in breeding and preserving a number of wild vegetables that have been proven to have high nutritional and medicinal value.

Another case is Mr. Tran Van Quan in Hoang Mai, Nghe An. Using self-study knowledge, Mr. Quan has tested and successfully grown coriander on a large scale. This is a plant that grows wild along brackish rivers, next to shrimp ponds, and salt fields, with a salty and sour taste. Currently, Malabar spinach has been successfully intensively cultivated, becoming a high-class vegetable, a new specialty of Nghe An, not only serving the local market but also promoting consumption in many other provinces and cities.

Gifts of the land

Purslane salad in an American Michelin restaurant.

How to propagate, develop and bring native forest and wild vegetables to the market to serve people's needs, while preserving many rare vegetable varieties is a problem that many scientists are concerned about. The trend of celebrating slow food (as opposed to fast food, promoting local foods and traditional cooking methods) is becoming inevitable in many countries. Vietnam is of course no exception.

Fortunately, from the scattered research projects, many 'thought-to-be-lost' vegetables have begun to reappear brilliantly, one step from the dinner tables of poor families to the luxurious banquet tables of restaurants, opening up a whole new production and business trend.

It is worth mentioning that among the many inexpensive wild vegetables that grow freely in fields and yards, there are many varieties that, in addition to having high nutritional value, also have special medicinal properties. For example, the red purslane plant growing wild in our country is a 'longevity medicine' in traditional Chinese medicine. Or the fruit that children like to pick and pretend to make firecrackers, when exported, becomes a precious fruit, priced from a few hundred to a million dong per kilogram. Even the water hyacinth plant that Southerners call water hyacinth grows wild all over the country, and even in Japan it has become a valuable vegetable worth hundreds of yen for a small branch.

Based on the rapid consumption rate of domesticated vegetables, it can be seen that people's demand for using forest and wild vegetables as food is very large. Many restaurants have included wild and wild vegetables in their menus such as bep leaves, gourds, pita leaves, bitter eggplants, spinach, sauerkraut, string of pearls. Here, it is impossible not to mention it. promotional efforts of the tourism community as well as culinary forums around the world. Thanks to this powerful force, the appearance of the strangest, rarest dish. can be spread at breakneck speed and popularized to many people.

An advantage in preserving natural vegetable varieties is that they have a very strong survival ability and strong resistance, so care is not too complicated and there is almost no need to use pesticide spraying measures. plant protection. This is said to be 'scratching the itch' when consumers always have to be 'vigilant' with short-term vegetables and genetically modified vegetables that are sprayed with pesticides and stimulants.

We often say that agricultural plant genetic resources are a valuable national heritage that need to be preserved and used effectively for the country's sustainable development goals because this is the only source of biological materials. most important and necessary for the development of agricultural and forestry production, environmental protection, research and development of biotechnology as well as for the production of raw materials for pharmaceutical processing industries, biofuels and many other industries. other science.

In fact, our country's crop gene fund has been seriously eroded. It is estimated that over 80% of local plant varieties no longer exist in production, and the number of tree species threatened with disappearance continues to increase. Meanwhile, there is a need to exploit and use agricultural plant genetic resources to stabilize crop productivity, ensure food security, increase the competitiveness of agricultural commodities and sustainable economic and social development. increasingly increasing.

Finding and preserving wild and wild vegetable varieties is considered one of the most direct paths to building an organic agriculture and sustainable farming. This also seems to be the only way to counter the risks of monoculture systems and dependence on genetically modified varieties.