In our daily lives, most of us encounter wild vegetables at the market, and our understanding of them often comes from vendors. Consequently, there are many blind spots when it comes to selecting and storing them. Let's talk about how to select and store wild vegetables to help everyone gain a more comprehensive understanding of them.
Selecting Wild Vegetables
If you are buying from a supermarket, choose those with the national "Green Food" logo on the packaging. If you are buying from a market, be sure to ask about the place of growth and carefully examine the color, shape, and aroma to avoid accidentally eating toxic or contaminated wild vegetables. At a minimum, you should know whether the wild vegetable you are eating is toxic or not. It's best not to eat wild vegetables that you cannot identify.
Storing Wild Vegetables
If you buy too many wild vegetables at once, we need to take measures to store them. This is because some wild vegetables age quickly after being picked, leading to a loss of nutrients and affecting their texture.
1. Blanching
You can blanch the wild vegetables in boiling water. Note that you should not use an iron pot. This not only removes the original bitter taste of the wild vegetables but also inhibits the activity of their cells, preventing spoilage.
Then, place them in a plastic bag with a small amount of salt. After expelling all the air from the bag, put it in the refrigerator for chilling. You can take them out for consumption at any time.
2. Pickling
For short-term storage, you can wash the wild vegetables and pickle them in a small amount of saltwater. Before eating, just soak them in clean water.
If you need to store them for more than 6 months, a two-step pickling process is required. For the first step, use a saltwater amount equal to 20% of the weight of the wild vegetables and pickle for about 10 days. For the second step, use a saltwater amount equal to 10% of the weight of the wild vegetables, ensure the container is sealed tightly, and pickle for 10-15 days.