Nowadays, with the continuous enrichment and improvement of people's material living standards, fewer and fewer people are exclusively fond of delicacies like mountain treasures and sea foods, poultry, and meat on their tables. The concept of "health first" has made coarse grains and wild vegetables all the rage. The benefits of coarse grains are numerous! Experts say that the plant fiber in coarse grains can promote intestinal peristalsis, regulate the digestive system, boost metabolism, and activate blood vessels, so one should eat them at least three times a week. However, it should be noted that today's fashionable coarse grains are not the same kind that the poor used to eat; they are now refined versions of coarse grains. Otherwise, they are not only difficult for the discerning city dwellers to accept but can also hinder nutrient absorption. Wild vegetables growing in nature are not only delicious, sweet, light, and tasty, but also very nutritious. They are rich in protein and various amino acids, carotene, vitamins A, B, and C, and trace elements like potassium, sodium, calcium, iron, and zinc, making them a health food that can help prolong life.
Three-Grain and Wild Vegetable Porridge
A porridge with three essential coarse grains is a must: millet porridge, old corn porridge, and black rice porridge. Millet porridge nourishes the stomach, black rice porridge enriches the blood, and corn porridge has anti-cancer properties. Moreover, the coarse grains from the Northeast are harvested once a year, so they are naturally more nutritious than those from Guangdong, which are harvested three times a year. As the old saying goes, "The five grains are the sustainer of life." Eating refined rice daily, which is high in sugar, requires frequent pairing with coarse grains for a balanced and healthy diet.
Li Yu of the Qing Dynasty said, "Sliced fish is not as good as meat, and meat is not as good as vegetables, because vegetables are closer to nature." In the past, actress Yumiko Shiraishi also successfully lost weight with a "wild vegetable diet," making wild vegetables very popular among career women. Wild vegetables are free from pollution and most have higher nutritional value than ordinary vegetables.
As the common saying goes, "Home-cooked dishes are not as fragrant as wild vegetables, and wild vegetables can serve as both a dish and a staple food." Wild vegetables have a long tradition of consumption in China and have developed a deep connection with the working people. I remember when I was a child, the elders in my rural hometown would dry and store leaves like elm leaves, mountain peach leaves, and zanthoxylum leaves, as well as wild vegetables, to supplement their diet. Almost every household would mix cornmeal with peach leaves, add a little salt, and steam a pot of peach leaf cakes, which would be their main meal for the day. In times of famine, it was truly a case of "chaff and vegetables for half a year's grain."
Wild vegetables are not only delicious, sweet, light, and tasty, but also very nutritious. They are rich in protein and various amino acids, carotene, vitamins A, B, and C, and have high content of trace elements such as potassium, sodium, calcium, ancient iron, and zinc, making them a health food that can help prolong life. Wild vegetables also have various health functions for preventing and treating diseases. There are many examples in ancient medicine of using wild vegetables to cure illnesses.
There are many ways to eat wild vegetables; they can be stir-fried, made into soups, or used as fillings. They are nutritious, inexpensive, and have remarkable effects in preventing and treating diseases and fighting cancer. The main wild vegetables commonly eaten in spring are as follows:
Shepherd's Purse: In spring, pick the tender stems and leaves or overwintered buds of shepherd's purse. After blanching, they can be eaten cold with sauce, made into soups, stir-fried, or cooked. Shepherd's purse dumplings and wontons are indispensable delicacies on the spring dining table. Additionally, a delicious shepherd's purse porridge can be made.
Shepherd's purse is nutritious and contains large amounts of carotene, vitamins B and C, and relatively high levels of calcium and iron. It has the effects of clearing the liver and improving vision, harmonizing the spleen and stomach, stopping bleeding and lowering blood pressure, and promoting urination and detoxification.
Purslane: It can be prepared in many ways. After blanching, it can be stir-fried, eaten cold, or used as a filling. For example, purslane scrambled with eggs, steamed purslane buns with purslane filling, or cooking a garlic and purslane porridge to clear heat and stop diarrhea.
Purslane is not only a natural delicacy but also a natural medicine. Purslane is tender, juicy, slightly acidic in nature, and has the effects of clearing heat and promoting urination, stopping diarrhea and reducing inflammation, and detoxifying sores. It is rich in noradrenaline, which can promote the pancreas to secrete insulin, regulate the body's sugar metabolism process, lower blood sugar concentration, and maintain stable blood sugar, so it has a certain therapeutic effect on diabetes. In addition, it contains an unsaturated fatty acid called 3-W, which can inhibit the production of cholesterol and triglycerides and has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system.
Fern: Ferns are nutritious, rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, etc. They have high medicinal value, and their roots, stems, leaves, and seedlings can all be used as medicine. They have the effects of calming the nerves, lowering blood pressure, promoting urination, detoxifying, expelling dampness, and killing parasites, and can be used to treat dysentery, enteritis, dizziness, insomnia, high blood pressure, and arthritis.
Ferns are tender, smooth, and delicious, and have long been known as the "king of mountain vegetables." Ferns can be cooked in many ways, such as stir-frying, braising, stewing, or simmering. In modern cookbooks, famous dishes made with ferns include Wood-ear Fern and Sea Shrimp Fern, Meat-stir-fried Fern, and Crispy-skin Fern. Fern leaves are curled when they are fresh; when they are old, the leaves will unfold.
It should be noted that ferns contain a harmful substance called "PT" in very small amounts. After picking the tender fern leaves, it is best to pickle them twice with salt to destroy most of the "PT," making them harmless.
Toon (Chinese Toon): Also known as toon sprouts, it is nutritious. According to measurements, every 100 grams of toon contains 9.8 grams of protein, and its content of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C ranks among the highest in vegetables. It also contains fat, crude fiber, iron, carotene, niacin, and toon essence, with a special aromatic fragrance that is delicious and palatable.
Toon can be eaten in many ways: it can be eaten cold, stir-fried, pan-fried, or pickled. Toon can also be used as medicine. Ancient medical records state that toon is cold in nature and has the effects of astringing the intestines and stopping bleeding, strengthening the stomach and regulating qi, killing parasites, and securing essence. Modern medical research has shown that toon juice has a significant inhibitory and bactericidal effect on Staphylococcus aureus, pneumococcus, dysentery bacillus, typhoid bacillus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. There are folk remedies for treating diseases with toon: scalded toon mixed with soy sauce can stimulate the appetite and relieve qi stagnation; made into a toon porridge with japonica rice and sesame oil, it can treat enteritis, dysentery, and hemorrhoids.
Eating wild vegetables not only adds variety to people's diets and is beneficial to health, but for city dwellers, it can also be a way to exercise both body and mind, enjoy the fresh outdoor air, and experience the beauty of nature. It has a hundred benefits and no harm, so why not do it?