Grass bud is a precious artificially cultivated vegetable, belonging to Typha family. Its shape is like small ivory, also known as "ivory plate", which is unique to Jianshui, Yunnan. Young and new roots are the edible parts of grass buds. The rhizome is cylindrical, and the top gradually tapers. They usually grow in water and their trunks are exposed to water. Buds grow under the water and can be eaten in all seasons. Summer and autumn are the peak seasons, with the best harvest from May to August every year.

After the grass buds are collected, they must be soaked in water before they can be taken out when cooking. The grass bud is milky white in color, sweet and crisp, and it is a good edible dish. When eating, cut the grass buds into sections and fry them with chicken slices to make chicken slices. White juice is bright, light and elegant, with fresh and tender texture and abnormal aroma.

Planting and picking techniques of grass buds

When planting grass buds, it is necessary to provide fertile rice fields or ponds by the lake, then apply decomposed cake fertilizer or organic fertilizer in the soil to provide nutrients for the growth of grass buds, and inject clean water into the straw to keep the water depth at 10-20 cm.

Grass buds need sufficient nutrients in the process of growth. When cultivating grass buds, fertilizer should be applied once every half month. Rotten farmyard manure or NPK compound fertilizer can be selected to accelerate their growth, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be sprayed on grass buds to increase yield.

Harvesting grass buds has high technical requirements and strong harvesting time. Because the tender stems grow rapidly, if they are not harvested in time, they are easy to age, not easy to eat or reduce their quality, and not resistant to storage. It is best to eat it on the day of harvest. After harvesting, it should be put in well water or wrapped with wet towel for preservation, and the preservation period is generally 2-3 days.