Spring is the time to eat wild vegetables when the flowers are blooming. Don’t miss these 12 kinds of wild vegetables. They are delicious in various ways.

Good rain knows the season, and spring will happen. Sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently. Du Fu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, vividly described the scene of the resurrection of all things in spring, as if we were immersed in the scene and felt a spring breeze blowing against our faces. Bathed in the spring sunshine and dew, various wild vegetables pop up from the ground, quietly jointing, and even growing into an incredible large area overnight. We have to admire the selfless gift of nature and the beauty of life. Tenacity and wonder.

In addition to outings and admiring flowers in spring, going to the countryside to pick wild vegetables has become a favorite recreational activity for many city dwellers. Not only is there the joy of harvesting, but there is also the surprise of cooking all kinds of delicious food with your own hands, which is a kind of satisfaction that is difficult to express in words, especially for some foodies. From February to April in early spring, various wild vegetables emerge one after another, making spring look a bit wild. Mountain ferns, wild mountain mushrooms, wild onions, artemisia annua, spring bamboo shoots, shepherd's purse, dandelions, etc. are either exposed in the mountains and fields, or hidden in some nook and cranny, waiting for you to discover and pick them.

You should pick wild vegetables early. March is when the wild vegetables are freshest and tenderest. While the dewdrops are still there and the breath of spring is the strongest, enjoy this spring game. I missed it. Just have to wait until next year. Xiaoya recommends 12 common wild vegetables and their preparations below. They are so delicious that people are greedy for them. How many of these wild vegetables can you recognize? What's your family's approach?

Sour pickle stalk

Sour pickle stalk is popularly called in rural areas, and its scientific name is Polygonum cuspidatum. It is a perennial shrubby herbaceous plant of the Polygonaceae family, reaching a height of more than 1m. It likes to grow beside moist and watery fields and ditches. It has the functions of clearing away heat and detoxifying, relieving cough and reducing phlegm. It is said that the origin of the name of knotweed is because its stems are similar to the patterns of tigers. In fact, the stems of knotweed are covered with large and small rose-red spots, which are more colorful and beautiful than the tiger's spots. Especially the young stems that have just grown are thick and strong. more obvious.

The juice of the pickled stems is sour. In the past, it was available all over the countryside. Children often ate its tender stems as fruit. Nowadays, rural people prefer to pickle the pickled stems. Pick fresh and tender pickled thorns, blanch them and cut them into sections, then dry them in the sun until they are semi-dry. Then add salt, sugar and chili powder and mix well before eating. Sweet and sour, refreshing and unique flavor.

Qingming grass

Qingming grass is named after it is eaten before and after the Qingming Festival. It is the most common in rural fields. It is an annual herb of the Asteraceae family, and its scientific name is Squirrel grass. It has small yellow flowers, slender leaves, and a layer of white hair on the back of the leaves and stems, which is soft to the touch. Qingmingcao is a plant with the same origin as medicine and food. It has the functions of resolving phlegm and relieving cough, dispelling wind and dampness and detoxifying.

The Qingming grass must be picked when it is fresh and tender before it blooms. Generally, the plant type at this time is shorter, about 10 cm tall. The main way to eat Qingming grass is to use alkaline water to remove the bitterness, then blanch it, chop it into pieces, and mix it with glutinous rice flour. In some places, some japonica rice flour is added to make green dumplings or cakes. Eating green dumplings is popular in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, especially around Qingming Festival. Green dumplings are filled with bean paste or egg yolk filling and steamed. They are fragrant and glutinous and don't stain your teeth. Hunan people prefer to make round cakes and fry them in oil. They are burnt on the outside and glutinous on the inside, which makes them particularly fragrant.

Artemisia

Artemisia is an annual herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family with a special fragrance. The leaves are green, and the bottom of the leaves is slightly white with downy hairs. It likes to grow in low hills and fields, and often grows in sheets. It does not contain artemisinin and has the functions of killing viruses and insects, clearing the lungs and reducing phlegm. Especially in spring, when bacteria begin to multiply and are susceptible to infection, there is a custom of eating artemisia in spring in many places. The newly grown wormwood is less than 10 centimeters and grows almost close to the ground. The wormwood at this time is extremely fresh and tender, which is the best time to pick.

Eating mugwort is similar to Qingming grass, either steamed or fried. Wash the wormwood, add a little edible alkali and blanch it in water to keep its green color unchanged, mash it, knead it with glutinous rice flour, roll it into round dumplings, steam them and dip them in sugar to eat. You can also wrap black glutinous rice flour inside the dumplings. Stuffings such as sesame and bean paste; or press it into a round cake and fry it, which is very fragrant. Most people in Hunan choose to fry it.

Mountain bracken

Mountain bracken is the bud of fern, also known as faucet. It is most common in rural areas and usually grows at the foot of the hillside or in the mountains. It is a deciduous herbaceous plant of the fern family. It emerges from the ground in the shape of an upright thin rod. The new leaves on the head are curled inwards, resembling a cat's claw. Then they grow into a tridental shape, and after unfolding, they become male and lush leaf branches. The edible part is the young stem that has just emerged, ranging from 20 to 25 centimeters in height. The outer skin is reddish-brown or green, with fine dark brown hairs. The tender stem contains a large amount of crude fiber and high-quality starch.

Mountain bracken has a light fragrance. It is usually washed and blanched to remove the bitter taste. There is a lingering thick mucus in the mountain bracken. Add chives, tempeh, chopped chili, etc. and stir-fry. It will be refreshing. It is smooth, tender and very appetizing. It can also be stir-fried with pork belly. It is fat but not greasy. Some people call it "scraped rape". The pickled fern processed from mountain bracken in Yanling County, Hunan is very popular. It not only has a long storage time, but also has a good flavor.

Wild onions

Wild onions are perennial herbaceous plants of the Liliaceae and Allium genus. They have the smell of chives and are shaped like leaves with spindle edges. The roots are white cylindrical bulbs. Wild onions are called shallots in many rural areas. They are the earliest wild vegetables that convey the spring breeze in spring. They bloom in February every year and usually grow under soil slopes and roadsides.

The way to eat wild onions is very simple. Remove the roots, chop into fine pieces and stir them with the egg liquid. Add a little salt and light soy sauce and fry them. It has the taste of chives and an indescribable taste. A kind of fragrance, maybe this is the smell of mountains.

Shepherd's purse

Shepherd's purse is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant of the Brassicaceae family. Because of its small white flowers, it is also called white cauliflower in the north. Shepherd's purse is divided into plate-leaf shepherd's purse and loose-leaf shepherd's purse. Two species are edible: the young, unflowered plants. Shepherd's purse has shallow roots and seeds that grow when they fall to the ground. Therefore, they are widely distributed and have high medicinal value. They are diuretic and hemostatic, clear away heat, improve eyesight and digestion, and are people's favorite. One of the edible wild vegetables.

There are three most common ways to eat shepherd’s purse. One is to stir-fry it like ordinary vegetables; the other is to blanch it and add minced ginger and garlic, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili powder to eat it cold. ; The third is to blanch the shepherd's purse in boiling water to remove the oxalic acid content in the shepherd's purse, remove the water, chop it into pieces and make dumplings with the minced meat. It is delicious, delicious and nutritious.

Little wild bamboo shoots

Little wild bamboo shoots are the tender stems of small bamboos, which grow into hard bamboos. Small wild bamboo shoots like to grow on hillsides or on the riverbed not far from the river. There are many varieties, including Ma bamboo shoots, arrow bamboo shoots, red shell bamboo shoots, thunder bamboo shoots, etc. They often burst out of the ground overnight, and grow even more rapidly after the rain and clear skies. After a few days, they become old if they are not picked. Small wild bamboo shoots grow later than other wild vegetables, usually from the end of March to April.

The crude fiber content of small wild bamboo shoots is very rich, because it has a slight bitter taste. It should be blanched in boiling water before eating, chopped or torn into small pieces. The fried meat tastes very good, especially the fried bacon. Fragrant, with local characteristics of rural areas. According to my personal experience: steaming onyose bamboo shoots not only maintains their crispiness, but also eliminates the bitterness. Pickled small wild bamboo shoots can be made into sour bamboo shoots that can be stored for a long time and become a popular side dish that is sour, crisp and refreshing.

Cress

Cress is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Umbelliferae family. Its appearance is similar to that of Fucai. It is smaller than Fucai and its color is lighter than that of Fucai. It likes moist and fertile soil, and generally grows in low wetlands, shallow swamps, river banks, or in paddy fields. Cress has a special aroma and is mainly eaten as young stems, including green stems and red stems. , the aroma of red stems growing in dry soil is more intense.

The scent of cress is very special. It can be stir-fried with tempeh and chili, or it can be stir-fried with pork, especially pork with fat meat. Braised eel with cress is a very delicious dish.

Artemisia truncatula

Artemisia truncatula is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family, also known as Artemisia truncatula, mugwort, mugwort, etc. Grows in moist sparse forests, hillsides, roadsides and wastelands. Only the young stems are eaten. There are also green stems and red stems. The green stems are lighter in color. Wild Artemisia truncatula is widely distributed on the banks of Yueyang Lake in Hunan and is rich in resources. Due to the high market price of Artemisia truncatula, which usually costs more than ten yuan per pound, it is often cultivated artificially.

This picture comes from the Internet

Artemisia arborescens has a fresh fragrance and is generally used to stir-fry meat. It is a perfect match for stir-frying with bacon. Wash it and cut it into small pieces, and stir-fry it with red pepper over high heat. In short, it is a local specialty in Hunan. It is suitable for thick and light make-up. It is a highly praised seasonal dish in spring. In addition, it is also good for cold dressing and pickling.

Houttuynia cordata

Houttuynia cordata is named after its fishy smell. Its scientific name is Zorella odorata. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with small white flowers and antibacterial properties. , antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. It likes a humid environment and is commonly found beside ponds and ditches. Houttuynia cordata mainly eats young leaves and underground white rhizomes. It was once a controversial wild vegetable. In fact, eating an appropriate amount of Houttuynia Cordata not only does not harm the body, but is also beneficial to the body's antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Houttuynia cordata is mainly eaten cold in ordinary households. It is eaten in many ways in Sichuan and Guizhou. Sichuan people like to make skewers of Houttuynia cordata rhizomes and beef and eat them on the barbecue. It has created a new world in the food world. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the Sichuan Houttuynia cordata hot pot has a very high table serving rate. It is soft and glutinous and delicious. You can see various ways of eating Houttuynia cordata everywhere in Guizhou.

Gesneria

Gesneria is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. It is a natural wild vegetable with the same origin as medicine and food. The medicinal name is Baijiangcao. Because of its sweet and slightly bitter taste, Hangzhou people call it "Wild Bitter Vegetable". Its leaves are like snakes. Northerners call it "Snake Insect Miao". . Endive has small yellow flowers and grows in fields, roadsides, and around cottages. Its tender stems and leaves are rich in nutrients such as carotene, VB2 and VC. It has antibacterial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and eyesight-improving effects.

Chicken has a unique taste, bitter yet sweet, sweet yet fragrant. There are many ways to eat it. It can be eaten cold, eaten raw with sauce, made into soup, stir-fried, pickled, made into stuffings for dumplings, etc. In some places, it is also processed into a summer-relieving drink, which is a new way to eat wild vegetables. However, it is more common to eat it cold. First wash the chicory, quickly dry it in boiling water and let it cool. Then add minced ginger and garlic, salt, chicken essence, sesame oil, white sugar, rice vinegar, chili oil and other ingredients and mix well. It is spicy and refreshing.

Chickweed

Chickweed is a biennial or perennial herbaceous plant of the Caryophyllaceae family, and its scientific name is chickweed. It blooms with small white dotted flowers and likes to grow in low-humidity areas of alluvial sandy land on both sides of rivers or on the edge of shrubs and ditches. It has wind-repelling and detoxifying effects. It is a wild vegetable with high nutritional value. Most people are deficient in this wild vegetable. Understand that when you encounter it, treat it completely as an ordinary weed.

I only became aware of goose intestines last spring.

This kind of wild vegetable can be found everywhere along our riverside scenery. It is said that people come to pick it every year, take it home and fry it. Last year, a picker told us: This wild vegetable can be fried in the same way as vegetables. It is fresh and delicious.

In addition to the above 12 common wild vegetables, there are also wild mushrooms, plantains, dandelions, etc. Due to space reasons, I will not introduce them one by one here. Although wild vegetables are delicious and satisfying, you must pay attention to identify them carefully when picking them. Do not confuse them with other wild grasses. Do not pick them if you are not sure. Especially wild mushrooms must be treated with caution to prevent poisonous mushroom poisoning.