The specialty wild spinach grown in the salt fields of Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - The wild spinach growing in salt fields has become a favorite dish for city dwellers. Farmers in Quynh Luu (Nghe An) are "hunting" for this vegetable to sell to traders.

People in Quynh Luu harvest loquat leaves in the salt fields.

We followed Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, from Hamlet 10, Quynh Ngoc Commune, to the salt fields in Quynh Minh Commune to pick loquat leaves. Having worked in this profession for over 10 years, Ms. Thuy knows better than anyone when loquat plants grow abundantly.

The wild spinach plant commonly grows in salt fields. Harvesting wild spinach helps farmers in Quynh Luu earn extra income during their leisure time.

Ms. Thuy said that every day at 4 a.m., she goes to some salt fields in the district to pick wild spinach, and on some days she can pick about 10 kg of spinach. She earns 80,000 to 100,000 VND per morning.

"Momordica charantia leaves can be harvested year-round, but they taste better when picked from January to May because the weather is cool, allowing the leaves to grow abundantly," Ms. Thuy shared.

Every day at 4 a.m., Ho Thi Huong, from An Hoa, goes with adults to pick wild spinach in the salt fields. Each day she picks about 4-6 kg of spinach, earning 50,000 VND.

Previously, only about 10-15 people worked picking wild spinach in Quynh Luu, but in recent years, as wild spinach has become a favorite food of the locals, the number of people picking it has increased to 30-40.

Ho Thi Huong, an 8th-grade student at An Hoa Secondary School, has also been involved in picking loquat leaves for three summers. Due to her family's difficult circumstances, every summer, Huong joins the elderly women and aunts in the neighborhood to find and pick loquat leaves.

Huong travels throughout the salt fields in the district, from An Hoa to Quynh Tho, Quynh Thuan, Quynh Minh, and Quynh Nghia. Every morning from 4 am to 9 am, she manages to pick about 4 to 6 kg of wild greens. On average, 1 kg of wild greens sells for 10,000 VND.

The weather is cool and rainy, so the loquat trees are sprouting many new shoots.

People in Quynh Luu often buy loquat leaves to make salad, combining them with peanuts, sugar, chili peppers, lime leaves, bean sprouts, carrots, etc. Loquat leaf salad, served with rice noodles or vermicelli, has become a signature dish of Quynh Luu cuisine and is known to many people inside and outside the district.

Ms. Pham Thi My (55 years old), a buyer of loquat leaves in Quynh Tho commune, said: Every day she buys about 50-70 kg of loquat leaves from local people, then sends them by car to Hanoi and Vinh City to sell to customers.

The loquat leaf grows and develops entirely in its natural environment. Locals use loquat leaves to make salads, and eat them as a side dish with rice noodles, vermicelli, etc.

Viet Hung - Thanh Nhan