UMES Extension is playing its part in improving food security and satisfying the demand for locally grown ethnic and specialty crops by educating farmers on crop diversification, said Dr. Nadine Burton, an alternative crop specialist at the UMES Research and Education Farm.
“Diversifying crops in our region is of great importance,” Burton said, “to ensure food security for a community that is rapidly changing to encompass people from multiple segments of the population. Today, the university is growing eight different types of greens that are not traditionally grown in the U.S. or during the summer season. Most of these crops are high-value crops that will provide farmers the opportunities to diversify their crop offerings resulting in the increase of farm income as well as improve their standard of living.”
Greens are also nutrition powerhouses, Burton said, loaded with vitamins and minerals and are high in fiber.
Baby choy (Brassica rapa), variously known as pak choi, pak choy or bok choi, is an extremely nutrient-rich Asian green most used in stir fries. It is a cool season vegetable but grows well through the year.
Malabar spinach (Basella alba or Basella rubra) is not a true spinach, but rather a climbing vine in a class by itself. It is also known as Indian spinach, red vine spinach, creeping spinach, and ceylon spinach. Even though it’s not a true spinach, it has similar taste. The leaves from this heat-loving vine have a mild flavor and are used like spinach in salads and cooking. It is extremely frost-sensitive. It creeps when temperatures are cool, but leaps when the mercury hits 90 F.
Callaloo (Amaranthus viridis), also known as green amaranth, greens, cheng-kruk, arowo jeja and many other different names, has been consumed for thousands of years. It is an ancient, green leafy vegetable similar to spinach, but has a stronger flavor. This tropical plant does well in poor-nutrient soil. It grows rapidly with quick turn over.
Jute leaves (Corchorus Olitorius) is also known as saluyot, ewedu or lalo and Egyptian spinach, depending on the region where it is grown. The jute plant is mostly cultivated in Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa. Jute leaves are used as a food source in these regions, adding a distinct flavor to food and also acting as a thickening agent in soups, stews and sauces. Jute leaves are not just for culinary uses, they are also known for their medicinal properties. The stems are used to make rope, paper and a variety of other products.
Cassava (Manihot Esculenta) is also known as Saka-Saka (Saca-Saca, Sakasaka, Mpondou, Mpondu, or Pondu), which is the Congolese word for cassava leaves and the name of a dish made from them. Central African people seem to be unique in their consumption of cassava leaves, which are cooked as greens. Elsewhere in the world, the cassava (or manioc, yuca, or yucca) plant is cultivated only for its tubers. Cassava is a tropical crop, but will grow well in temperate conditions during the growing season for leaves production.
African nightshade/ black nightshade is grown as an edible vegetable in Kenya and is commonly referred to there as Managu. It is cherished as a food for its nutritious benefits and has been used in traditional African medicine over the ages. It has a name in nearly every African language. Examples of these are Mnavu in Swahili, Osuga in Luo, Namaska in Luhya, Kitulu in Kamba and Ndunda in Taita.
Waterleaf (Talinum triangulare) is one of those underrated and undervalued plants in Nigeria. Waterleaf is an edible leafy vegetable that belongs to the Portulacea family. It was originally from West Africa before spreading to other parts of the world, such as Asia and South America. As the name suggests, this green leafy vegetable is referred to as waterleaf due to its high moisture content of approximately 90.8 gm per 100 gm of the leaf. Waterleaf is called Gbure in Yoruba, Ebe-dondon in Edo and in English is nicknamed Philippine spinach, sweetheart, flame flower, Florida spinach etc.
Kale is a cool season crop and is predominantly grown in the spring or winter season. Today, it is been grown during the summer to provide farmers with research-based information relating to yield, pest, diseases and marketing.
Gail Stephens, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, gcstephens@umes.edu, 410-621-3850.
Photos by Todd Dudek, agricultural communications photographer/videographer, UMES School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, tdudek@umes.edu, and Dr. Nadine Burton, alternative crop specialist, UMES Extension, nmburton@umes.edu.
