May 18, 2016 Wednesday.
By Olivia Miwil
olivia@nst.com.my
PENAMPANG: There’s something about wild vegetables or herbs many would vouch for.
Be it colourful, thorny, smelly or funny – these hand plucked plants are the most popular items sold in traditional markets.
Locals would stand by its nutritional or medicinal benefits although for some its more towards fulfilling their nostalgic palate for food they used to take when young, growing up in villages across the state.
Hawker Grace Bingkor, in her 40s, sells a wide variety of wild vegetables at a mere RM2 per bundle at the weekly Donggongon Tamu, or open market every Thursday and Friday.
Grace sells vegetables known as lansiman, lalansa, kakatung, bawing and losung. Most wild vegetables have similar characteristics to vegetables such as spinach or herbs like mint and basil.
“Customers, especially those who are Chinese, will look for these plants for its therapeutic benefits such as treating constipation, high blood pressure and even de-toxify
“On top of it all these plants grow in the wild which mean they are organic,” she said, adding villagers usually harvest them a day before the weekly market because of its short shelf lifespan.
At supermarkets, unless there are “organic” or “Good Agricultural Practice” labels certified by state Agricultural department, it is very difficult to find safe vegetables.
However, those with labels are often more expensive than vegetables sold by villagers. The price range is between RM5 and RM7 for the same amount.
Housewife Nani Durahman, 43, said she usually go to the Donggongon market by 8am just to ensure she gets the wild vegetables.
“There are not many people who sell wild vegetables here but the demand is high. I grew up eating these kampung vegetables.”
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