These past few days, even though it has been warm and sunny, my mother still complains about her back as if she wants the cartilage to arrive, whenever she lifts her leg, she hears the bones crackling, moving with difficulty. My mother just complained the day before, the next day she came to visit her house, brought a bunch of green spinach, told her that she had just picked it from the beach yesterday, brought it over for her to make dishes to relieve joint pain.
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Stir-fried spinach with garlic |
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THANH LY |
I have been a bride from the sea for more than 15 years, but today my eyes are round and I look at the green, tender stalks of vegetables, shaped like duck legs. Seeing me struggling with a bunch of vegetables, she added: "Sea Ginseng", it's very precious, rich in vitamins and calcium, not only can cook many dishes but eat it to increase resistance, reduce joint pain.
Enjoying each stalk of fried spinach, crunchy, fragrant with garlic, listening to the family tell stories of the old days, but loving the taste of Quang's sea. In the era of computers, televisions, electronic toys, many people's childhood was in the early morning or late afternoon to go pick spinach. Mom said, anyone who has gone through a difficult time will appreciate spinach more. Children from the sea all day barefoot, wading barefoot in the white sand thanks to a pot of spinach soup cooked with shrimp and fresh skin. Elderly people with sore hands and feet sleep well because they are nourished by stir-fried spinach with mushrooms, minced meat...
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Spinach grows wild on the sandy beach |
Spinach is easily found near the sea's edge. They crawl among the white sand, alone but firmly in the March sun. Sometimes spinach is mixed with the scattered poplar leaves, or a few patches of sea water spinach with purple flowers. Gentle, fresh spinach sways in the strong, roaring sea breeze.
It seems that the job of picking spinach is not difficult for my husband, he is very "professional" when every step he walks on the sand leads to the place where the duck legs grow together, gathering like a festival. A few times when I followed him to pick spinach, I realized that even though it was a herb, each type had its own preferences. Particularly, the propeller prefers a gentle sandy slope close to the sea, where the fishermen take a shortcut to the boat.
On the days when many vegetables are harvested, the villagers can bring them to the market. Today, when families prefer clean and nutritious food, spinach is quite expensive, 50.000 VND/kg on average. In recent years, spinach has contributed to improving the income of many families in my hometown. The dishes from spinach are simple and rustic. Just a few shrimps, a little fragrant seasoning seeds, you will have a bowl of green soup right away.
March is also the time when there is a lot of dew, the sea is bustling with the harvest season, the bowl of spinach soup is green, and the tiny bright red color of the shrimp is very attractive. Wait for the pot of broth to boil, add the marinated shrimp paste through the pure fish sauce before adding the spinach. Instantly, there was a hot pot of soup, cooling off. Take a sip and listen to the vast sea of the sky. Not to mention the stir-fried spinach with only minced garlic, simple but full of elegance and flavor.
These days, I sometimes see green spinach swaying to the rhythm of the burdens of mothers and fathers entering the street market. Only when going to pick can you understand how women and mothers have to get up before the cock crows and struggle to have fresh and seasoned baskets of vegetables. No one expected that among the wild vegetables growing in the sand of the sea, there is such a delicious vegetable. Perhaps its delicious taste also comes from the dedication, algae, sun exposure to the sea breeze.
