Why you won’t find these plants in your supermarket.

You may well ask “ if these plants are so nutritious & so easy to grow, why aren’t they available in supermarkets?”

The quick answer is – it depends where you live. Many of these plants are staple foods in other parts of the world – especially Asia & Africa where they’re bought & sold in local markets or grown in local plots. In some cases, they’re endemic to the area & are wild harvested.

Commercial harvesting of Kang kong Photo: Pen War

If you live in a western society, the story’s a little different. Supermarkets are geared to be the end seller of what modern agriculture can produce. They won’t show much interest in few kilograms of local produce. Their mode of operation is to buy produce by the ton, then package & distribute it around the country. High nutrient value is of no interest to supermarkets – it’s all about long shelf life & appearance – or in other words – profit, profit & more profit!

I’m not suggesting you aim for self-sufficiency here (that’s a worthy but difficult goal), just that you put some of these amazing plants in your garden, and even better, learn how to incorporate them in your diet.

Even adding a single perennial food plant to your back yard can have an impact on your diet. These plants are packed full of nutrients that are mostly lost in fresh food available in supermarkets. Simply adding a leaf or two a day to your salads straight from the garden will make a difference, and getting the bulk of your greens from the garden will most certainly improve your chances of good health.

This process of growing food & then eating the produce will also bring you closer to nature, you’ll be much less reliant on modern farming for your nutrition and at the same time reduce your impact on the earth’s ecosystems.

And if disaster or hardship arise in the future, your small backyard patch may just keep you & your family alive and in good nutrition!