Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
milled and prepared into doughnuts. The immature leaves are revered as a
potherb or spinach.
Pigeon pea ( Cajanus cajan )
The pigeon pea occurs as semi-perennial shrubs in home gardens or in the food
farms. Only a few plants are kept, primarily for home consumption. Both the
mature and immature seeds are cooked and served as a snack, in soups, and in
stews. The leaves are said to have medicinal uses and are also used as fodder. It
is primarily used as a food security crop. The mature beans are very hard and take
a long time to cook. On the other hand the hard seed coat aids in preservation of
the beans.
Black velvet beans, adua apea
The black velvet bean is a very hairy plant, which causes skin irritation. The crop
used to be consumed as a hunger crop. A non-hairy, non-irritating strain occurs,
which is boiled and served in stews or soups.
Leafy vegetables
About 20 major species of leafy vegetables are commonly used in the demon-
stration site. They comprise both wild and cultivated plants: annuals or peren-
nials, herbs, shrubs, and trees. Leafy vegetables abound during the rainy season
as wild or volunteer plants around the homestead, in home gardens, crop farms,
in bushes, or on wastelands. The most common examples are water leaf ( Talinum
triangulare ), stinging nettle ( Fleurya estuans ), amaranthus ( Amaranthus
hybridus ), cocoyam leaf ( Xanthosoma saggittifolium ), and Mormondica charan-
tia , locally known as nyanyina .
Other leafy vegetables are specifically cultivated in home gardens or crop farms
during the cropping season. Notable among these are gboma ( Solanum
macrocarpon ), ademe ( Corchorus capsularis ), bitter leaf ( Venonia amygdalina ),
and the chaya .
The leaves of certain crop plants grown primarily for other plant parts such as
some roots and tubers are also harvested and consumed as vegetables. These
include cocoyam, sweet potato ( Ipomea batatas ), cassava ( Manihot esculenta ),
and taro ( Colocasia esculenta ). Others are cowpea, okra, garden egg, lima bean,
and pumpkin.
During the dry season, leafy vegetables obtained from home gardens and wet-
lands are supplemented with the tender leaves of trees such as the silk cotton
( Ceiba pentandra ), baobab ( Adansonia digitata ), and cocoa ( Theobroma cacao ).
The tender leaves of papaya ( Carica papaya ) are also used as a vegetable, but
preferably during the rainy season. Other lesser-known food/spice leaves include
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