Agriculture Business Week

How can one remember important things? Especially if you have to remember a series of subjects that you need to recall often.

The answer is acronyms. Choose important syllables that, when joined together, make it easier to recall. Talk about a mnemonic device.

Now you will ask what is Mask Talk PH. It is an acronym for indigenous vegetables being promoted by our NAFC sub-committee on fruits and vegetables. It is the focused attention of our core group on Indigenous Vegetables (IV).

I remember the initiative started three years ago. But according to the original group of our advocacym, Bureau of Plant Industry’s (BPI) Lito Baron, we started in 2000 or seven years ago. How time flies indeed.

Last week, a group of 15 private sector and government sector members of our IV program went up to Baguio to see the 3rd IV garden and to hasten the information dissemination campaign on the IVs to our beneficiaries.

The BPI Director of Baguio City met us, prepared sugpo and other simple but nutritious food for our lunch. The attention given by Director Jesus Aspuria is truly heart warming. Private sector led by Mrs. Soledad Agbayani and Tony Rola joined by Soroptimists of Baguio– Virginia de Guia, Leonie San Agustin, Norma Falguera, Rose Tabora, Becky Domogan, Estela de Guia and Anabel Estepa made our orientation meeting interesting. Dr. Lina Serrano of Post Harvest Training and Research Center (PHTRC) and Director Lito Baron led the government group. Ms. Juliet Opulencia of NAFC and Ms. Engie Santos of AMAS also led their group.

Back to MASK – malunggay, alugbati, saluyot, and kulitis. MASK is similar to the masks worn by the actors in phantom of the opera, a popular broadway show. TALK is talinum, ampalaya, labong and katuray–they remind me of the the song “Happy Talk” of South Pacific. PH is pako and himbabao. PH reminds us of acidity soil test. Now, isn’t it easier to remember our indigenous vegetables?

Our lead BPI person, Josefina Garcia, will furnish me the culinary uses and medicinal applications from the Department of Health (DOH) and National Nutrition Council (NNC).

For this issue, I will quote Ms. Garcia’s report on malunggay and alugbati:
Alugbati (Basella alba / Basella rubra). Alugbati is commonly grown for its young shoots. It is an excellent succulent, slightly mucilaginous vegetable. It can be used as a pot herb in stews or soups. You can eat it boiled, fried in oil or sometimes as a green salad. An early use of its fruits in China seems to have been for dyeing purpose. The red fruit juice can be used as ink, cosmetic and for coloring foods. The young leaves can be used as laxative.
Pulped leaves as poultice for sores and red fruit juice as eye drops to treat conjunctivitis. It is a good source of Vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. It can be cooked with other vegetables such as pinakbet and dinengdeng. It is also blanched or cooked with egg and noodles.

Malunggay (Moringa oleifera Lamk) has multiple uses. The young fruits are a good substitute for yard long bean and are often used in curries. Stewed fruits cannot be eaten whole, but one sucks their contents and throws away the tough valves. The leaves and flowers are eaten as a cooked vegetable or put in soups. Fried seeds taste like groundnuts. The leaves and twigs are sometimes used as fodder. The root bark is used as a condiment or garnish.

Almost all parts of the tree, particularly the leaves and root bark, have medicinal applications. The leaves as a poultice are useful in reducing glandular swellings and a decoction of the roots is used for cleaning sores and ulcers. The bark is used as a rubefacient applied to the bites of snakes to prevent the poison from spreading. The juice of the roots with milk is also useful as a decoction for asthma, gout, lumbago and rheumatism.

Now isn’t that fantastic? I cannot imagine even in my wildest dreams that IVS can have many uses.

I hope you will remember indigenous vegetables (IVs). MASK for malungguy, alugbati, saluyot and kulitis. TALK for talinum, ampalaya, labong and katuray. PH for pako and himbabao. There are five (5) IV centers all over the island. You can go to any of them and ask for tree IVS and planting techniques. Happy IV Day!

These are the following places where at least 1,000 sq.m. lot are planted to indigenous vegetables.

1) Bureau of Plant Industry – Central Office, Manila Horticulture Section, Crop Research Division Contact Persons: Josephine T. Garcia, Julie Ann A. Aragones, Ardy L. Cucio, Gildo F. Maminta Tel. No. (632) 525-7403.
2) BPI – Baguio National Crop Research and Development Center (BNCRDC) Contact Persons: Dr. Jesus Aspuria, Josephine Yban Tel. (6374) 4459084, 445-9085
3) BPI – Los Banos (LBNCRDC) Contact Person: Marina Calingasan, Center Chief/OIC and Joel Adorada Tel. (6349) 536-0104, 536-0285.
4) BPI – Lagranja (LGNCRDC), Bacolod, Negros Occidental Contact Person: Milagros Abaquita, Center Chief Tel. No. (6334) 735-0115/ 735-0087
5) BPI – Davao (DNCRDC) Contact Person: Lorna Heradura, Center Chief Tel. No. (6382) 293-0107, 293-1065.

It is interesting to learn new things. I hope you will enjoy learning indigenous vegetables as we journey to wellness and good health. Remember: MASK TALK PH.