Banana: wild herb to eat

the banana is a common weed , can be found in all types of soil, almost all year round, except that during the summer it tends to dry out due to the heat. It is a family of herbs, the plantain, among which are several edible plants, including the lanceolate plantain, the greater plantain and the coronopus.

You have to learn to recognize these wild plants because they are races WITH MANY USES: You can eat all parts of the banana and eat it raw or cooked.

So don’t call it weed! This edible herb is little known from a dietary point of view, but it is a really interesting vegetable for its use in cooking and also for its extraordinary nutritional properties and medicinal.

Contents [Ocultar]

  • The banana and how to recognize it

  • Where to find the Spontaneous Banana

  • kitchen use

  • Properties of banana

Contents

The banana and how to recognize it

With the name banana we do not indicate a single species, but a whole family of plants, the plantginaceae . In this macro there are several interesting varieties, among which we find spontaneous plants that are commonly found throughout Italy.

As interesting varieties, because they are edible and well distributed, we remember the plantago lanceolata ( plantago lanceolata ), recognizable by its narrow and elongated leaves, with visible veins on the underside of the leaf, the biggest banana (major crash) recognizable by its elliptical, broad and shorter leaves, the coronope (plantago coronape) . All three varieties are edible.

It is a 20/30 cm high plant that produces seeds with spikes. The presence of these spikes is very characteristic and makes it easy to identify the plants of this species even in the midst of tall grass prairies.

Where to find the Spontaneous Banana

This edible plant is spreading everywhere: the greater plantain and the coronopus in all soils, the lanceolate variety mainly in compact and humid soils and in pastures. It is usually found at the roadside in pastures and uncultivated meadows. not afraid of the winter cold because its shoots hibernate underground and are ready to hunt as soon as the temperatures soften, so it is also found in the mountains and hills.

Those who want to pick it to eat should of course choose places that are as pristine as possible: it would be unhealthy to pick herbs that have grown on the sides of busy roads and are therefore inevitably polluted. A walk in the fields in spring or autumn should bring a good harvest.

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The leaves begin at the neck of the plant, while from late spring the upright stems bear the small, clustered flowers at the apex, which then ripen into characteristic brown-tipped banana seeds. Only these seeds are the method of propagation, they are spread by wind or small animals and spread this species very easily.

kitchen use

In the past, the banana was widely used both for food and for medicinal and curative purposes. There are traces of it since Antiquity, its use is mentioned both in peasant soups and in cattle feed. It is currently obsolete, but deserves to be rediscovered.

It can be eaten raw in a salad, even if it means choosing only the youngest and most tender leaves.

The banana in the kitchen It is mainly used cooked , pan-fried like many leafy vegetables. You can put it in soups enriching them with a new flavor, or I recommend a very good banana risotto that recalls the flavor of mushroom risotto. Other applications are in cold pasta, as a filling for ravioli (similar to the most famous borage), or in tortillas. There are many banana-based recipes, you can find several by searching the web.

plant property

Nutritionally, this edible wild grass contains many mineral salts especially zinc, eflavonoids.

What office factory It has been used for centuries: various beneficial effects are attributed to it: antibacterial, diuretic, purifying and expectorant properties.

If you get bitten by a mosquito outdoors, you can find a banana and pluck the leaves by rubbing them on the stinger to soothe the itch. This is a traditional use of this herb.

Another traditional peasant remedy for wounds was to wrap a compress in banana leaves and then tie it with bandages or gauze to hold the blood and heal.

Other herbs that are still used today are related to the respiratory tract: in particular, the decoction or infusion of plantain is administered against colds, coughs, catarrh and flu. In this it can be assimilated to thyme and mallow, other drugs useful for the well-being of the body.

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