U.S. vegetable growers can consider growing Asian vegetables as an alternative crop for a variety of reasons, according to Naveen Kumar Dixit, an Extension Specialist and Associate Professor of Horticulture with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).
For starters, 24 million Asian Americans live in the U.S., representing 7.2% of the population, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Second, the quality of such imported crops is very poor and infected with fungal species, Dixit says. This reduces shelf life. Finally, the pandemic motivated populations to start seeking local sources of such vegetables, he adds.
Thus, U.S. growers can expect some degree of demand for this category of alternative crop. Specific Asian vegetables cited by Extension specialists include:
Bitter gourd (bitter melon): The vegetable is particularly popular among Asian families for its type-2 diabetes management, Dixit says.
“They purchase this vegetable on a weekly basis,” he says.
Although the crop is novel in the Maryland area, he notes a local veteran woman farmer who started growing the vegetable the last two years after participating in workshops and field trials at UMES.
Bitter gourd is easy to grow, has higher yields, and is not threatened by a major pest or pathogen, Dixit says. The only hurdle is how to break into the already existing import market.
“I think we need support from local governments and ag boards to promote local purchase,” he says
Moringa: Known as the “drumstick tree,” moringa has become popular with growers because of its versatility, according to Hung Kim Doan, a Small Farms and Specialty Crops Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
Every part of the plant is edible: leaves, pods, seeds, flower, and even its root. In addition, the vegetable is considered a superfood, Doan says, full of antioxidants and phytochemicals and highly nutritious. It has seven times more vitamin C than oranges, 10 times more vitamin A than carrots, 15 times more potassium than bananas, 17 times more calcium than milk, 25 times more iron than spinach, and nine times more protein than yogurt.
Follow our ongoing series on alternative vegetable crops.
Moringa likes to be planted in full sun, in sandy or well-drained soil, and it can tolerate light frost, Doan says. Farmers find favor in this crop because it grows fast and is drought tolerant, he adds. They sell moringa directly to the Asian market in California, which includes 7 million people.
Tomatillo, bottle gourd (calabash), tinda: Zena Clardy, an Associate Professor of Horticulture and Extension Specialist at Tennessee State University, advises growers to soak the seeds of the ethnic vegetables for 48 hours prior to planting. Tomatillo can grow in the field or in pots for production, while bottle gourd and tinda are field grown, Clardy says. Bitter gourd, she adds, grows well in the field or greenhouse.
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December 08, 2022 at 12:17AM
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How About Something Alternative? Asian Vegetables in High Demand - Growing Produce
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