Unexpectedly, I didn't expect that these foods used to be called the "life-saving food" of the mainland, but now they end up being ignored, and some even rot in the ground and no one wants to eat them, and some farmers even said: I am really tired of eating. What is all this food, and why did it fall off the altar?
Diligence and thrift are the traditional virtues of the mainland, especially for the older generation, food is life, one grain is hard-won, resolutely stop the leftovers, but if you encounter these grains, I am afraid that the older generation will also shake their heads.
The first type of sorghum
Sorghum is a common crop, deeply loved by the northerners, in that era of low level of mechanization and lack of farmers' materials, sorghum as a "life-saving food", once deeply favored by farmers, compared with other wheat, corn and other crops, sorghum's vitality is more tenacious, no matter how harsh the natural environment, sorghum can always produce some fruits more or less, not to the grain no harvest.
Therefore, in the famine years, sorghum was also used as a minimum ration by farmers, although the taste was not as good as those delicate staple foods, but at least it could guarantee that they would not starve to death. According to statistics, in the 20th century, the output of sorghum on the mainland could reach more than 5.8 million tons, but now it can only reach more than 1.7 million tons.
First of all, because the taste of sorghum is too bad, the taste of sorghum skin is sour, and the taste of sorghum flour made of grinding is far inferior to wheat flour or corn flour; secondly, because the yield of sorghum is low, with the development of science and technology, corn and wheat, which used to have low yields, have cultivated high-yield varieties, and can realize complete mechanized planting, while the yield per mu of sorghum has not changed significantly, so it is naturally not welcomed.
Another point is the market factor, in addition to the farmers to eat their own crops, there is also a part of the purpose of selling, wheat, corn, etc. now the output is stable, the market demand is large, there is no worry about selling, and the yield of sorghum is low, the economic efficiency is poor, and the people who are willing to buy it are few, so the cultivation of sorghum is also greatly reduced.
However, it is worth mentioning that sorghum, whose production has plummeted sharply on the mainland, is very popular in the United States, first of all, because the environment in the United States is suitable for growing sorghum, and most of the plains in the United States will have less water and poor soil, which is not suitable for the growth of other crops; second, because the United States agriculture is highly mechanized, and it is not a problem to grow sorghum, so this crop, which is gradually declining in the mainland, is now shining in the United States.
The second type of artichoke
Artichoke is also known as Jerusalem artichoke, although it has ginger in its name, but in fact, artichoke does not belong to the ginger category, but is a kind of Asteraceae food, just because its rhizome part looks like ginger. Artichoke is not a native plant of the continent, it was introduced to Europe in the 17th century, and then to the mainland. Artichoke has tenacious vitality, no matter how barren and arid the land, artichoke can grow very vigorously, so in the north and south of the mainland, there are artichokes planted.
In addition, the harvest period of artichoke is also very long, according to research, in an ideal state, artichoke only needs to be planted for one year, it can have a harvest period of more than ten years, the edible part of artichoke is the root of artichoke, its rhizome is lumpy, rich in starch, and contains fructose, can be used as a staple food, but also as a vegetable, artichoke is nutritious, delicious, so it was once regarded as a favorite food by everyone.
In addition to edible roots, the leaves of artichokes are tender and juicy, and can also be used to raise livestock, and in the past, many families would feed pigs, rabbits and other domestic animals, and the leaves of artichokes could provide them with sufficient nutrition. But now everyone has found that artichoke has gradually withdrawn from everyone's field of vision, why is this?
First of all, because the artichoke is too difficult to remove, the vitality of the artichoke is tenacious, and once planted, it will grow wildly, so that when you want to plant other crops later, it will be difficult to succeed, so the artichoke is also known as "devil ginger", although this crop was once regarded as life-saving food, but because it is difficult to clean up, it was later rejected by everyone.
Secondly, because of the single practice and taste of artichoke, artichoke is generally used to cook soup or pickled vegetables to eat, in the past, people's choice was single, so artichoke as a kind of food to maintain survival, it was reluctantly accepted by everyone, now the standard of living is improving, plus the single taste of artichoke, naturally everyone is tired of eating; Therefore, after a long time, everyone is naturally reluctant to plant artichokes.
The third sweet potato
Sweet potatoes have a tenacious vitality, in the northern region of the mainland, sweet potatoes have been planted in large quantities as staple food, and the yield of sweet potatoes is high, and the yield per mu can reach an astonishing 6,000 catties, which is much higher than other staple foods such as wheat and corn.
Therefore, in the famine years, sweet potatoes firmly occupied the first place in the staple food world. In addition, we have also invented a lot of ways to eat sweet potatoes, steamed sweet potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, and a few pieces of sweet potatoes will be put on when cooking porridge, it can be said that in the era of food scarcity, sweet potatoes have fed countless families, so why are sweet potatoes kicked out of the staple food world now, and can only be reduced to a small snack on the street?
First of all, it is because of the change of everyone's taste, especially the older generation, who are really tired of eating sweet potatoes; secondly, the yield of sweet potatoes no longer has advantages, and today's staple foods such as corn can reach a yield of 7,000 catties per mu, which exceeds the yield of sweet potatoes. Therefore, sweet potatoes have gradually withdrawn from the staple food world and become a little transparent.
The Fourth Persimmon
Persimmons were once called "hardcore crops" because of their good taste and high yield, and they also saved many lives during the famine years. In the past, we could see persimmon trees at the door of many people's homes in the countryside, and when it came to the harvest season, persimmons were hung all over the branches, and the taste of persimmons was sweet.
In order to increase the taste and prolong the storage period, some people will also make persimmons into persimmons, which have a sweet taste and can be eaten not only as a snack, but also as a staple food. But now persimmons are not welcomed by everyone, first of all, because persimmons contain tannic acid, not suitable for some people with bad stomach, eat too much will also form a water-insoluble substance in the stomach, very uncomfortable;